B♭ Natural minorScale · B♭ Aeolian

Formula

W H W W H W W 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
The family

B♭ Natural minor on the chromatic circle

B♭ Natural minor is the 6th mode of the Major family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W W H W W W H ♭3 D♭I Ionian 4 E♭II Dorian 5 FIII Phrygian ♭6 G♭IV Lydian ♭7 A♭V Mixolydian 1 B♭VI Aeolian 2 CVII Locrian B♭ Aeolian
The whole neck

B♭ Natural minor across the fretboard

Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.

3 5 7 9 12 15 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6
Harmony

Chords in B♭ Natural minor

Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.

DegreeChordNotes
iB♭m7B♭ D♭ F A♭
ii°Cm7♭5C E♭ G♭ B♭
♭IIID♭maj7D♭ F A♭ C
ivE♭m7E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭
vFm7F A♭ C E♭
♭VIG♭maj7G♭ B♭ D♭ F
♭VIIA♭7A♭ C E♭ G♭
Context

Where B♭ Natural minor fits

Natural minor: rock, pop and metal in minor keys, over progressions like i–♭VI–♭VII and i–iv–v.

B♭ Natural minor is mode 6 of the major family. The same notes played from each of its other degrees give the family's other modes:

Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:

Natural minor scale in every key

B♭ Natural minor scale questions

What notes are in the B♭ Natural minor scale?

B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭. As degrees from the root: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7.

What is the B♭ Natural minor scale formula?

1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, or in steps between the notes, W H W W H W W (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).

How do you play the B♭ Natural minor scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of B♭ Natural minor up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the A shape to the G shape to the E shape to the D shape to the C shape.

What chords are in the B♭ Natural minor scale?

B♭m7 (i), Cm7♭5 (ii°), D♭maj7 (♭III), E♭m7 (iv), Fm7 (v), G♭maj7 (♭VI), A♭7 (♭VII).

When is the B♭ Natural minor scale used?

Natural minor: rock, pop and metal in minor keys, over progressions like i–♭VI–♭VII and i–iv–v.