Bb harmonic minor scale
- Notes
- Bb C Db Eb F Gb A
- Formula
- 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7
- Steps
- W H W W H W+H H (W tone, H semitone)
Seven notes from Bb up to the next Bb. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
Bb harmonic minor on the piano
From Bb4 to Bb5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from Bb
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bb | 1 | root | 0 |
| C | 2 | major second | 2 |
| Db | b3 | minor third | 3 |
| Eb | 4 | perfect fourth | 5 |
| F | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| Gb | b6 | minor sixth | 8 |
| A | 7 | major seventh | 11 |
Bb harmonic minor on the guitar
Standard tuning, high e on top as in tablature, open strings to fret 12. Every dot is a note of the scale; the pattern repeats from fret 12 up.
The seven chords of Bb harmonic minor
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on Bb, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bbm | Bb Db F | |
| ii° | Cdim | C Eb Gb | |
| bIII+ | Dbaug | Db F A | |
| iv | Ebm | Eb Gb Bb | |
| V | F | F A C | |
| bVI | Gb (same notes, spelled F# on its chord page) | Gb Bb Db | |
| vii° | Adim | A C Eb |
Seventh chords
This scale is where the V chord of Bb minor comes from; the key page lists it with the other chords of the key.
How Bb harmonic minor is built
The natural minor with its 7th raised a semitone: Ab becomes A. That gives a leading note a semitone below Bb, and with it a major V chord and a diminished seventh chord on the 7th note, the chords classical minor-key music cadences with.
The raised 7th leaves a gap of three semitones between Gb and A, an augmented second. That wide step is the sound people describe as "Middle Eastern" or "Spanish", and it is why singers often smooth it out by raising the 6th as well, which gives the Bb melodic minor scale.
Played some notes and not sure which scale they come from? The scale finder listens to the piano, a MIDI keyboard or the microphone and ranks all 180 scales.
What this page cannot do
- One spelling per scale. the root is spelled the way that needs the fewest sharps and flats.
- Equal temperament only. Blues and many folk traditions bend notes between these pitches, and Arabic and Turkish maqam scales use quarter tones that a piano cannot play.
- The guitar diagram shows standard tuning only and does not suggest fingerings; any note can be played in several places.
- The sound is a simple synthesised tone made in your browser, not a recorded instrument.