Key · minor
The key of B♭ Minor
B♭ Minor has 5 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭). Its scale is B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭. The seven chords built on those degrees are i B♭m, ii° Cdim, III D♭, iv E♭m, v Fm, VI G♭ and VII A♭; the dominant is Fm and the subdominant E♭m. Its relative major is D♭ Major and its parallel major is B♭ Major.
The scale on the keyboard
Fingering for both hands, the step pattern and the other forms are on the B♭ Natural Minor scale page.
Scale degrees
| Degree | Note | Name | Interval from the tonic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | Tonic | Unison |
| 2 | C | Supertonic | Major 2nd |
| 3 | D♭ | Mediant | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | E♭ | Subdominant | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | F | Dominant | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | G♭ | Submediant | Minor 6th |
| 7 | A♭ | Subtonic | Minor 7th |
Chords in B♭ Minor
One chord on each degree of the scale. The dominant is Fm and the subdominant E♭m.
| Numeral | Triad | Quality | Seventh |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | B♭m | Minor | B♭m7 |
| ii° | Cdim | Diminished | Cm7♭5 |
| III | D♭ | Major | D♭maj7 |
| iv | E♭m | Minor | E♭m7 |
| v | Fm | Minor | Fm7 |
| VI | G♭ | Major | G♭maj7 |
| VII | A♭ | Major | A♭7 |
Chord functions
| Function | Chords |
|---|---|
| Tonic | i · III · VI |
| Subdominant | ii° · iv |
| Dominant | v · VII · V (harmonic) |
Common progressions in B♭ Minor
| Progression | Chords | Level |
|---|---|---|
| i – iv – v | B♭m – E♭m – Fm | Easy |
| i – iv – V | B♭m – E♭m – F | Easy |
| i – VI – III – VII | B♭m – G♭ – D♭ – A♭ | Easy |
| i – VII – VI – VII | B♭m – A♭ – G♭ – A♭ | Easy |
| i – VII – VI – V | B♭m – A♭ – G♭ – F | Medium |
| i – VI – iv – V | B♭m – G♭ – E♭m – F | Medium |
| i – iv – VII – III | B♭m – E♭m – A♭ – D♭ | Medium |
| i – III – VII – iv | B♭m – D♭ – A♭ – E♭m | Medium |
| i – iv – i – V | B♭m – E♭m – B♭m – F | Medium |
| i – IV – i – V | B♭m – E♭ – B♭m – F | Hard |
| ii° – V – i | Cdim – F – B♭m | Hard |
| iiø7 – V7 – im7 | Cm7♭5 – F7 – B♭m7 | Hard |
| 12-Bar Minor Blues | B♭m – B♭m – B♭m – B♭m – E♭m – E♭m – B♭m – B♭m – G♭ – F – B♭m – F | Hard |
The other keys
Part of the key reference. See also the chords and the scales.