Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
B 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.
B 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|----------------------------------7-9-11-| B|-----------------------------8-11--------| G|----------------------8-9-11-------------| D|---------------8-9-11--------------------| A|--------7-9-10---------------------------| E|-7-9-11----------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------9-11-12-| B|---------------------------------11-12---------| G|-------------------------9-11-12---------------| D|-----------------9-11-13-----------------------| A|---------9-10-13-------------------------------| E|-9-11-12---------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------12-14-------------| G|----------------------------11-12-15-------------------| D|-------------------11-13-14----------------------------| A|-------------13-14-------------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-18-| B|-------------------------------------16-17----------| G|----------------------------15-16-18----------------| D|-------------------14-16-17-------------------------| A|----------14-16-18----------------------------------| E|-14-15-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-| B|----------------------------------17-19-20-------| G|-------------------------16-18-20----------------| D|----------------16-17-20-------------------------| A|-------16-18-19----------------------------------| E|-18-19-------------------------------------------|
How to play B Harmonic Major on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B 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 7–11. 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 | B |
| 2 | C# |
| 3 | D# |
| 4 | E |
| 5 | F# |
| ♭6 | G |
| 7 | A# |
Chords in B Harmonic Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in B Harmonic Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | B | Bmaj7 | Tonic |
| ii° | C#dim | C#m7b5 | Supertonic |
| iii | D#m | D#m7 | Mediant |
| iv | Em | Em(maj7) | Subdominant |
| V | F# | F#7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Gaug | Gmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| vii° | A#dim | A#dim7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise B Harmonic Major anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the B Harmonic Major Scale?
- The B Harmonic Major Scale has 7 notes: B, C#, D#, E, F#, G, A#.
- What chords are in the B Harmonic Major Scale?
- The chords of B Harmonic Major are B (I), C#dim (ii°), D#m (iii), Em (iv), F# (V), Gaug (♭VI+), A#dim (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 B Harmonic Major on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.