B♭ major pentatonic scale on bass
The B♭ major pentatonic scale has five notes: B♭, C, D, F and G (1 2 3 5 6). The major scale without its 4th and 7th: sweet and open. Country, pop and Southern rock solos live here; its boxes are the minor pentatonic's, moved down three frets.
| Note | B♭ | C | D | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Step to the next | whole | whole | 1½ | whole | 1½ |
5 positions to learn it in
The B♭ major pentatonic scale is learnt in five boxes, each two notes a string under the hand, joined end to end up the neck. Start with box 1 and learn one at a time; together they cover the whole fretboard. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the B♭ major pentatonic scale
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; B♭ (B♭) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (B♭) | B♭home | – |
| 2 (C) | Csus4the lift | – |
| 5 (F) | Fsus4the pull | – |
| 6 (G) | Gmthe shadow | Gm7the shadow |
Scales with the same notes
Its relative minor pentatonic is the G minor pentatonic scale: the same notes, started from G.
Questions
What notes are in the B♭ major pentatonic scale?
B♭, C, D, F and G. Its intervals from the root are 1 2 3 5 6, and the steps between its notes are W W W+H W W+H (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the B♭ major pentatonic scale?
The chords made only of its notes: B♭, Csus4, Fsus4 and Gm, and as seventh chords Gm7. B♭ is home: B♭ is the chord it sounds most settled over.
What is the relative minor pentatonic of the B♭ major pentatonic scale?
The G minor pentatonic scale, which has the same notes started from G.
The major pentatonic scale in every key
Other scales in B♭
B♭ majorB♭ minorB♭ minor pentatonicB♭ bluesB♭ DorianB♭ MixolydianB♭ LydianB♭ PhrygianB♭ harmonic minorB♭ melodic minorB♭ Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: bass scales. This scale on guitar, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.