Chord Colors

B Harmonic Minor b5 scale

About the B Harmonic Minor b5 scale

B Harmonic Minor b5 is used for jazz and film scoring that wants a dark, unsettled color. Think of it as a harmonic minor with a lowered fifth, tense and exotic.

Its notes are B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. The formula is W H W H W 1½ H.

The mode draws two black keys from the piano, C and A. B Harmonic Minor 5 includes a stretch of four consecutive white keys.

Notes and intervals

1BBRoot
2C#C♯Major 2nd
3DDMinor 3rd
4EEPerfect 4th
5FFDiminished 5th
6GGMinor 6th
7A#A♯Major 7th
StepsW H W H W 1½ H
Semitones2-1-2-1-2-3-1
Degrees1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Fingering

Suggested fingering, follows standard fingering rules

Hand BC sharpDEFGA sharpB
Right hand12312345
Left hand43214321

Shapes

Chromatic

CC♯D♭DD♯E♭EFF♯G♭GG♯A♭AA♯B♭B

Circle of Fifths

CGDAEBF♯G♭C♯D♭G♯A♭D♯E♭A♯B♭F

Related scales

Harmonic Minor b5 in other keys

Modes

The same notes, starting on a different note.

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B Harmonic Minor b5 scale on piano shown as colored note dots
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