About the B flat 7#11 Pentatonic scale
B flat 7#11 Pentatonic is used for jazz and film music that wants a Lydian color. Think of it as a five-note scale with a raised fourth and a major seventh.
Its notes are B♭, C, D, E, and A. The formula is W W W 5 semitones H.
An unfretted guitar already sounds E, A, and D from the key. The lowest B♭ on a standard-tuned guitar sits at the 1st fret of the A string. A full root-to-root octave of B♭ 7#11 Pentatonic fits within the first three frets, so it has a real open-position box.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
Pentatonic boxes
The five shapes blues and rock are built on, the first scale most guitarists ever solo with, one box per note up the neck.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | BbB♭ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | CC | Major 2nd |
| 3 | DD | Major 3rd |
| 4 | EE | Augmented 4th |
| 5 | AA | Major 7th |
| Steps | W W W 5 semitones H |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-2-2-5-1 |
| Degrees | 1 2 3 ♯4 7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
7#11 Pentatonic in other keys
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