Guitar scale · Ionian mode
Bb Major Scale
Bright, balanced major scale forming the foundation of Western music and pop/rock.
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb Major 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|----------------------------------6-8-10-| B|-----------------------------8-10--------| G|----------------------7-8-10-------------| D|---------------7-8-10--------------------| A|--------6-8-10---------------------------| E|-6-8-10----------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------8-10-11-| B|---------------------------------10-11---------| G|-------------------------8-10-12---------------| D|-----------------8-10-12-----------------------| A|---------8-10-12-------------------------------| E|-8-10-11---------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-| B|-------------------------------------11-13----------| G|----------------------------10-12-14----------------| D|-------------------10-12-13-------------------------| A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-17-| B|-------------------------------------15-16----------| G|----------------------------14-15-17----------------| D|-------------------13-15-17-------------------------| A|----------13-15-17----------------------------------| E|-13-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------16-18----------| G|----------------------------15-17-19----------------| D|-------------------15-17-19-------------------------| A|----------15-17-18----------------------------------| E|-15-17-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Major 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, 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 6–10. 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 shares all its notes with G minor, its relative minor. See the G Minor Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bb |
| 2 | C |
| 3 | D |
| 4 | Eb |
| 5 | F |
| 6 | G |
| 7 | A |
Chords in Bb Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Bb Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Tonic |
| ii | Cm | Cm7 | Supertonic |
| iii | Dm | Dm7 | Mediant |
| IV | Eb | Ebmaj7 | Subdominant |
| V | F | F7 | Dominant |
| vi | Gm | Gm7 | Submediant |
| vii° | Adim | Am7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise Bb Major 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.
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Major Scale?
- The Bb Major Scale has 7 notes: Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A.
- What chords are in the Bb Major Scale?
- The chords of Bb Major are Bb (I), Cm (ii), Dm (iii), Eb (IV), F (V), Gm (vi), Adim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Bb Major 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 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.