Fretwise Get the app

Guitar scale · exotic

Bb Prometheus Scale

Six-note scale 1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7. Also called the mystic scale.

Notes BbCDEGAb
Formula 1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7
Steps W W W W+H H W
Mood Mystic, Floating, Colourful
Heard in Modern Classical, Exotic Colour

Interactive scale diagram

Bb Prometheus Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

Bb Prometheus Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 6–10
e|----------------------------6-8-10-|
B|------------------------8-9--------|
G|--------------------7-9------------|
D|-------------6-8-10----------------|
A|--------7-10-----------------------|
E|-6-8-10----------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 8–12
e|---------------------------------8-10-12-|
B|----------------------------9-11---------|
G|-----------------------9-12--------------|
D|---------------8-10-12-------------------|
A|---------10-11---------------------------|
E|-8-10-12---------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 10–14
e|-------------------------------------10-12-|
B|-------------------------------11-13-------|
G|-------------------------12-13-------------|
D|----------------10-12-14-------------------|
A|-------10-11-13----------------------------|
E|-10-12-------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------15-16-|
B|-------------------------------15-17-------|
G|----------------------13-15-17-------------|
D|----------------14-17----------------------|
A|-------13-15-17----------------------------|
E|-15-16-------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 15–19
e|-------------------------------------15-16-18-|
B|----------------------------------17----------|
G|-------------------------15-17-19-------------|
D|-------------------17-18----------------------|
A|----------15-17-19----------------------------|
E|-15-16-18-------------------------------------|

How to play Bb Prometheus on guitar

Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 6–10. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 Bb
2 C
3 D
♯4 E
6 G
♭7 Ab

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

Practise Bb Prometheus anywhere, even offline.

This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.

Free

  • 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
  • A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
  • A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
  • Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz

One purchase

  • 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
  • Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
  • Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
  • No subscription, ads removed

Questions

What notes are in the Bb Prometheus Scale?
The Bb Prometheus Scale has 6 notes: Bb, C, D, E, G, Ab.
What is the formula of the prometheus scale?
1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W W W W+H H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play Bb Prometheus on the guitar?
The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Prometheus Scale in every key

More scales in Bb