STRINGSCALES

B♭ whole tone pentatonic Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: Fb, Gb, Ab, Bb, D, Fb at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 10, 12

A string: Bb, D, Fb, Gb, Ab at frets 1, 5, 7, 9, 11

D string: D, Fb, Gb, Ab, Bb, D at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12

G string: Ab, Bb, D, Fb, Gb at frets 1, 3, 7, 9, 11

B string: D, Fb, Gb, Ab, Bb at frets 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

High E string: Fb, Gb, Ab, Bb, D, Fb at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 10, 12

Pick a root note

Pick a scale

Bb whole tone pentatonic

The whole tone pentatonic extracts five notes from whole tone territory: root, major 3rd, flat 5th, flat 6th, flat 7th. Everything above the 3rd is drawn from the augmented and dominant-altered world, so it floats without resolving, useful over augmented triads and 7#5 chords or for impressionist, dreamlike passages.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

B♭

I

D

III

F♭

bV

G♭

bVI

A♭

bVII

whole tone pentatonic in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Five notes, no anchor: root, III, b5 (E), b6 (Gb), b7 (Ab) float over augmented and 7#5 sounds without one wasted note.
  • Use it as a compressed altered color: over a dominant chord on Bb, b5 (E) and b6 (Gb) read as #11 and b13.
  • The major 3rd (D) is the only sweetness in the set; phrase toward it when the line needs a landing.
  • Try it against a plain minor chord a major 3rd below Bb for a polytonal shimmer that resolves by dropping one fret.

How to play B♭ whole tone pentatonic on guitar

Open D sounds the major third, so one string can ring behind the shape. Clamp fret 1 and A fingering fits, which means the box transfers from a key you have played. Both E strings give the diminished fifth. Low E holds a root at 6, the A string at 1 and the G string at 3. Box 1 runs to 10, so a single hand position covers it.

homeall scalesaboutfaqpricingmicrotonalterms & conditionsprivacy policycookie policy© 2026 StringScales. All rights reserved.