STRINGSCALES

B pelog Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F#, G, B, C, D at frets 2, 3, 7, 8, 10

A string: B, C, D, F#, G at frets 2, 3, 5, 9, 10

D string: D, F#, G, B, C, D at frets 0, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12

G string: G, B, C, D, F#, G at frets 0, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12

B string: B, C, D, F#, G, B at frets 0, 1, 3, 7, 8, 12

High E string: F#, G, B, C, D at frets 2, 3, 7, 8, 10

Pick a root note

Pick a scale

B pelog

The pelog scale is a five note approximation, in Western tuning, of the Indonesian pelog tuning system used in gamelan music: root, flat 2nd, flat 3rd, 5th, flat 6th. Real pelog is a seven tone tuning that does not map onto equal temperament, so treat this as a color palette rather than a transcription. Its stacked half steps around the root and 5th produce the shimmering, gong-like character.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

B

I

C

bII

D

bIII

F♯

V

G

bVI

Same notes, different mode

B pelog uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

G ionian pentatonic

pelog in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Five notes approximating gamelan pelog in Western frets: root, b2 (C), b3 (D), V, b6 (G); keep an ostinato, not a solo, mindset.
  • Interlock two patterns an octave apart, one busy, one sparse, imitating kotekan; the scale rewards texture over melody.
  • Both half steps (b2 (C) to root, b6 (G) to V) resolve downward; ending on B or the 5th always sounds right.
  • Real pelog tuning is not equal-tempered: bend b2 (C) and b6 (G) slightly to taste and the flavor gets closer.

How to play B pelog on guitar

Open B is the tonic itself, with open D and open G filling in the third and the sixth, so all three ring against a line with no fretting finger. With a capo at the 2nd fret the fingering reads as A pelog, which lets you reuse a more familiar set of shapes. Lowest root is fret 7 on the low E. Next box takes over at fret 11, and the A-shape barre sits at fret 2.

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