B♭ / A♯ Harmonic Minor Scale

72 scales in every key on a map of the whole neck: positions, patterns, and every note played as it lights up.

The B♭ harmonic minor scale has 7 notes: B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G♭ – A. The harmonic minor is the natural minor with its 7th raised a half step. The gap of three frets between the ♭6 and the 7 gives it its exotic, classical sound, and the raised 7th makes the V chord major, so it pulls strongly back home.

B♭ and A♯ are the same pitch, so this page covers both names; the notes are spelled from B♭, the way the key is usually written. Compared with the B♭ major scale it has ♭3 (D♭ instead of D), ♭6 (G♭ instead of G).

The explorer above is set to B♭ harmonic minor: the whole neck is mapped, and you can zoom into any of its 7 positions, change the labels to degrees or fingers, and hear it up, down and in patterns.

B♭ harmonic minor scale notes

Degree	Note	Interval from B♭	Frets above the root	Sargam
1	B♭	R	0	S
2	C	M2	2	R
♭3	D♭	m3	3	g
4	E♭	P4	5	M
5	F	P5	7	P
♭6	G♭	m6	8	d
7	A	M7	11	N

Steps between the notes: W H W W H W+H H (W = two frets, H = one fret). Start on any B♭ and follow those steps up one string to play the scale.

B♭ harmonic minor scale positions on the guitar

With three notes on every string, B♭ harmonic minor has seven patterns that climb the neck. Position 1 starts on B♭ on the low E string at fret 6; each next position starts on the next note of the scale. In standard tuning, high string first:

Position	E (1st)	B	G	D	A	E (6th)
Position 1 frets 6–11	8 9 11	7 10 11	6 8 10	7 8 10	6 8 9	6 8 9
Position 2 frets 8–13	9 11 13	10 11 13	8 10 11	8 10 11	8 9 12	8 9 11
Position 3 frets 9–14	11 13 14	11 13 14	10 11 14	10 11 13	9 12 13	9 11 13
Position 4 frets 11–17	13 14 17	13 14 16	11 14 15	11 13 15	12 13 15	11 13 14
Position 5 frets 13–18	14 17 18	14 16 18	14 15 17	13 15 16	13 15 16	13 14 17
Position 6 frets 14–20	17 18 20	16 18 19	15 17 18	15 16 19	15 16 18	14 17 18
Position 7 frets 16–22	18 20 21	18 19 22	17 18 20	16 19 20	16 18 20	17 18 20

Chords in the B♭ harmonic minor scale

Stacking every other note of the scale on each degree gives these chords. They are the chords a song in B♭ harmonic minor is made from, and the chords this scale fits over.

	i	ii°	♭III+	iv	V	♭VI	vii°
Triad	B♭m	Cdim	D♭aug	E♭m	F	G♭	Adim
7th chord	B♭mMaj7	Cm7♭5	D♭maj7♯5	E♭m7	F7	G♭maj7	Adim7

Where you hear it

B♭ harmonic minor is used in neo-classical metal, flamenco, Middle Eastern and Indian film music, and classical. It sounds best over minor chords and the major V or V7 chord of a minor key.

Backing tracks to practise B♭ harmonic minor

B♭ minor blues B♭ minor rock B♭ minor funk

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 6–11) slowly, up and down, saying the note names.
Play it with the pattern set to In 3s, then In 4s, at a tempo where every note is clean.
Learn position 2 and how it joins position 1: the notes they share are where your hand moves.
Switch the labels to degrees and find every B♭ (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on B♭.