Key guide
B♭ minor: scale, key signature and chords
B♭ minor has five flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭). Its scale is B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭ — play the scale and every chord below.
- Key signature
- B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ — five flats
- Scale notes
- B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭
- Relative major
- D♭ major
- Parallel major
- B♭ major
- Dominant key
- F minor
- Subdominant key
- D♯ minor (spelled E♭ minor from here; covered as D♯ minor)
- On the piano
- 5 black keys and 2 white in the scale
The B♭ minor scale
The B♭ minor scale uses the notes B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, the natural minor pattern of whole and half steps (W–H–W–W–H–W–W) starting on B♭. Each letter name appears once, which is why the accidentals are written as B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ rather than as their enharmonic equivalents.
| Degree | Note | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | tonic |
| 2 | C | supertonic |
| 3 | D♭ | mediant |
| 4 | E♭ | subdominant |
| 5 | F | dominant |
| 6 | G♭ | submediant |
| 7 | A♭ | subtonic |
A♯ minor (seven sharps) is its enharmonic twin; B♭ minor, with five flats, is the usual spelling.
Harmonic and melodic minor in B♭ minor
The natural minor scale above is the form the key signature gives you. Composers alter it to get a stronger pull to the tonic: the harmonic minor raises the seventh degree (B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A), and the melodic minor raises the sixth and seventh going up (B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G, A). A × means a double sharp.
Chords in B♭ minor
Stacking thirds on each note of the scale gives seven diatonic triads and seven seventh chords. The Roman numeral gives each chord’s position; the role column says what it usually does in a phrase.
| Chord | Triad | Seventh | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | B♭ D♭ F | B♭ D♭ F A♭ | tonic |
| ii° | C E♭ G♭ | C E♭ G♭ B♭ | predominant |
| III | D♭ F A♭ | D♭ F A♭ C | tonic substitute |
| iv | E♭ G♭ B♭ | E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭ | predominant |
| v | F A♭ C | F A♭ C E♭ | dominant |
| VI | G♭ B♭ D♭ | G♭ B♭ D♭ F | tonic substitute |
| VII | A♭ C E♭ | A♭ C E♭ G♭ | dominant |
In a minor key the v chord from the natural scale is usually replaced in cadences by a major V built with the raised seventh: F A C.
Chord progressions in B♭ minor
Four progressions worked out in B♭ minor, each one playable:
- i – VI – III – VII B♭m – G♭ – D♭ – A♭A rising-and-falling minor loop that stays inside the natural minor scale.
- i – iv – V – i B♭m – E♭m – F – B♭mThe minor cadence: the V is major, borrowing the raised seventh from the harmonic minor scale.
- ii° – V – i C° – F – B♭mThe minor ii–V–i: a diminished predominant resolving to the tonic.
- i – VII – VI – V B♭m – A♭ – G♭ – FThe descending “Andalusian” line, ending on the major dominant.
Keys related to B♭ minor
- Relative major: D♭ major — same key signature, different home note.
- Dominant: F minor — one step clockwise on the circle of fifths; the key most pieces in B♭ minor modulate to.
- Subdominant: D♯ minor — one step counter-clockwise, adding one flat (or removing one sharp).
- Parallel major: B♭ major — same tonic, opposite mode.
Questions
What are the notes in B♭ minor?
The B♭ minor scale is B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭. That is the natural minor form; the harmonic minor raises the seventh degree, and the melodic minor raises the sixth and seventh going up.
How many sharps or flats are in B♭ minor?
B♭ minor has five flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭.
What is the relative major of B♭ minor?
The relative major of B♭ minor is D♭ major. The two keys share a key signature and the same seven notes, but B♭ is the home note of the minor key.
What chords are in B♭ minor?
The seven diatonic triads in B♭ minor are B♭m, C°, D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭, A♭. In practice the V chord is usually played as F, using the raised seventh from the harmonic minor scale.