The key of B♭ minor on mandolin
B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ — and everything inside it.
The key of B♭ minor on mandolin: the scale, the chord on every degree, the seventh chords and the pentatonics — drawn above, each a tap away. The row of chips over the mandolin is the key’s chords; the dropdown switches it to seventh chords or pentatonics, the shape menu draws a chord as one grip at a time, and a tap on any note finds the chords that hold it. For the why, read chords in a key, the minor scale.
The notes of B♭ minor
B♭ minor — also spelled A♯ minor — is B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭: the minor scale on B♭, seven notes, labeled 1 to 7 on the mandolin above. The scale on its own, in every position, is on its page.
The chords in B♭ minor
The triad on each degree, stacked from the key’s own notes; the numeral’s case is the chord’s quality. The explorer above draws the six you can rest on.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | B♭m | B♭ D♭ F |
| ii° | C° — passed through, not rested on | C E♭ G♭ |
| III | D♭ | D♭ F A♭ |
| iv | E♭m | E♭ G♭ B♭ |
| v | Fm | F A♭ C |
| VI | G♭ | G♭ B♭ D♭ |
| VII | A♭ | A♭ C E♭ |
The seventh chords in B♭ minor
One more third on each — the row on “Tetrads” above.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | B♭m7 | B♭ D♭ F A♭ |
| iiø7 | Cm7♭5 — passed through, not rested on | C E♭ G♭ B♭ |
| IIImaj7 | D♭maj7 | D♭ F A♭ C |
| iv7 | E♭m7 | E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭ |
| v7 | Fm7 | F A♭ C E♭ |
| VImaj7 | G♭maj7 | G♭ B♭ D♭ F |
| VII7 | A♭7 | A♭ C E♭ G♭ |
The pentatonics in B♭ minor
The five-note scale on each degree that fits inside the key — major where the degree’s chord is major, minor where it is minor. The row on “Pentatonics” above.
| Degree | Scale | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | B♭m pent | B♭ D♭ E♭ F A♭ |
| ii | Cm pent — not in the key | C E♭ F G B♭ |
| III | D♭ pent | D♭ E♭ F A♭ B♭ |
| iv | E♭m pent | E♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ D♭ |
| v | Fm pent | F A♭ B♭ C E♭ |
| VI | G♭ pent | G♭ A♭ B♭ D♭ E♭ |
| VII | A♭ pent | A♭ B♭ C E♭ F |
The same notes from another home
Relative major: D♭ major. Parallel major, the same root with different notes: B♭ major.