B Composite Blues Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Double Drop D tuning — fretboard diagram
B Composite Blues in Double Drop D — Notes and Intervals
The B Composite Blues scale is a comprehensive nine-note jazz scale that merges major and minor blues structures. On Guitar, it contains the notes B, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G#, A. 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: B, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G#, A
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: Double Drop D (D-A-D-G-B-D)
About Double Drop D Tuning
Double Drop D tuning (D-A-D-G-B-D) lowers both the 6th and 1st strings from E to D, creating a symmetrical frame of D notes around the standard middle four strings. This gives a distinctly resonant, jangly character that has been beloved in folk-rock and acoustic music since the late 1960s.
Neil Young used Double Drop D extensively — 'Cinnamon Girl' features its distinctive droning riff, and 'The Needle and the Damage Done' showcases its intimate fingerpicking potential. Jimmy Page used it on Led Zeppelin's 'Going to California'. Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' also employs this tuning. Because only two strings change (both by just one whole step), Double Drop D is one of the easiest alternate tunings to learn — most standard chord shapes on the inner four strings remain unchanged.
Notable artists: Neil Young, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Best for: Folk-rock songwriting, D-centric acoustic arrangements, droning fingerpicking patterns, and any song that benefits from rich D-string resonance on both outer strings
Musical Character
A 9-note 'super blues' scale that merges major and minor blues, giving improvisers absolute freedom to blend happy and gritty textures over dominant chords.
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- B Composite Blues in Standard Tuning
- B Composite Blues in Drop D
- B Composite Blues in DADGAD
- B Composite Blues in Open G
- B Composite Blues in Baritone (B Standard)
- B Composite Blues in 7-string
- B Composite Blues in 8-string
- B Composite Blues in Drop C
- B Composite Blues in Drop B
- B Composite Blues in Open D
- B Composite Blues in Half Step Down
- B Composite Blues in Open E
- B Composite Blues in Open A
- B Composite Blues in Open C