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
- B1
- C♯2
- Db3
- E4
- F♯5
- Gb6
- Ab7
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 6–11
e|-------------------------------------------------7--9--10-| B|----------------------------------------7--8--10----------| G|----------------------------6--7--9--11-------------------| D|-------------------7--9--11-------------------------------| A|----------7--9--10----------------------------------------| E|-7--9--10-------------------------------------------------|
Box 2 · frets 8–13
e|----------------------------------------------9--10-12-| B|-------------------------------------8--10-12----------| G|----------------------------9--11-12-------------------| D|-------------------9--11-12----------------------------| A|----------9--10-12-------------------------------------| E|-9--10-12----------------------------------------------|
Box 3 · frets 10–16
e|-------------------------------------------------------------10-12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------------------10-12-14-15-------------| G|-------------------------------------11-12-14-16-------------------------| D|-------------------------11-12-14-16-------------------------------------| A|-------------10-12-14-16-------------------------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-15-------------------------------------------------------------|
Box 4 · frets 1–6
e|-------------------------------2-3-5-| B|-------------------------2-3-5-------| G|-------------------2-4-6-------------| D|-------------2-4-5-------------------| A|-------2-4-5-------------------------| E|-2-3-5-------------------------------|
Box 5 · frets 3–8
e|---------------------------------3-5-7-| B|-------------------------3-5-7-8-------| G|-------------------4-6-7---------------| D|-------------4-5-7---------------------| A|-------4-5-7---------------------------| E|-3-5-7---------------------------------|
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).
Top-string answer
Down from the top, a step back, and home on the high root.
e|-10-7-----7--| B|-------10----| G|-------------| D|-------------| A|-------------| E|-------------|
Pentatonic repeat
One little three-note shape, walked down the box in triplets.
e|-10p-7-------------------------------| B|---------10--10p-7-------------------| G|---------------------9---9p--7-------| D|---------------------------------9---| A|-------------------------------------| E|-------------------------------------|
Vibrato home
Two notes, then hold the root and shake it. Vibrato is your voice.
e|----------| B|----------| G|-7--9-----| D|-------9~-| A|----------| E|----------|
B minor backing track
Play the boxes over this, starting and ending phrases on the gold root notes.
Slow As Hell B Minor Blues Backing Track | SRV Style Guitar Jam (43.33 BPM) – Now YOU Shred Backing Tracks
Songs in B minor
These songs are in B minor, so this is a scale that fits for soloing over them:
- Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
- Hotel California – Eagles
- Radioactive – Imagine Dragons
- Say Something – A Great Big World
- Wake Me Up – Avicii
- Oceans Where Feet May Fail – Hillsong United
- Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd
- Home – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
- Society – Eddie Vedder
- Exit Music For A Film – Radiohead
- Diamonds – Rihanna
- Beggin – Måneskin
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 B natural minor scale?
B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A. The formula is 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7.
Where do I start playing the B natural minor scale on guitar?
Start with Box 1, frets 6–11. The root note B is on the low E string at fret 7.
What is the relative major of B minor?
D major – it uses the same notes.