Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
Bb Major Pentatonic Scale
Sweet 5-note major scale used for uplifting melodies in country, southern rock, and acoustic pop.
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb Major 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.
e|---------------6-8-| B|-----------6-8-----| G|---------7---------| D|-------8-----------| A|-----8-------------| E|-6-8---------------|
e|------------------------8-10-| B|-------------------8-11------| G|----------------10-----------| D|-----------8-10--------------| A|------8-10-------------------| E|-8-10------------------------|
e|-------------------------------10-13-| B|-------------------------11-13-------| G|-------------------10-12-------------| D|-------------10-12-------------------| A|-------10-13-------------------------| E|-10-13-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------13-15-| B|-------------------13-15-------| G|----------------15-------------| D|-------------15----------------| A|-------13-15-------------------| E|-13-15-------------------------|
e|-------------------------------15-18-| B|-------------------------15-18-------| G|-------------------15-17-------------| D|-------------15-17-------------------| A|-------15-17-------------------------| E|-15-18-------------------------------|
How to play Bb Major 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 (3, 5), 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.
Bb major pentatonic has the same five notes as G minor pentatonic, so the same box shapes work for both. See the G Minor Pentatonic Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bb |
| 2 | C |
| 3 | D |
| 5 | F |
| 6 | G |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise Bb Major 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 Major Pentatonic Scale?
- The Bb Major Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: Bb, C, D, F, G.
- What is the formula of the major pentatonic scale?
- 1 2 3 5 6, which is the step pattern W W W+H W W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Bb Major 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.