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Fig. 1 · Bb harmonic minor · first 12 frets

guitar scale

B♭ harmonic minor

B♭1C2D♭♭3E♭4F5G♭♭6A7

Natural minor with the seventh raised, which buys a leading note and pays for it with a step and a half between the sixth and seventh.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are A♯ harmonic minor.

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · Bb harmonic minor, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

B♭WCHD♭WE♭WFHG♭W+HAHB♭

What is true of it

B♭ harmonic minor is B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A, and back to B♭.

Its steps are W – H – W – W – H – W+H – H, where W is a whole step and H a half.

On the same tonic, B♭ natural minor differs from it by exactly one note.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 43 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

CdimdiminishedCm7♭5half-diminished seventhD♭augaugmentedE♭mminorE♭dimdiminishedE♭m7minor seventhE♭m7♭5half-diminished seventhFmajor

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 7 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on B♭

B♭ natural minorminorB♭ melodic minorminorB♭ majormajorB♭ harmonic majormajorB♭ Dorianmode

C harm minC♯ harm minD♭ harm minD harm minD♯ harm minE♭ harm minE harm minF harm minall 374