Minor scales · B flat natural minor
B♭ natural minor scale
The B♭ natural minor scale (B flat natural minor) is B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭. It uses the key signature of D♭ major, five flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ and G♭), and no other accidentals. Here it is for both hands with the standard fingering.
- 5 flats: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭
- Relative major: D♭ major
- RH 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4
- LH 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2
Listen with the cursor following the notes, or play along: the music waits for each note, and the keys show which finger to use.
The notes
B♭ minor has five flats, the key signature of D♭ major, its relative major.
| Degree | Note | Right hand | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tonic | B♭ | 4 | 2 |
| 2Supertonic | C | 1 | 1 |
| 3Mediant | D♭ | 2 | 3 |
| 4Subdominant | E♭ | 3 | 2 |
| 5Dominant | F | 1 | 1 |
| 6Submediant | G♭ | 2 | 4 |
| 7Subtonic | A♭ | 3 | 3 |
| 8Tonic | B♭ | 4 | 2 |
Key signature
B♭ minor has five flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ and G♭) in its key signature, the same as D♭ major, its relative major. The natural minor needs nothing else: every note comes from the key signature.
What makes it natural minor
The natural minor uses only the notes of its key signature: the same notes as D♭ major, its relative major, starting from B♭. It is also called the Aeolian mode.
Its seventh note, A♭, is a whole step below the tonic, so the scale doesn’t pull home the way a major scale does. The two other minor scales change that: the harmonic minor raises the seventh to A, and the melodic minor raises the sixth and seventh, G and A, on the way up.
Fingering
Right hand: 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 going up. Going up, the thumb passes under the fourth finger from B♭ to C and the thumb passes under the third finger from E♭ to F. The fourth finger plays B♭: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is.
Left hand: 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 going up. Going up, the third finger crosses over the thumb from C to D♭ and the fourth finger crosses over the thumb from F to G♭. The fourth finger plays G♭: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is.
The right hand starts on its fourth finger, as in B♭ major, with the thumbs on C and F. The left hand starts on its second finger, the thumb on C, and crosses its fourth finger onto G♭.
Chords in B♭ minor
The triads built on each note of the natural minor. In real music the chord on the fifth note is usually made major with the raised seventh, as in the harmonic minor.
Music in B♭ minor
- Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 35, with the Funeral March
- Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2, Op. 31
- Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1
How to practise it
- Hands separately first, slowly, saying the finger numbers. Fingering learned slowly stays; fingering found at speed changes every time.
- Practise the thumb crossings alone: play just the notes either side of each crossing, back and forth, until the thumb is in place before it’s needed.
- Then hands together, one octave, then two. The hands cross their thumbs at different places, which is what makes scales hands together hard at first.
- Use “Play along” above: it waits for each note, so you can check every note and finger at your own pace. Then Listen at ♩ = 72 and play with it.
Quick answers
- What are the notes of the B flat natural minor scale?
- B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭.
- What is the fingering for the B flat natural minor scale?
- Right hand 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4, left hand 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2, going up one octave from B♭ (1 is the thumb). Coming down, the same fingers in reverse.
- What key signature does B♭ minor have?
- Five flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ and G♭), the same as its relative major, D♭ major.
Scales, then real music
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