B♭ Minor Scale on Guitar: Notes, Shapes and Positions

Searching for A♯ minor? It's the same scale, written here as B♭ minor, because it needs fewer sharps and flats: B♭ minor has five flats, A♯ minor seven sharps.

The B♭ natural minor scale (B flat minor, written Bb minor) is B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A♭. Its formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Start with the root on the low E string at the sixth fret, then learn the five positions below, from the Am shape at the first fret up the neck.

Keys

B♭ Minor Scale: 5 Positions

10Cm shape
1Am shape
3Gm shape
6Em shape
8Dm shape

CAGED Chords — B♭m

10C shape
1A shape
3G shape
6E shape
8D shape

Triads — B♭m

Root position

10C shape
1A shape
3G shape
6E shape

Notes and formula

Degree12♭345♭6♭7
NoteB♭CD♭E♭FG♭A♭

B♭ minor has 5 flats (B♭, D♭, E♭, G♭ and A♭).

It's the same pitch as A♯: also written A♯ minor (7 sharps). This page uses B♭ because it needs fewer accidentals, so every note is spelled with one letter each (B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A♭).

The B♭ minor scale across the whole neck

Every B♭ minor scale note from the nut to the 15th fret: F on the low E string, fret 1; G flat on the low E string, fret 2; A flat on the low E string, fret 4; B flat (root) on the low E string, fret 6; C on the low E string, fret 8; D flat on the low E string, fret 9; E flat on the low E string, fret 11; F on the low E string, fret 13; G flat on the low E string, fret 14; B flat (root) on the A string, fret 1; C on the A string, fret 3; D flat on the A string, fret 4; E flat on the A string, fret 6; F on the A string, fret 8; G flat on the A string, fret 9; A flat on the A string, fret 11; B flat (root) on the A string, fret 13; C on the A string, fret 15; E flat on the D string, fret 1; F on the D string, fret 3; G flat on the D string, fret 4; A flat on the D string, fret 6; B flat (root) on the D string, fret 8; C on the D string, fret 10; D flat on the D string, fret 11; E flat on the D string, fret 13; F on the D string, fret 15; A flat on the G string, fret 1; B flat (root) on the G string, fret 3; C on the G string, fret 5; D flat on the G string, fret 6; E flat on the G string, fret 8; F on the G string, fret 10; G flat on the G string, fret 11; A flat on the G string, fret 13; B flat (root) on the G string, fret 15; C on the B string, fret 1; D flat on the B string, fret 2; E flat on the B string, fret 4; F on the B string, fret 6; G flat on the B string, fret 7; A flat on the B string, fret 9; B flat (root) on the B string, fret 11; C on the B string, fret 13; D flat on the B string, fret 14; F on the high e string, fret 1; G flat on the high e string, fret 2; A flat on the high e string, fret 4; B flat (root) on the high e string, fret 6; C on the high e string, fret 8; D flat on the high e string, fret 9; E flat on the high e string, fret 11; F on the high e string, fret 13; G flat on the high e string, fret 14.

B♭ Minor scale, frets 0–15. Roots (B♭) in green.

The root, B♭, sits on the low E string at the sixth fret and on the A string at the first fret. Those are the anchors every position is built around.

None of the open strings is a note of B♭ minor, so the scale is played entirely with fretted notes.

Position by position: Am shape from the first fret; Gm shape from the third fret; Em shape from the sixth fret; Dm shape from the eighth fret; Cm shape from the tenth fret.

Chords in B♭ minor

The chords of B♭ minor are i B♭m, ii° C°, III D♭, iv E♭m, v Fm, VI G♭ and VII A♭.

Common minor progressions here are i–iv–v (B♭m, E♭m, Fm) and i–VI–III–VII (B♭m, G♭, D♭, A♭). Songs in B♭ minor often swap Fm for a major V chord, which comes from the harmonic minor.

Its relative major is D♭ major, with the same notes centred on the third.

None of the key's chords has an open shape, so on guitar B♭ is played entirely with barre chords and CAGED shapes up the neck, or with a capo.

The nearest keys are a fifth away: F minor differs by one note: G instead of G♭; E♭ minor differs by one note: C♭ instead of C.

To learn it, play the Am shape from the first fret slowly, saying each note name, then link it to the next position up. Land on B♭ at the end of each run, and you'll hear the scale settle on its root.

B♭ Minor scale FAQs

Which notes make up the B♭ natural minor scale?

B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A♭. The formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7.

What is the relative major of B♭ minor?

D♭ major. It has the same notes as B♭ natural minor, starting from the third, D♭.

Where do I play the B♭ natural minor scale on guitar?

Start from the root on the low E string at the sixth fret. The Am shape from the first fret is the lowest of the five positions, and the other four continue up the neck to the 12th fret and beyond.

Learn more

The natural minor scale on guitar explains how the scale is built and how to use it, and the guitar scale lessons set out what to learn next. The scale library has every scale in every key.