Bb Harmonic Major: A Fretboard Guide
The Bb harmonic major scale is Bb, C, D, Eb, F, Gb and A. It has no theoretical spelling at all: Gb is the flat sixth and A is the plain major seventh.
Start on the 6th fret of the low E string or the 1st fret of the A string, where the root is nearest the nut. The shapes are the same as in every other key.
Play the Bb harmonic major scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the Bb harmonic major scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bb | 1 | Root | 0 |
| C | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| D | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| Eb | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| F | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| Gb | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| A | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
Bb harmonic major scale notes:
How the harmonic major scale is built:
The harmonic major scale is built from the degrees 1 2 3 4 5 b6 7, which gives the step pattern W-W-H-W-H-W+H-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is the parent scale of its own modal family.
Bb Harmonic Major Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (A)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the Bb harmonic major scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
The harmonic major scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
