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Fig. 1 · Bb harmonic major · first 12 frets

guitar scale

B♭ harmonic major

B♭1C2D3E♭4F5G♭♭6A7

Major with a flattened sixth: the mirror of harmonic minor, and the reason a major key can borrow a minor subdominant.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are A♯ harmonic major.

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · Bb harmonic major, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

B♭WCWDHE♭WFHG♭W+HAHB♭

What is true of it

B♭ harmonic major is B♭, C, D, E♭, F, G♭ and A, and back to B♭.

Its steps are W – W – H – W – H – W+H – H, where W is a whole step and H a half.

On the same tonic, B♭ major differs from it by exactly one note.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 44 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

CdimdiminishedCm7♭5half-diminished seventhDmajorDmminorDaugaugmentedD7dominant seventhDm7minor seventhE♭mminor

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 7 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on B♭

B♭ majormajorB♭ natural minorminorB♭ harmonic minorminorB♭ melodic minorminor

C harm majC♯ harm majD♭ harm majD harm majD♯ harm majE♭ harm majE harm majF harm majall 374