Package leaflet · Information for the musician · Scale

B flat Natural Minor Scale

Dark, melancholic and earthy. With its flat third, sixth and seventh it sounds sad or serious, but without the exotic tension of harmonic minor.

7 notes
5 ♭
diatonic

1Composition: what it contains

B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭

Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps: W – H – W – W – H – W – W
Number of notes: 7
Sharps and flats: 5 ♭
Also called: Aeolian mode, pure minor scale, relative minor

Degree	Note	Interval	Semitones	Function
1	B♭	unison	0	tonic
2	C	major second	2	supertonic
♭3	D♭	minor third	3	mediant
4	E♭	perfect fourth	5	subdominant
5	F	perfect fifth	7	dominant
♭6	G♭	minor sixth	8	submediant
♭7	A♭	minor seventh	10	subtonic

2Appearance: diagrams and sound

Treble clef

Bass clef

Piano keyboard

Guitar (standard tuning E A D G B E)

Bass guitar (E A D G)

Ukulele (G C E A)

Tip: click any note, key or fret to hear it. Orange = root.

3Indications: what it is used for

The default minor sound in rock, metal, pop ballads, folk and film music. It fits minor-key progressions like i–VI–III–VII, i–iv–v, i–VII–VI–VII and the descending i–VII–VI–V line. Use it over a minor triad or minor seventh chord built on its tonic, and over the vi chord of a major key when you want to stress that chord as a temporary tonic. It shares all its notes with the major scale a minor third above (its relative major), which makes it easy to learn if you already know your major shapes.

4Dosage: how to practise it

Eight to twelve minutes daily. Play it at 70 BPM in eighth notes across two octaves, then descending first, which helps you hear the flat sixth and seventh. Add four-note sequences and diatonic thirds. On guitar, combine the minor pentatonic box you already know with the two extra degrees (2 and 6) so the shapes merge. On bass, practise it from the root on the lowest string with one finger per fret. On piano, improvise right-hand phrases over a left-hand i–VI–VII loop for five minutes after the technical work.

5Warnings and common mistakes

Over a dominant V chord in a minor key the flat seventh sounds weak; that is exactly why harmonic minor exists, so switch to the raised seventh at cadences. The flat sixth over the tonic minor chord is a tense note: resolve it down to the fifth rather than holding it. Do not mix it up with Dorian, which differs only by a major sixth; listen to the chords to decide which one fits. Remember that the relative major uses the same notes but a different tonal centre.

6Interactions with chords, scales and keys

Chords of the scale (triads)

Degree	Chord	Notes
i	B♭m	B♭ – D♭ – F
ii°	Cdim	C – E♭ – G♭
III	D♭	D♭ – F – A♭
iv	E♭m	E♭ – G♭ – B♭
v	Fm	F – A♭ – C
VI	G♭	G♭ – B♭ – D♭
VII	A♭	A♭ – C – E♭

Chords of the scale (seventh chords)

Degree	Chord	Notes
i7	B♭m7	B♭ – D♭ – F – A♭
iiø7	Cm7♭5	C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭
IIImaj7	D♭maj7	D♭ – F – A♭ – C
iv7	E♭m7	E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – D♭
v7	Fm7	F – A♭ – C – E♭
VImaj7	G♭maj7	G♭ – B♭ – D♭ – F
VII7	A♭7	A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭

Same notes, different starting point

Key of A sharp Minor

7Other presentations available

The same scale from every note

Other scales from the same note

Read this leaflet carefully before playing. Keep it near your instrument. Free to use, print and share for personal and educational use.