F Blues Scale (F A♭ B♭ B C E♭)
F blues is F A♭ B♭ B C E♭, the low root at the first fret. The blue note lands on plain B. Jump blues bands write in F for the horns and the guitar keeps up.
Fretboard diagram
Every F blues 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 | F |
| ♭3 | minor third | A♭ |
| 4 | perfect fourth | B♭ |
| ♭5 | flatted fifth | B |
| 5 | perfect fifth | C |
| ♭7 | minor seventh | E♭ |
Where to land
A lead that never touches its root is an exercise. In the first twelve frets F sits on the low E string at fret 1, the A string at fret 8, the D string at fret 3, the G string at fret 10, the B string at fret 6, and the high E string at fret 1. End phrases on one of them until it's automatic, then start aiming for whichever chord tone the band is sitting on instead.
The B is the exception to every landing rule. Bend into it, slide through it, resolve it to the C a half step up or keep falling to the fourth. Treat it as a note you visit, and keep ending phrases on F, the way every blues record you own already does.
Keep exploring
Same root
Same notes
F minor pentatonic is this scale without the ♭5.
Chords it fits over
F7 for a blues, Fm and Fm7 for everything darker.
Nearby keys
F blues FAQ
What notes are in the F blues scale?
F blues contains F, A♭, B♭, B, C, and E♭. That's the root, the minor third, the perfect fourth, the flatted fifth, the perfect fifth, and the minor seventh.
What fret does F blues start on?
The lowest root is F at fret 1 on the low E string, and most players anchor there. The scale itself covers the whole neck, and everything repeats twelve frets higher.
What is the blue note in the F blues scale?
B, the flatted fifth. It sits one fret below the perfect fifth and one above the fourth. It works as a passing note, bent into or slid through, and resolves cleanly to either neighbor.