B harmonic minor scale
B harmonic minor scale is B – C♯ – D – E – F♯ – G – A♯, with C♯, F♯ and A♯. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7. Press play and follow the keys.
The notes, one step at a time
From B upward the gaps are W H W W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half). The half steps fall between C♯–D, F♯–G and A♯–B. The wide step is G–A♯.
| Degree | Note | Interval from B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | root | |
| 2 | C♯ | major second | |
| ♭3 | D | minor third | |
| 4 | E | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | F♯ | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | G | minor sixth | |
| 7 | A♯ | major seventh |
How the harmonic minor scale sounds
Classical minor-key harmony leans on it: the A♯ makes the V chord major and the vii chord diminished, both pulling toward B.
Stack thirds on the 5th degree and you get F♯, a major chord in a minor key; F♯ to Bm is the cadence this scale exists for. The 7th degree gives A♯dim, which pulls up to B the same way.
Compared with B natural minor scale, B harmonic minor scale has A♯ where the other has A; the other six notes are shared. Hear B natural minor scale and compare.
Playing B harmonic minor
On the piano it uses three black keys (C♯, F♯ and A♯) and four white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 7th fret of the low E string and spans frets 5–11: 18 notes, low string to high.
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords that fit B harmonic minor scale; the ones that differ from the major set are what give the scale its color. Tap to hear each one.
Moving it around the guitar
Anchor points for B: low E string fret 7, A string fret 2 and 14. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 2, 4, 7, 9 and 12. On guitar, the three-fret leap between the 6th and 7th notes is the stretch to practise on its own.
On the piano, B harmonic minor scale uses 3 black keys (C♯, F♯ and A♯) and 4 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: B–D, C♯–E, D–F♯, E–G, F♯–A♯, G–B, A♯–C♯, then back down.
Practice patterns for B harmonic minor scale
Once B harmonic minor is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Three-note runs: B C♯ D · C♯ D E · D E F♯ · E F♯ G · F♯ G A♯ · G A♯ B.
- Target A♯: B A♯ B A♯ B: the raised 7th, a step and a half above the ♭6, gives the scale its exotic leap.
Close relatives of B harmonic minor scale
Harmonic minor scale in every key
B harmonic minor scale: questions
What are the notes of the B harmonic minor scale?
7 notes: B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G and A♯.
How many sharps or flats are in the B harmonic minor scale?
Three: C♯, F♯ and A♯.
What chords are in the B harmonic minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Bm (i), C♯dim (ii°), Daug (III+), Em (iv), F♯ (V), G (VI) and A♯dim (vii°).
What's the difference between B harmonic minor scale and B natural minor scale?
A♯ in B harmonic minor; A in the other. Everything else is the same.
Notes and fingering generated from the scale formula and checked automatically against the step pattern. Updated September 2026.