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 DI Ionian 4 EII Dorian 5 F♯III Phrygian ♭6 GIV Lydian ♭7 AV Mixolydian 1 BVI Aeolian 2 C♯VII 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 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 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
iBm7B D F♯ A
ii°C♯m7♭5C♯ E G B
♭IIIDmaj7D F♯ A C♯
ivEm7E G B D
vF♯m7F♯ A C♯ E
♭VIGmaj7G B D F♯
♭VIIA7A 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?

Bm7 (i), C♯m7♭5 (ii°), Dmaj7 (♭III), Em7 (iv), F♯m7 (v), Gmaj7 (♭VI), A7 (♭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.