A Composite Blues Guitar Scale — Drop B

Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram

A Composite Blues in Drop B — Notes and Intervals

The A Composite Blues scale is a comprehensive nine-note jazz scale that merges major and minor blues structures. On Guitar, it contains the notes A, B, C, C#, D, Eb, E, F#, G. It allows improvisers absolute melodic freedom over dominant chords, blending happiness and grit in every line. Commonly used in Jazz, Blues, Fusion, Funk. Notable players include John Scofield, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton. Use over dominant 7th chords in blues and jazz-blues. Contains both major and minor 3rds, allowing fluid switching between bright and dark.

Notes: A, B, C, C#, D, Eb, E, F#, G

Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 3M, 4P, 5d, 5P, 6M, 7m

Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 8 b9

Formula: W-H-H-H-H-H-W-H-W

Number of notes: 9

Tuning: Drop B (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#)

About Drop B Tuning

Drop B tuning (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#) takes the guitar into territory traditionally reserved for 7-string instruments, delivering a subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest. This tuning has become essential in modern extreme metal, deathcore, and djent, where low-end clarity and rhythmic precision are paramount.

Drop B represents the practical limit of what a standard 6-string guitar can handle before tone quality degrades. With the right string gauge (12-60 or heavier) and proper setup, it delivers the crushing lows of a 7-string while keeping the familiar 6-string layout. Bands like Architects, Periphery (on some tracks), and Parkway Drive have used Drop B to create some of the heaviest riffs in modern metal.

DeathcoreDjentProgressive MetalExtreme MetalMetalcore

Notable artists: Architects, Parkway Drive, Whitechapel, Born of Osiris, Emmure

Best for: Extreme metal riffs, deathcore breakdowns, djent chugs, and any style demanding the lowest possible 6-string tuning

Explore This Scale in Other Tunings

← All Guitar scales in Drop B tuning