B♭ harmonic minor scale on guitar
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.
| Note | B♭ | C | D♭ | E♭ | F | G♭ | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | ♭3 | 4 | 5 | ♭6 | 7 |
| Step to the next | whole | half | whole | whole | half | 1½ | half |
5 positions to learn it in
On guitar a seven-note scale is learnt in five shapes, each built round one of the open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Together they cover the neck. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
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 the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (B♭) | B♭mhome | – |
| 2 (C) | Cdimthe edge | Cm7♭5the edge |
| ♭3 (D♭) | D♭augdaylight | – |
| 4 (E♭) | E♭msoft fall | E♭m7soft fall |
| 5 (F) | Fthe pull | F7the pull |
| ♭6 (G♭) | G♭cinematic | G♭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
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: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.