Melodic Minor scale · 7 notes
B♭ melodic minor scale on guitar
The B♭ melodic minor scale (B flat melodic minor scale) has 7 notes: B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G and A. A major scale with a ♭3: the jazz musician’s minor scale. You may also see it written as A♯ melodic 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 – W – W – H
Sound
Smooth, sophisticated and bittersweet
B♭ melodic minor on the whole fretboard
Every B♭ melodic 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♭ melodic minor as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from B♭, the B♭ melodic minor scale is built from these intervals. It contains 3 flats (B♭, D♭ and E♭). Compared with B♭ major, it has D♭ (♭3) instead of D.
| 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 | major 6th | 9 |
| 7 | A | major 7th | 11 |
Chords in B♭ melodic minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to B♭ melodic minor: any of them will sound at home under a melody in B♭ melodic minor.
- iB♭mB♭ · D♭ · FB♭m(maj7)
- iiCmC · E♭ · GCm7
- ♭III+D♭+D♭ · F · AD♭+maj7
- IVE♭E♭ · G · B♭E♭7
- VFF · A · CF7
- vi°G°G · B♭ · D♭Gm7♭5
- vii°A°A · C · E♭Am7♭5
Progressions to try
- B♭m – E♭ i–IV · minor with a major IV
- Cm – F – B♭m ii–V–i
- B♭m – F i–V
How to use B♭ melodic minor
Reach for it over minor 6th and minor(maj7) chords, jazz, fusion and modern film music. Its sound is smooth, sophisticated and bittersweet.
Tip: Think of it as the major scale with one note changed. C melodic minor is C major with E♭ instead of E.
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♭ melodic minor. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
B♭ melodic minor scale FAQ
What notes are in the B♭ melodic minor scale?
The B♭ melodic 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 3 flats (B♭, D♭ and E♭).
What chords are in B♭ melodic minor?
Harmonising the B♭ melodic minor scale in thirds gives B♭m (i), Cm (ii), D♭+ (♭III+), E♭ (IV), F (V), G° (vi°) and A° (vii°).
Where do you play the B♭ melodic 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.