Mandolin · harmonic minor

B♭ harmonic minor scale on mandolin

The B♭ harmonic minor scale has seven notes: B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A (1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7). Natural minor with a raised 7th, which leads back up to the root and makes the V chord major. The neo-classical shred sound; the jump from ♭6 to 7 is three frets wide.

Key
Scale
The notes of the B♭ harmonic minor scale
NoteB♭CD♭E♭FG♭A
Interval1 (root)2♭345♭67
Step to the nextwholehalfwholewholehalf1½half
Make a practice sheet of it
The whole neckevery B♭ harmonic minor scale note from the nut to fret 15, the root a diamond
GDAE135791215open7R2♭345♭67R45♭67R2♭3457R2♭345♭67R25♭67R2♭345♭6

3 positions to learn it in

Each stretch here is a few frets you can play without moving the hand: the open position, then from the root on the lowest string. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.

Open positionfrets 0–4
GDAE13open7R45♭67R2♭35♭6
Frets 2–6frets 2–6
GDAE2357R2♭35♭62♭34♭67R
Frets 7–11frets 7–11
GDAE7945♭67R2♭35♭62♭34

Chords that go with the B♭ harmonic minor scale

The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; B♭ (B♭m) is where it sounds at home.

On theChordSeventh chord
root (B♭)B♭mhome–
2 (C)Cdimthe edgeCm7♭5the edge
♭3 (D♭)D♭augdaylight–
4 (E♭)E♭msoft fallE♭m7soft fall
5 (F)Fthe pullF7the pull
♭6 (G♭)G♭cinematicG♭maj7cinematic
7 (A)Adimthe edge–

Scales with the same notes

Compare the B♭ minor scale, its natural minor.

Questions

What notes are in the B♭ harmonic minor scale?

B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A. Its intervals from the root are 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7, and the steps between its notes are W H W W H W+H H (W a whole step, H a half step).

What chords go with the B♭ harmonic minor scale?

The chords made only of its notes: B♭m, Cdim, D♭aug, E♭m, F, G♭ and Adim, and as seventh chords Cm7♭5, E♭m7, F7 and G♭maj7. B♭ is home: B♭m is the chord it sounds most settled over.

The harmonic minor scale in every key

CC♯DE♭EFF♯GG♯AB♭B

Other scales in B♭

B♭ majorB♭ minorB♭ minor pentatonicB♭ major pentatonicB♭ bluesB♭ DorianB♭ MixolydianB♭ LydianB♭ PhrygianB♭ melodic minorB♭ Phrygian dominant

Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: mandolin scales. This scale on guitar, bass, ukulele and banjo.