Guitar · harmonic minor

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.

Key
Scale
The notes of the B harmonic minor scale
NoteBC♯DEF♯GA♯
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
EADGBE135791215open45♭67R2♭345♭67R2♭345♭67R♭345♭67R2♭34♭67R2♭345♭67R2♭345♭67R2♭345♭67R2♭345♭6

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.

A shapefrets 1–5
EADGBE1355♭67R2♭345♭67R2♭345♭6
G shapefrets 3–7
EADGBE357♭67R2♭345♭67R2♭3♭345♭67R
E shapefrets 6–9
EADGBE6797R2457R2♭345♭67R2
D shapefrets 8–12
EADGBE89122♭345♭67R2♭345♭6♭67R2♭34
C shapefrets 11–14
EADGBE1112457R2♭345♭67R245

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 (Bm) is where it sounds at home.

On theChordSeventh chord
root (B)Bmhome–
2 (C♯)C♯dimthe edgeC♯m7♭5the edge
♭3 (D)Daugdaylight–
4 (E)Emsoft fallEm7soft fall
5 (F♯)F♯the pullF♯7the pull
♭6 (G)GcinematicGmaj7cinematic
7 (A♯)A♯dimthe 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: Bm, C♯dim, Daug, Em, F♯, G and A♯dim, and as seventh chords C♯m7♭5, Em7, F♯7 and Gmaj7. B is home: Bm 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: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.