JamEaseGuitar scales › Natural Minor Scale
B♭ Natural Minor Scale – Guitar
The seven-note minor scale (the Aeolian mode): darker and more melodic than the minor pentatonic. Here it is in B♭: the notes, the whole neck, all five boxes with TAB, and a backing track to practise over.
Notes in the B♭ natural minor scale
- B♭1
- C2
- D♭b3
- E♭4
- F5
- G♭b6
- A♭b7
Formula: 1 – 2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – b6 – b7. Use it to solo over songs in B♭ minor, and over B♭ blues and rock progressions.
Same seven notes as the D♭ major scale (its relative major).
B♭ natural minor scale on the whole neck
Know the scale?
Now solo with it.
A guitar soloing course: 81 short lessons, each one ends with you jamming over a real backing track.
- From 3 notes to your own solos
- Every note on the neck, with sound and TAB
- 379 backing tracks in every key
The 5 boxes (positions) with TAB
Each box is one hand position. Learn Box 1 first: play it up with the TAB, then back down, then move to the next box – together they cover the whole neck.
Box 1 · frets 5–10
e|-------------------------------------------------6--8--9--| B|----------------------------------------6--7--9-----------| G|----------------------------5--6--8--10-------------------| D|-------------------6--8--10-------------------------------| A|----------6--8--9-----------------------------------------| E|-6--8--9--------------------------------------------------|
Box 2 · frets 7–12
e|----------------------------------------------8--9--11-| B|-------------------------------------7--9--11----------| G|----------------------------8--10-11-------------------| D|-------------------8--10-11----------------------------| A|----------8--9--11-------------------------------------| E|-8--9--11----------------------------------------------|
Box 3 · frets 9–15
e|-------------------------------------------------------------9--11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------------------9--11-13-14-------------| G|-------------------------------------10-11-13-15-------------------------| D|-------------------------10-11-13-15-------------------------------------| A|-------------9--11-13-15-------------------------------------------------| E|-9--11-13-14-------------------------------------------------------------|
Box 4 · frets 1–5
e|-------------------------------1-2-4-| B|-------------------------1-2-4-------| G|-------------------1-3-5-------------| D|-------------1-3-4-------------------| A|-------1-3-4-------------------------| E|-1-2-4-------------------------------|
Box 5 · frets 2–7
e|---------------------------------2-4-6-| B|-------------------------2-4-6-7-------| G|-------------------3-5-6---------------| D|-------------3-4-6---------------------| A|-------3-4-6---------------------------| E|-2-4-6---------------------------------|
3 B♭ minor licks to play with it
Box 1 licks from the JamEase lick library, written for B♭ minor (h = hammer-on, p = pull-off, / = slide, b = bend, ~ = vibrato).
Don't come home yet
Down the box, and stop on the 5th: not home yet. Follow it with a phrase that lands on the root.
e|-----------------| B|-6-9-6-----------| G|-------8-6-------| D|-----------8-6---| A|---------------8-| E|-----------------|
Ask and answer
A short question, a rest, then the answer. Leave the space.
e|-------------------| B|-------6-----------| G|-6h-8-----8p-6-----| D|----------------8--| A|-------------------| E|-------------------|
Question and answer
A question that stops on the 4th, a breath, then an answer with a bend that lands on the high root.
e|-------------------------------6~-| B|-------6--9--6-----------6--9-----| G|-6/-8-----------8--8b-8-----------| D|----------------------------------| A|----------------------------------| E|----------------------------------|
B♭ minor backing track
Play the boxes over this, starting and ending phrases on the gold root notes.
Minor Blues backing Track in A# Minor | Soul Blues – Fret Junkies
Songs in B♭ minor
These songs are in B♭ minor, so this is a scale that fits for soloing over them:
- Riptide – Vance Joy
- I See Fire – Ed Sheeran
- Stitches – Shawn Mendes
- Little Talks – Of Monsters and Men
- Let It Go – James Bay
- Rude – MAGIC!
- Chandelier – Sia
- Sparks – Coldplay
- Treat You Better – Shawn Mendes
- Give Me Love – Ed Sheeran
- Believer – Imagine Dragons
- Broken Strings – James Morrison
Other scales in B♭
- B♭ Minor Pentatonic Scale
- B♭ Major Pentatonic Scale
- B♭ Blues Scale
- B♭ Major Blues Scale
- B♭ Major Scale
- B♭ Dorian Mode
- B♭ Mixolydian Mode
- B♭ Phrygian Mode
- B♭ Lydian Mode
- B♭ Harmonic Minor Scale
- B♭ Melodic Minor Scale
Natural Minor Scale in other keys
- C Natural Minor Scale
- C♯ Natural Minor Scale
- D Natural Minor Scale
- E♭ Natural Minor Scale
- E Natural Minor Scale
- F Natural Minor Scale
- F♯ Natural Minor Scale
- G Natural Minor Scale
- G♯ Natural Minor Scale
- A Natural Minor Scale
- B Natural Minor Scale
Put it to use: solo with it, step by step, starting with three notes.
FAQ
What notes are in the Bb natural minor scale?
Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab. The formula is 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7.
Where do I start playing the Bb natural minor scale on guitar?
Start with Box 1, frets 5–10. The root note Bb is on the low E string at fret 6.
What is the relative major of Bb minor?
Db major – it uses the same notes.