B Minor scale
B Minor scale for guitar.
The B Minor is a seven-note scale, also called Natural B Minor. Colored circles mark the tones in the diagram, with darker color highlighting the root notes. The root notes are always B tones. In the two-octave pattern, the first root note is on the 6th string, 7th fret.
B Minor 2 octaves

B Minor full fretboard

B Minor with note names

The scale displayed with its numeric formula and scale degrees.
Formula | Notes | Intervals | Degrees |
---|---|---|---|
1 | B | Unison | Tonic |
2 | C# | Major second | Supertonic |
b3 | D | Minor third | Mediant |
4 | E | Perfect fourth | Subdominant |
5 | F# | Perfect fifth | Dominant |
b6 | G | Minor sixth | Submediant |
b7 | A | Minor seventh | Subtonic |
The B Minor scale consists of seven notes. These can be described as intervals, as semi-notes or steps on the guitar fingerboard, written as 2 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 2 from the first note to the next octave.
The B Minor is relative to D Major. Both scales include the same notes but their tonal center differ.
The B Minor is identical with the B Aeolian mode.
Beneficial to learn this scale is to observe the note steps starting from the root: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. The same formula applies for the whole neck.
These are chords built from the notes of this scale:
Bm, Bm7, Bm9, Bm11 |
C#dim, C#m7b5 |
D, Dmaj7, D6, D6/9, Dmaj9, Dmaj13 |
Em, Em7, Em6, Em9, Em11, Em13 |
F#m, F#m7 |
G, Gmaj7, G6, G6/9, Gmaj9 |
A, A7, A6, A9, A11, A13 |
The tones in these chords correspond to the tones of the B Minor scale.
Start the audio and play along! Use notes from the scale in the diagram above.
Normal tempo: