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A♭ scottish pentatonic scale on guitar
A♭ scottish pentatonic uses A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭, F. Box 1 spans frets 1–4 and places the root on the sixth string.
How it is built
Formula 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
How do you play the A♭ scottish pentatonic scale on guitar?
A♭ scottish pentatonic in box 1 runs from fret 1 to fret 4, 12 notes across 6 strings, from F on the low E string at fret 1 up to A♭ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4, the G string at fret 1 and the high e string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1, 4 | F, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 1, 4 | B♭, D♭ |
| 4 (D) | 1, 3 | E♭, F |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3 | A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 2, 4 | D♭, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 1, 4 | F, A♭ |
Box 2 · frets 4–6
A♭ scottish pentatonic in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 6, 10 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to B♭ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4, the D string at fret 6 and the high e string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6 | D♭, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 6 | A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6 | D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 6 | E♭, F |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
Box 3 · frets 6–9
A♭ scottish pentatonic in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 12 notes across 6 strings, from B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 up to D♭ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the D string at fret 6 and the B string at fret 9.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 9 | B♭, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 6, 8 | E♭, F |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8 | A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 8 | D♭, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 6, 9 | F, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 9 | B♭, D♭ |
Box 4 · frets 9–11
A♭ scottish pentatonic in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 11, 9 notes across 6 strings, from D♭ on the low E string at fret 9 up to E♭ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the B string at fret 9.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 11 | D♭, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 11 | A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11 | D♭ |
| 3 (G) | 10 | F |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11 | A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11 | D♭, E♭ |
Box 5 · frets 11–14
A♭ scottish pentatonic in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 11 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to F on the high e string at fret 13. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the G string at fret 13.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 13 | E♭, F |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13 | A♭, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13 | D♭, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 13 | A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 14 | B♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 13 | E♭, F |
Why it sounds like that
Derive it from A♭ major pentatonic by raising the third C to D♭, yielding 1–2–4–5–6. The step pattern W, 1½, W, W, 1½ creates a wide gap between B♭ and D♭. See A♭ major pentatonic for comparison; the raised third becomes the fourth.
When to use it
Use it over A♭5 and A♭sus2 chords for a suspended sound. It also fits B♭ minor and D♭ major progressions in rock or folk. Try A♭ 5th and C♯ major.
Which position to practise
Start with Box 1. It covers frets 1–4 with the root on string 6, fret 4, giving a low anchor for phrases.
Common questions
What notes are in A♭ scottish pentatonic?
The notes are A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭, and F. They follow the intervals 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 from the A♭ major scale. This omits the third and seventh degrees. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Which chords work with A♭ scottish pentatonic?
A♭5 and A♭sus2 are the most direct fits because they avoid the third. B♭ minor and D♭ major also work well, since they share most of the scale tones. Use it over progressions in A♭ major or F minor.
How does A♭ scottish pentatonic differ from A♭ major pentatonic?
A♭ major pentatonic contains C, the major third. A♭ scottish pentatonic replaces C with D♭, the fourth. This creates a suspended sound without a third.