Fretwise Get the app

Guitar scale · suspended pentatonic

Bb Egyptian Pentatonic Scale

Pentatonic scale 1 2 4 5 ♭7, also called the suspended pentatonic. It has no 3rd and no half steps.

Notes BbCEbFAb
Formula 1 2 4 5 ♭7
Steps W W+H W W+H W
Mood Open, Suspended, Floating
Heard in Modal Improvisation, Folk-inspired Melodies

Interactive scale diagram

Bb Egyptian Pentatonic Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

Bb Egyptian Pentatonic Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 6–9
e|-------------------6-8-|
B|---------------6-9-----|
G|-------------8---------|
D|---------6-8-----------|
A|-----6-8---------------|
E|-6-8-------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 8–11
e|--------------------------8-11-|
B|---------------------9-11------|
G|----------------8-10-----------|
D|-----------8-10----------------|
A|------8-11---------------------|
E|-8-11--------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 10–13
e|-------------------------------11-13-|
B|-------------------------11-13-------|
G|-------------------10-13-------------|
D|-------------10-13-------------------|
A|-------11-13-------------------------|
E|-11-13-------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 13–16
e|-------------------------------13-16-|
B|-------------------------13-16-------|
G|-------------------13-15-------------|
D|-------------13-15-------------------|
A|-------13-15-------------------------|
E|-13-16-------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 15–18
e|-------------------------------16-18-|
B|-------------------------16-18-------|
G|-------------------15-17-------------|
D|-------------15-18-------------------|
A|-------15-18-------------------------|
E|-16-18-------------------------------|

How to play Bb Egyptian Pentatonic on guitar

Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (4, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 6–9. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 Bb
2 C
4 Eb
5 F
♭7 Ab

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

Practise Bb Egyptian Pentatonic anywhere, even offline.

This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.

Free

  • 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
  • A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
  • A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
  • Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz

One purchase

  • 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
  • Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
  • Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
  • No subscription, ads removed

Questions

What notes are in the Bb Egyptian Pentatonic Scale?
The Bb Egyptian Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: Bb, C, Eb, F, Ab.
What is the formula of the egyptian pentatonic scale?
1 2 4 5 ♭7, which is the step pattern W W+H W W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play Bb Egyptian Pentatonic on the guitar?
The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Egyptian Pentatonic Scale in every key

More scales in Bb