Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
Bb Harmonic Major Scale
The major scale with a lowered 6th, also called Ionian ♭6. Its augmented 2nd between ♭6 and 7 gives it a harmonic-minor colour.
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb Harmonic Major Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|---------------------------------6-8-10-| B|----------------------------7-10--------| G|---------------------7-8-10-------------| D|--------------7-8-10--------------------| A|--------6-8-9---------------------------| E|-6-8-10---------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------8-10-11-| B|--------------------------------10-11---------| G|------------------------8-10-11---------------| D|----------------8-10-12-----------------------| A|---------8-9-12-------------------------------| E|-8-10-11--------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-13-------------| G|----------------------------10-11-14-------------------| D|-------------------10-12-13----------------------------| A|-------------12-13-------------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-17-| B|-------------------------------------15-16----------| G|----------------------------14-15-17----------------| D|-------------------13-15-16-------------------------| A|----------13-15-17----------------------------------| E|-13-14-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-| B|----------------------------------16-18-19-------| G|-------------------------15-17-19----------------| D|----------------15-16-19-------------------------| A|-------15-17-18----------------------------------| E|-17-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Harmonic Major on guitar
Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 6–10. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bb |
| 2 | C |
| 3 | D |
| 4 | Eb |
| 5 | F |
| ♭6 | Gb |
| 7 | A |
Chords in Bb Harmonic Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Bb Harmonic Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Tonic |
| ii° | Cdim | Cm7b5 | Supertonic |
| iii | Dm | Dm7 | Mediant |
| iv | Ebm | Ebm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| V | F | F7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| vii° | Adim | Adim7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Harmonic Major Scale?
- The Bb Harmonic Major Scale has 7 notes: Bb, C, D, Eb, F, Gb, A.
- What chords are in the Bb Harmonic Major Scale?
- The chords of Bb Harmonic Major are Bb (I), Cdim (ii°), Dm (iii), Ebm (iv), F (V), Gbaug (♭VI+), Adim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the harmonic major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Bb Harmonic Major on the guitar?
- The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.