Harmonic Minor scale · 7 notes
B♭ harmonic minor scale on guitar
The B♭ harmonic minor scale (B flat harmonic minor scale) has 7 notes: B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A. Natural minor with a raised 7th: dramatic, neoclassical and a little exotic. You may also see it written as A♯ harmonic minor, but B♭ is the usual spelling because it needs fewer accidentals.
Notes
- B♭
- C
- D♭
- E♭
- F
- G♭
- A
Formula
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Steps
W – H – W – W – H – W+H – H
Sound
Dramatic, classical and slightly Middle Eastern
B♭ harmonic minor on the whole fretboard
Every B♭ harmonic minor note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, B♭, is shown in red so you can always find home.
A shape to learn first
You don’t need the whole neck at once. This hand position is anchored on a root note on the 6th (low E) string, which is how most guitarists find a scale in any key.
Root on the 6th (low E) string
B♭ at fret 6. 5th position: frets 5–9.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of B♭ harmonic minor as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from B♭, the B♭ harmonic minor scale is built from these intervals. It contains 4 flats (B♭, D♭, E♭ and G♭). Compared with B♭ minor, it has A (7) instead of A♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | root | 0 |
| 2 | C | major 2nd | 2 |
| ♭3 | D♭ | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | E♭ | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | F | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭6 | G♭ | minor 6th | 8 |
| 7 | A | major 7th | 11 |
Chords in B♭ harmonic minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to B♭ harmonic minor: any of them will sound at home under a melody in B♭ harmonic minor.
- iB♭mB♭ · D♭ · FB♭m(maj7)
- ii°C°C · E♭ · G♭Cm7♭5
- ♭III+D♭+D♭ · F · AD♭+maj7
- ivE♭mE♭ · G♭ · B♭E♭m7
- VFF · A · CF7
- ♭VIG♭G♭ · B♭ · D♭G♭maj7
- vii°A°A · C · E♭A°7
Progressions to try
- B♭m – E♭m – F i–iv–V · minor with a major V
- C° – F – B♭m ii°–V–i · minor jazz cadence
- B♭m – G♭ – F i–♭VI–V
How to use B♭ harmonic minor
Reach for it over minor keys where the V chord is major (or V7), neoclassical metal, flamenco-flavoured and classical-style passages. Its sound is dramatic, classical and slightly Middle Eastern.
Tip: Use it mainly over the V7 chord of a minor key (E7 in A minor). That one move makes a minor progression sound instantly “classical”.
Where to find B♭ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every B♭ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with B♭ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 6 |
| B (2nd) | 11 |
| G (3rd) | 3 |
| D (4th) | 8 |
| A (5th) | 1 |
| Low E (6th) | 6 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as B♭ harmonic minor. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
B♭ harmonic minor scale FAQ
What notes are in the B♭ harmonic minor scale?
The B♭ harmonic minor scale has 7 notes: B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A. Its formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7. It contains 4 flats (B♭, D♭, E♭ and G♭).
What chords are in B♭ harmonic minor?
Harmonising the B♭ harmonic minor scale in thirds gives B♭m (i), C° (ii°), D♭+ (♭III+), E♭m (iv), F (V), G♭ (♭VI) and A° (vii°).
Where do you play the B♭ harmonic minor scale on guitar?
The root, B♭, is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 5–9, starting from the root on the 6th string.