B harmonic minor scale
B harmonic minor is B C♯ D E F♯ G A♯. Harmonic minor: natural minor with a raised seventh, giving a leading tone, a major dominant, and the augmented second that sets its sound apart.
- Formula
- 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
- Steps
- W H W W H W+H H
- Notes
- 7
- Key signature
- 2 sharps
Notes and degrees
The B harmonic minor scale has seven notes: B C♯ D E F♯ G A♯. Each degree is named by its distance from the tonic, B.
| Degree | Note | Interval above B | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P1 | tonic | |
| 2 | M2 | supertonic | |
| 3 | m3 | mediant | |
| 4 | P4 | subdominant | |
| 5 | P5 | dominant | |
| 6 | m6 | submediant | |
| 7 | M7 | leading tone |
On the piano
Every key of the scale is lit in its own colour. Click one to hear it.
On the guitar
Every B scale tone on the first twelve frets in standard tuning. The tonic is ringed. Click a dot to hear the note.
Chords in B harmonic minor
Stacking thirds on each degree gives a triad and a seventh chord. The numerals are measured from the tonic against the major scale, so a ♭ means that chord root is lower than in major.
| Numeral | Triad | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Bm(maj7) |
| ii° | C♯dim | C♯m7♭5 |
| ♭III+ | Daug | D F♯ A♯ C♯ |
| iv | Em | Em7 |
| V | F♯ | F♯7 |
| ♭VI | G | Gmaj7 |
| vii° | A♯dim | A♯dim7 |
What it sounds like
Harmonic minor follows the pattern whole, half, whole, whole, half, augmented second, half. Raising the seventh degree puts a half step below the tonic, the same leading tone that drives major-key cadences. That step creates an augmented second between the flat sixth and the raised seventh, an interval absent from both major and natural minor. The sound is dark and intense, and the augmented second gives many melodies an angular, exotic flavor that Western listeners often associate with Middle Eastern music.
Where you hear it
Harmonic minor is the basis of minor-key harmony in Western common-practice music, supplying the major dominant chord and the leading tone in cadences. Baroque, Classical, and Romantic composers wrote cadences that depend on its raised seventh. Romantic composers also used the augmented second for exotic color. Jazz musicians play it over minor tonic chords with a major seventh. Its fifth mode, Phrygian dominant, is a standard resource for dominant chords in minor keys.
How it is built
Harmonic minor is natural minor with the seventh raised, so it differs from natural minor by one note. Its fifth mode is Phrygian dominant, which derives from this scale. On C, its diatonic triads are C minor with a major seventh, D diminished, E♭ augmented, F minor, G major, A♭ major with a major seventh, and B diminished with a diminished seventh. The G major triad is the dominant chord that gives minor cadences their pull.
Scales with the same notes
These scales use the same seven pitches as B harmonic minor, starting from a different note.
Other B scales
- B major
- B natural minor
- B melodic minor
- B Dorian
- B Phrygian
- B Lydian
- B Mixolydian
- B Locrian
- B major pentatonic
- B minor pentatonic
- B blues
- B whole-tone
- B diminished (whole–half)
- B diminished (half–whole)
- B Phrygian dominant
- B Lydian dominant
- B altered
- B double harmonic major
- B Hungarian minor
- B bebop dominant
How to practise it
Play A harmonic minor, A B C D E F G♯, against a drone on A, and sing the augmented second from F to G♯ until it sounds like a natural step. Play the progression ii° to V to i in A, first with natural minor and then with harmonic minor, and hear what the raised seventh adds. Over an Am(maj7) chord, improvise with the scale and land on G♯ before each resolution to A.
Further reading
- Natural, Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales ComparedFundamentals · 6 min
- Diatonic Chords in Major and Minor Keys ExplainedHarmony · 7 min
- Cadences: How Phrases End in Tonal MusicHarmony · 7 min
Questions
What are the notes of the B harmonic minor scale?
The B harmonic minor scale is B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G, A♯. Written ascending it returns to B an octave higher.
What is the formula for the B harmonic minor scale?
The formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 measured from the major scale. As steps that is W, H, W, W, H, W+H, H (W is a whole step, H a half step).
What key signature does B harmonic minor use?
B harmonic minor is written with 2 sharps in the key signature.
Which chords belong to B harmonic minor?
Stacking thirds on each degree gives the triads Bm, C♯dim, Daug, Em, F♯, G, A♯dim.
What is the difference between harmonic minor and natural minor?
Harmonic minor raises the seventh degree of natural minor, so it has a leading tone a half step below the octave. On A, natural minor is A B C D E F G and harmonic minor is A B C D E F G♯. The raised seventh also makes the dominant chord major, which supports stronger minor-key cadences.
Why is it called harmonic minor?
The name points to its harmonic role. Raising the seventh makes the dominant triad major, and that major chord harmonizes a minor-key cadence. The same raised seventh also turns the chord on the seventh degree into a fully diminished seventh, B diminished seventh on C.
What chords go with harmonic minor?
On C, the tonic is C minor with a major seventh, and the fifth degree is G major, the dominant chord. The third degree is an augmented triad, E♭ G B. Improvisers use the scale over minor-major seventh chords, and the augmented second is its most distinctive interval.