Master the BB Box with Our Comprehensive Guitar Tabs and Diagrams – Learn to Play Like a Pro

What is BB Box?

B.B. King created the B.B. King Box, a six-note scale that is a defining characteristic of his lead guitar style and is frequently used in his solos. If you want to emulate B.B. King’s magic, including this scale in your own improvisations is crucial.

The name “B.B. King Box” comes from the box shape it creates on the top three strings of the guitar. The scale is constructed using the following notes: 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6. It is classified as a hexatonic scale because it has six notes per octave, and “hexa” originally means six. The box shape can be moved up and down the guitar neck, but King typically played it on the top three strings with the root note (1) played on the B string.

The B.B. King Box, consisting of only six notes in a specific section of the fretboard, is unlikely to be the sole scale used in your improvisations. Instead, it is more commonly combined with the minor pentatonic or minor blues scale, or their major counterparts, resulting in a blend of major and minor blues sounds. This creates a vast range of soloing possibilities, as demonstrated by renowned blues guitarists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix, who skillfully incorporate these sounds into their lead playing.

Learning the B.B. King Box not only introduces a new scale and sound to your playing but also provides the opportunity to mix it with your existing licks and expand your musical options.

Here are more variations of patterns in the key of C:

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