Minor scale · 7 notes
B♭ minor scale on guitar
The B♭ minor scale (B flat minor scale) has 7 notes: B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A♭. The natural minor scale: the major scale’s darker twin, with a ♭3, ♭6 and ♭7. You may also see it written as A♯ 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 – W
Sound
Dark, sad or serious, without being exotic
B♭ minor on the whole fretboard
Every B♭ 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♭ minor as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from B♭, the B♭ minor scale is built from these intervals. It contains 5 flats (B♭, D♭, E♭, G♭ and A♭). Compared with B♭ major, it has D♭ (♭3) instead of D, G♭ (♭6) instead of G and 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♭ | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords in B♭ minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to B♭ minor: any of them will sound at home under a melody in B♭ minor.
- iB♭mB♭ · D♭ · FB♭m7
- ii°C°C · E♭ · G♭Cm7♭5
- ♭IIID♭D♭ · F · A♭D♭maj7
- ivE♭mE♭ · G♭ · B♭E♭m7
- vFmF · A♭ · CFm7
- ♭VIG♭G♭ · B♭ · D♭G♭maj7
- ♭VIIA♭A♭ · C · E♭A♭7
Progressions to try
- B♭m – G♭ – D♭ – A♭ i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII · epic rock/pop
- B♭m – E♭m – Fm i–iv–v · minor blues-style
- B♭m – A♭ – G♭ – A♭ i–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII · rock riffing
- B♭m – E♭m – A♭ – D♭ i–iv–♭VII–♭III · circle movement
How to use B♭ minor
Reach for it over songs in a minor key, over minor and minor 7th chords, and in rock, metal, pop ballads and folk. Its sound is dark, sad or serious, without being exotic.
Tip: Every minor scale shares its notes with a major scale three frets higher. If you know G major, you already know E minor: just treat E as home.
- B♭ minor is the relative minor of D♭ major, so the two share all seven notes. See D♭ major.
- B♭ minor contains exactly the notes of D♭ major, played from its Aeolian note, B♭. See D♭ major.
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♭ minor. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
B♭ minor scale FAQ
What notes are in the B♭ minor scale?
The B♭ 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 5 flats (B♭, D♭, E♭, G♭ and A♭).
What chords are in B♭ minor?
Harmonising the B♭ minor scale in thirds gives B♭m (i), C° (ii°), D♭ (♭III), E♭m (iv), Fm (v), G♭ (♭VI) and A♭ (♭VII).
Where do you play the B♭ 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.
Which scales share the same notes as B♭ minor?
B♭ minor is the relative minor of D♭ major, so the two share all seven notes. B♭ minor contains exactly the notes of D♭ major, played from its Aeolian note, B♭.