Bb Persian, Shape by Shape
Bb, Cb, D, Eb, Fb, Gb and A are the notes of the Bb Persian scale. Cb and Fb stand for B and E, so the fingering looks simpler than the spelling.
You have two root positions: the 6th fret of the low E string and the 1st fret of the A string. Both lead into the same box shape, so pick whichever feels more comfortable to start from.
Play the Bb persian scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the Bb persian scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bb | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Cb | b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 |
| D | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| Eb | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| Fb | b5 | Tritone | 6 |
| Gb | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| A | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
Bb persian scale notes:
How the persian scale is built:
The persian scale is built from the degrees 1 b2 3 4 b5 b6 7, which gives the step pattern H-W+H-H-H-W-W+H-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11. That makes it a 7-note scale.
Bb Persian Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (A)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the Bb persian scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Other scales on Bb
Same root, different notes. Play them back to back to hear what changes.
- Bb Bizantine: 5 instead of b5
- Bb Arabic: shares 5 notes
- Bb Indian: shares 4 notes
The persian scale in other keys
Keep learning
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
