B♭ melodic minor scale
MinorAeolian ♯6 ♯7 · 7 notes · B♭ + D♭ + E♭
B♭melodic minor
KeyboardRight hand · 1 = thumb
Fingering guideOne octave · both hands
| Hand | B♭ | C | D♭ | E♭ | F | G | A | B♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 4 | 1thumb under | 2 | 3 | 1thumb under | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Left hand | 2 | 1 | 44 over | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33 over | 2 |
Chords in the key
How to read a scale
Steps, degrees, fingers.
The step pattern
Every scale is a pattern of whole and half steps. B♭ melodic minor goes W–H–W–W–W–W–H. Coming down, melodic minor is played as the natural minor: B♭ A♭ G♭ F E♭ D♭ C B♭.
The degrees
Number the notes from the root: 1 B♭, 2 C, ♭3 D♭, 4 E♭, 5 F, 6 G, 7 A. The degrees stay the same in every key, so a pattern learned in B♭ works in any other.
The fingering
Right hand: the thumb tucks under onto C, then the thumb tucks under onto F. Left hand: finger 4 crosses over onto D♭, then finger 3 crosses over onto A. Practise the crossings slowly; once they're smooth, raise the tempo.
All 216 scales
Every scale and mode on every root, each with its own page.
C
D♭
D
E♭
E
F
G♭
G
A♭
A
B♭
Practise it on a real keyboard.
Plug in a MIDI keyboard: the Melodio app shows every scale with its fingering and chords, and names what you play. Free, offline.
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