B Blues Scale
The B blues scale contains B – D – E – F – F# – A. It is B minor pentatonic plus one added note, the blue note F, between the 4th and 5th. It is also called the minor blues scale.
B blues scale chart
Pentatonic and blues scales have no standard book fingering, so none is shown here. Pick fingers that keep your thumb off the black keys.
B blues vs B minor pentatonic
| Degree | 1 | b3 | 4 | b5 | 5 | b7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentatonic | B | D | E | – | F# | A |
| Blues | B | D | E | F | F# | A |
The blue note is the only addition. It is a passing note, a half step from both E and F#: slide through it on the way between them rather than resting on it.
What B blues is used for
It is the sound of blues soloing, and of a lot of rock and jazz too. A 12-bar blues in B uses three dominant 7th chords, B7, E7 and F#7, and this one scale works over all of them. Its minor 3rd, D, clashes on purpose with the D# in B7, and that rub is the blues sound.
Notes and intervals
| Note | Degree | Interval from B | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 1 | root | 0 |
| D | b3 | minor 3rd | 3 |
| E | 4 | perfect 4th | 5 |
| F | b5 | diminished 5th | 6 |
| F# | 5 | perfect 5th | 7 |
| A | b7 | minor 7th | 10 |
Step pattern
The blues scale is built from the pattern W+H – W – H – H – W+H – W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = three semitones). Apply that pattern from any starting note and you get the same scale in a different key.
Key signature and accidentals
Blues is normally written with accidentals over the key signature of the piece. B minor has 2 sharps: F# and C#, and the blue note F falls outside it, so it always takes an accidental. See the key of B minor for the chords of the minor key.
Chords using only these notes
The dominant 7th chords of a blues are not in this list because they contain notes outside the scale. These can be played with B blues alone.
| Chord | Notes |
|---|---|
| Bm | B D F# |
| Bdim | B D F |
| Bm7 | B D F# A |
| Bsus4 | B E F# |
| D | D F# A |
| Dm | D F A |
| Dsus2 | D E A |
| Dmaj6 | D F# A B |
| Dm6 | D F A B |
| Esus2 | E F# B |
| Esus4 | E A B |
| Asus2 | A B E |
| Asus4 | A D E |
More scales on B
Blues scale in other keys
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the B blues scale?
The B blues scale contains B, D, E, F, F#, A, then returns to B an octave higher.
What is the blue note in B blues?
F, between the 4th (E) and the 5th (F#).
What chords does the B blues scale work over?
A 12-bar blues in B: B7, E7, F#7. It also fits B minor chords.
What is the step pattern of the blues scale?
It follows the pattern W+H – W – H – H – W+H – W, where W is a whole step (two semitones), H is a half step (one semitone) and W+H is three semitones.