I am confused, what is going on here please?

[AJSki2fly]

I have been looking at various licks to find my favourites for BLIM and remember this one from somewhere else. Which is described as using the BB King box.

It is notated in Bb and this corresponds to the text description for it. I have been practicing it and rather like it, and then thought ok to play this in the key of A just move it all down one fret, eg. the first 3 notes 10, 12( one str 3) and 11(str 2) become 9, 11( one str 3) and 10(str 2) and so on.

Then I realised something, this does not fit the Am pentatonic scale or in the notated instance Bb pentatonic scale, I would have expect in Bb to have to start at fret 8 on string 3, the nearest read dot below.

I am not sure but is it because the ‘Box’ being used is fitting into position 3 of Bb Major using the 4th note of Bb Major. See below, note marked in red is the 4th.

[Richard_close2u]

The BB Box blends major and minor pentatonic and, as you have found, is not strictly just one or the other.
This will only work over major blues, not minor blues.

[DarrellW]

Absolutely, BB was a clever guy the way he mixed it up. I always used to wonder what he was up to until I learned a bit more theory!

[AJSki2fly]

Ok I get it’s I could use this over our A Blues backing tracks in BLIM shifting it 1 fret down the fretboard. Alternatively I think I could shift it down to start at fret 7 on the 3rd string as it fits the A minor pentatonic, would that work too?

[DarrellW]

This probably will help, it’s applicable for any Major key, Minor keys don’t really work.

[DeltaTyne]

Some cool Theory going on here cheers HEC