F Blues Scale on Piano

The F Blues scale sounds gritty and vocal. It runs F – Ab – Bb – B – C – Eb and is written with three flats.

It shares its key signature with Ab major, its relative major.

Interval Circle

W+HWHHW+HWC5DbDEbb7EF1GbGAbb3ABb4Bb5

All twelve semitones, root at the top. Filled dots are the notes of the scale, the outer numbers are their degrees, and W / H mark the whole and half steps between them.

About This Scale

The minor pentatonic with a chromatic passing note squeezed between the 4th and the 5th. That blue note is a decoration, not a destination — it works best slid through on the way somewhere else.

Fingering

Right Hand (ascending)

1-2-3-1-2-3-4

Left Hand (ascending)

5-4-3-2-1-2-1

Why this fingering

3 black keys (Ab, Bb, Eb) sit in this scale, and the thumb has to avoid them. In the right hand the thumb crosses under onto B; let the elbow drift slightly outward as it passes rather than twisting the wrist.

The blue dots on the piano below show which keys to press — they turn green when you play the right note.

Notes in F Blues

NoteIntervalRH FingerLH Finger
FF4Root (1)15
AbAb4Minor 3rd (b3)24
BbBb4Perfect 4th (4)33
BB4Tritone (b5)12
CC5Perfect 5th (5)21
EbEb5Minor 7th (b7)32
FF5Octave (8)41

Other Blues Scales

C Blues
C – Eb – F – Gb – G – Bb
C# Blues
C# – E – F# – G – G# – B
D Blues
D – F – G – Ab – A – C
Eb Blues
Eb – Gb – Ab – A – Bb – Db
E Blues
E – G – A – Bb – B – D
F# Blues
F# – A – B – C – C# – E
G Blues
G – Bb – C – Db – D – F
G# Blues
G# – B – C# – D – D# – F#
A Blues
A – C – D – Eb – E – G
Bb Blues
Bb – Db – Eb – E – F – Ab
B Blues
B – D – E – F – F# – A

Other F Scales

F Major
F – G – A – Bb – C – D – E
F Natural Minor
F – G – Ab – Bb – C – Db – Eb
F Harmonic Minor
F – G – Ab – Bb – C – Db – E
F Melodic Minor
F – G – Ab – Bb – C – D – E
F Major Pentatonic
F – G – A – C – D
F Minor Pentatonic
F – Ab – Bb – C – Eb
F Dorian
F – G – Ab – Bb – C – D – Eb
F Mixolydian
F – G – A – Bb – C – D – Eb
F Chromatic
F – Gb – G – Ab – A – Bb – B – C – Db – D – Eb – E