B♭ Minor Pentatonic Scale (B♭ D♭ E♭ F A♭)
B♭ minor pentatonic is the horn key's minor shadow, all over R&B and quiet-storm records. B♭ D♭ E♭ F A♭, the low root at the sixth fret.
Fretboard diagram
Every B♭ minor pentatonic note from the open strings to fret 22. At fret 12 the map starts over an octave up.
Notes in this scale
| Symbol | Interval | Note |
|---|---|---|
| R | root | B♭ |
| ♭3 | minor third | D♭ |
| 4 | perfect fourth | E♭ |
| 5 | perfect fifth | F |
| ♭7 | minor seventh | A♭ |
Where to land
A lead that never touches its root is an exercise. In the first twelve frets B♭ sits on the low E string at fret 6, the A string at fret 1, the D string at fret 8, the G string at fret 3, the B string at fret 11, and the high E string at fret 6. End phrases on one of them until it's automatic, then start aiming for whichever chord tone the band is sitting on instead.
Over a B♭m chord, three of the five notes are chord tones, B♭, D♭, and F. Those always sound settled. The other two pull toward a chord tone a fret or two away, and hearing which way they pull is most of what practice is for. Over a B♭m7 the A♭ joins the settled list.
Keep exploring
Same root
Same notes
C♯ major pentatonic is these five notes with C♯ as home. Same frets, different landing spots.
Chords it fits over
B♭m, B♭m7, and, for the blues, plain B♭7.
Nearby keys
B♭ minor pentatonic FAQ
What notes are in the B♭ minor pentatonic scale?
B♭ minor pentatonic contains B♭, D♭, E♭, F, and A♭. That's the root, the minor third, the perfect fourth, the perfect fifth, and the minor seventh.
What fret does B♭ minor pentatonic start on?
The lowest root is B♭ at fret 6 on the low E string, and most players anchor there. The scale itself covers the whole neck, and everything repeats twelve frets higher.
What major scale has the same notes as B♭ minor pentatonic?
C♯ major pentatonic. B♭ is the relative minor of C♯, so the five notes are identical everywhere on the neck. Only the note you treat as home changes.