Learn the B♭ natural minor scale — notes, intervals, chords, modes, and more.
The B♭ natural minor scale contains the following notes:
B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭The scale degrees of the B♭ natural minor scale are:
1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7| Scale Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ |
| 2 | C |
| ♭3 | D♭ |
| 4 | E♭ |
| 5 | F |
| ♭6 | G♭ |
| ♭7 | A♭ |
The B♭ natural minor scale uses the interval pattern W, H, W, W, H, W, W
| From | To | Step |
|---|---|---|
| B♭ | C | W |
| C | D♭ | H |
| D♭ | E♭ | W |
| E♭ | F | W |
| F | G♭ | H |
| G♭ | A♭ | W |
| A♭ | B♭ | W |
| Scale Degree | Note | Interval from B♭ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | Perfect Unison |
| 2 | C | Major 2nd |
| ♭3 | D♭ | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | E♭ | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | F | Perfect 5th |
| ♭6 | G♭ | Minor 6th |
| ♭7 | A♭ | Minor 7th |
| 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♭ |
| 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♭ |
The modes of B♭ natural minor use the same notes but start on different scale degrees.
| Mode | Starting note | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| D♭ Ionian | D♭ | D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C |
| E♭ Dorian | E♭ | E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭ |
| F Phrygian | F | F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭ |
| G♭ Lydian | G♭ | G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F |
| A♭ Mixolydian | A♭ | A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ |
| B♭ Aeolian | B♭ | B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭ |
| C Locrian | C | C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭ |
The relative major is D♭ major. D♭ major uses the exact same 7 notes as B♭ natural minor — natural minor is simply the 6th mode (Aeolian) of the major scale.
B♭ natural minor has a minor 3rd (D♭), minor 6th (G♭), and minor 7th (A♭), while B♭ major has a major 3rd (D), major 6th (G), and major 7th (A). These three flattened degrees give natural minor its darker, more melancholic character.
The only difference is the 6th degree. B♭ natural minor has a minor 6th (G♭), while B♭ Dorian has a major 6th. That raised 6th makes Dorian sound slightly brighter and more versatile, while natural minor has a deeper, more traditional minor quality.