Also written Blues
B♭ blues minor uses B♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, F, and A♭. Box 2 places the root on string 4, fret 8 for a mid-neck stretch.
B♭ blues minor is the B♭ minor pentatonic with an added ♭5. The ♭5 is F♭, the blue note between E♭ and F. Its interval pattern is 1, ♭3, 4, ♭5, 5, ♭7. See the B♭ minor pentatonic for the five-note base.
B♭ blues minor works over B♭ minor and B♭ 5th chords. Use it in a B♭ blues or a riff-based rock tune. The ♭5 adds grit to the minor pentatonic sound. Pair it with B♭ minor or B♭ 5th.
Start with Box 1. The root is on string 6, fret 6, and the shape spans frets 0–3.
B♭ blues minor in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 11 notes across 6 strings, from F♭ on the low E string at fret 0 up to F on the high e string at fret 1. The root falls on the A string at fret 1 and the G string at fret 3.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 0, 1 | F♭, F |
| 5 (A) | 1 | B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 1, 2, 3 | E♭, F♭, F |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3 | A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 2 | D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 0, 1 | F♭, F |
B♭ blues minor in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 12 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 6 and the high e string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6, 7 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 4 (D) | 6 | A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6 | D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 5, 6 | E♭, F♭, F |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
B♭ blues minor in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 14 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 low E string at fret 6, the D string at fret 8 and the high e string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 9 | B♭, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 6, 7, 8 | E♭, F♭, F |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8 | A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 8, 9 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 2 (B) | 6, 9 | F, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 9 | B♭, D♭ |
B♭ blues minor in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 12 notes across 6 strings, from D♭ on the low E string at fret 9 up to F♭ on the high e string at fret 12. The root falls on the B string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 11, 12 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 5 (A) | 11 | A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11 | D♭ |
| 3 (G) | 9, 10 | F♭, F |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11 | A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11, 12 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
B♭ blues minor in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 14 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 13 and the B string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 12, 13 | E♭, F♭, F |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13 | A♭, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13, 14 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 3 (G) | 13 | A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 14 | B♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 12, 13 | E♭, F♭, F |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
B♭ blues minor contains B♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, F, and A♭. F♭ is the blue note. The scale has six notes. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
B♭ blues minor fits B♭ minor and B♭ 5th chords. It also works over E♭ 5th in a blues progression. Use it in B♭ blues.
The blue note in B♭ blues minor is F♭. F♭ is the ♭5 degree, placed between E♭ and F. It adds the characteristic blues tension.