Also written Diatonic, Gong or Mongolian
B♭ major pentatonic uses B♭, C, D, F, and G. Box 1 sits low on the neck from frets 0–3 with two root positions.
B♭ major pentatonic removes the fourth and seventh from B♭ major, leaving intervals 1, 2, 3, 5, 6. The parent scale is B♭ major. The missing E♭ and A remove the tritone and leading tone, giving a stable, consonant sound.
B♭ major pentatonic fits B♭ major and B♭ 5th chords, and it also works over C 5th and F 5th. Use it for horn-driven funk or bright pop in the key of B♭ major. Try it over B♭ major or B♭ 5th.
Learn Box 1 first. Its root on the fifth string, first fret keeps the pattern close to the nut and easy to visualize.
B♭ major pentatonic in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 12 notes across 6 strings, from F on the low E string at fret 1 up to G on the high e string at fret 3. The root falls on the A string at fret 1 and the G string at fret 3.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1, 3 | F, G |
| 5 (A) | 1, 3 | B♭, C |
| 4 (D) | 0, 3 | D, F |
| 3 (G) | 0, 3 | G, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 1, 3 | C, D |
| 1 (e) | 1, 3 | F, G |
B♭ major pentatonic in box 2 runs from fret 3 to fret 6, 12 notes across 6 strings, from G on the low E string at fret 3 up to B♭ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the low E string at fret 6, the G string at fret 3 and the high e string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 6 | G, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 3, 5 | C, D |
| 4 (D) | 3, 5 | F, G |
| 3 (G) | 3, 5 | B♭, C |
| 2 (B) | 3, 6 | D, F |
| 1 (e) | 3, 6 | G, B♭ |
B♭ major pentatonic in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 8, 9 notes across 6 strings, from B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 up to C on the high e string at fret 8. 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, 8 | B♭, C |
| 5 (A) | 8 | F |
| 4 (D) | 8 | B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 7 | D |
| 2 (B) | 6, 8 | F, G |
| 1 (e) | 6, 8 | B♭, C |
B♭ major pentatonic in box 4 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 11 notes across 6 strings, from C on the low E string at fret 8 up to D on the high e string at fret 10. The root falls on the D string at fret 8 and the B string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 10 | C, D |
| 5 (A) | 8, 10 | F, G |
| 4 (D) | 8, 10 | B♭, C |
| 3 (G) | 10 | F |
| 2 (B) | 8, 11 | G, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10 | C, D |
B♭ major pentatonic in box 5 runs from fret 10 to fret 13, 12 notes across 6 strings, from D on the low E string at fret 10 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) | 10, 13 | D, F |
| 5 (A) | 10, 13 | G, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 10, 12 | C, D |
| 3 (G) | 10, 12 | F, G |
| 2 (B) | 11, 13 | B♭, C |
| 1 (e) | 10, 13 | D, F |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
B♭ major pentatonic contains B♭, C, D, F, and G. These are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th degrees of the B♭ major scale. The fourth and seventh are omitted. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
B♭ major pentatonic fits B♭ major and B♭ 5th chords directly. It also works over C 5th and F 5th in progressions. The scale avoids the fourth and seventh, so it rarely clashes.
B♭ major pentatonic shares the same notes as G minor pentatonic. The difference is the tonal center: B♭ major pentatonic resolves to B♭, while G minor pentatonic resolves to G.