Pentatonic b13 Scale

Though it is not as well known or regularly used as its cousins the Minor Pentatonic and Major Pentatonic Scales, the b13 Pentatonic scale is very closely related to its relative 7-note scale, the Mixolydian b6 Scale. The b13 Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes, and they are arranged as such.

Root – M2nd – M3rd – P5th – m6th

So, for example, a C b13 Pentatonic Scale would be spelled with the following notes:

C – D – E – G – Ab

Because the b13 Pentatonic Scale is similar to the Mixolydian b6 Scale, it can be used in the same way as the 7-note scale, to solo over a Dominant 7th chord.

The following b13 Pentatonic Scales are written out in the key of C, but make sure you practice them in all keys so you have them at your fingertips no matter what key you’re soloing in. As well, you’ll find the stock fingerings for these scales in tons of books and on countless websites, so I’ve decided to give you a different perspective on these scales, laying them out in one octave fingerings, and then combining those fingerings to produce two octave scales.

b13 Pentatonic Scales One Octave

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b13 Pentatonic Scales Two Octave

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