Also written Auxiliary Diminished Blues, Half-Whole or Balinese
B♭ blues diminished runs B♭, C♭, D♭, D, F♭, F, G, A♭. Box 1 places roots on string 4 fret 3 and string 1 fret 1.
B♭ blues diminished is the eight-note half-whole pattern: H, W, H, W, H, W, H, W. It adds a ♭2 to B♭ hungarian major, keeping the ♭3, 3, ♭5, 5, 6, and ♭7. The scale contains a tritone between B♭ and F♭, but no leading tone.
B♭ blues diminished fits B♭ major and B♭ minor chords, adding a ♭2 and ♭5 for tension. Use it over blues, jazz, and funk progressions in B♭. The scale also works over diminished chords built on C♭, D, F♭, and A♭.
Practise Box 1 first. It covers frets 0–4 and keeps the root under the first finger on string 4.
B♭ blues diminished in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 4, 14 notes across 4 strings, from D♭ on the C string at fret 1 up to D♭ on the A string at fret 4. The root falls on the G string at fret 3 and the A string at fret 1.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 0, 1, 3, 4 | G, A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 3 (C) | 1, 2, 4 | D♭, D, F♭ |
| 2 (E) | 0, 1, 3, 4 | F♭, F, G, A♭ |
| 1 (A) | 1, 2, 4 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
B♭ blues diminished in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 12 notes across 4 strings, from F♭ on the C string at fret 4 up to F♭ on the A string at fret 7. The root falls on the E string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 4, 6, 7 | C♭, D♭, D |
| 3 (C) | 4, 5, 7 | F♭, F, G |
| 2 (E) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 1 (A) | 4, 5, 7 | D♭, D, F♭ |
B♭ blues diminished in box 3 runs from fret 7 to fret 10, 12 notes across 4 strings, from G on the C string at fret 7 up to G on the A string at fret 10. The root falls on the C string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 7, 9, 10 | D, F♭, F |
| 3 (C) | 7, 8, 10 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (E) | 7, 9, 10 | C♭, D♭, D |
| 1 (A) | 7, 8, 10 | F♭, F, G |
B♭ blues diminished in box 4 runs from fret 10 to fret 12, 8 notes across 4 strings, from B♭ on the C string at fret 10 up to A♭ on the A string at fret 11. The root falls on the C string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 10, 12 | F, G |
| 3 (C) | 10, 11 | B♭, C♭ |
| 2 (E) | 10, 12 | D, F♭ |
| 1 (A) | 10, 11 | G, A♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
B♭ blues diminished contains B♭, C♭, D♭, D, F♭, F, G, and A♭. The scale has eight notes. It includes both a minor third and a major third. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
B♭ blues diminished fits B♭ major and B♭ minor chords. It also works over C♭, D, F♭, and A♭ diminished chords. The scale adds chromatic tension to blues progressions.
No. B♭ blues diminished has eight notes, while B♭ diminished has seven. The blues diminished scale adds a major third and a major sixth.