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B♭ blues scale

The B♭ blues scale is B♭ D♭ E♭ E F A♭: six notes, gritty, with a blue note. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7.

Make a beat in B♭ minor

Opens the free editor with a trap beat in B♭ minor to play B♭ blues over. No account needed to start.

The notes of B♭ blues

From B♭ up to B♭: step and a half, whole, half, half, step and a half, whole. Tap a key to hear it.

B♭ D♭ E♭ E F A♭ B♭

EFB♭D♭E♭A♭B♭
The notes of B♭ blues scale by scale degree
DegreeNoteFrom the root
1B♭Root
♭3D♭Minor third
4E♭Perfect fourth
♭5EDiminished fifth
5FPerfect fifth
♭7A♭Minor seventh

How B♭ blues is built

B♭ minor pentatonic with one note added: E, the flat fifth, between E♭ and F. That is the blue note, and the rub it makes against the notes beside it is the sound of the blues.

The minor pentatonic with one note added: the flat fifth, the “blue note” that gives blues, rock and soul their bite. Six notes in all. The blues scale in every key.

Chords to play B♭ blues over

A blues in B♭ moves between three chords, the first, fourth and fifth, each played as a seventh chord. The scale fits over all three.

B♭7 E♭7 F7

See them as a 12-bar blues.

Play B♭ blues over a beat

A beat on the chords of B♭ minor. Play the scale over it on the keyboard above, then open it in the editor and add your melody as its own part.

Hear it as

Questions about B♭ blues

What notes are in the B♭ blues scale?

B♭, D♭, E♭, E, F and A♭. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7, counted from the major scale on B♭, and its steps from B♭ up to B♭ are: step and a half, whole, half, half, step and a half, whole.

What is the blue note in the B♭ blues scale?

E, the flat fifth, a half step above E♭ and below F. It slides into one of them more often than it stays, and that rub is what makes it sound like the blues. Without it the scale is B♭ minor pentatonic.

Blues scale in every key

C bluesC♯ bluesD bluesD♯ bluesE bluesF bluesF♯ bluesG bluesG♯ bluesA bluesB♭ bluesB blues

More scales on B♭

B♭ major (major scale)B♭ minor (natural minor scale)B♭ major pentatonicB♭ minor pentatonicB♭ bluesB♭ harmonic minorB♭ melodic minorB♭ dorianB♭ phrygianB♭ lydianB♭ mixolydianA♯ locrianB♭ phrygian dominant
Scales and modes
Major and minor keysMajor pentatonic scaleMinor pentatonic scaleBlues scaleHarmonic minor scaleMelodic minor scaleDorian modePhrygian modeLydian modeMixolydian modeLocrian modePhrygian dominant scaleWhole tone scale

Build a song in B♭ blues

Start with the beat, then add chords, a melody and your voice in the editor, part by part.

Make a beat in B♭ minorAll music scales

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