Bb Harmonic Minor: Fretboard Guide
The Bb harmonic minor scale contains Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, Gb and A. A natural is the raised 7th, a half step under the root, and it gives the major F chord that makes the scale useful over a minor key.
The root nearest the nut is the 1st fret of the A string, and the 6th fret of the low E string offers a second spot. Bb minor has five flats, so this spelling is the readable one. To blend it with other colours, read about major and minor scale blends.
Play the Bb harmonic minor scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the Bb harmonic minor scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bb | 1 | Root | 0 |
| C | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| Db | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| Eb | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| F | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| Gb | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| A | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
Bb harmonic minor scale notes:
How the harmonic minor scale is built:
The harmonic minor scale is built from the degrees 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7, which gives the step pattern W-H-W-W-H-W+H-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is the parent scale of its own modal family.
It is also known as Aeolian Maj 7.
Bb Harmonic Minor 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 minor scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Related modes
These scales share the same notes as the harmonic minor scale, starting from a different degree.
The harmonic minor scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
