Minor scales
B harmonic minor scale
The B harmonic minor scale is B C♯ D E F♯ G A♯ B. It uses the key signature of D major, two sharps (F♯ and C♯), and raises the seventh note with an accidental. Here it is for both hands with the standard fingering.
- 2 sharps: F♯ C♯
- Relative major: D major
- RH 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5
- LH 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1
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 two sharps, F♯ and C♯, the same as D major, its relative major.
| Degree | Note | Right hand | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tonic | B | 1 | 4 |
| 2Supertonic | C♯ | 2 | 3 |
| 3Mediant | D | 3 | 2 |
| 4Subdominant | E | 1 | 1 |
| 5Dominant | F♯ | 2 | 4 |
| 6Submediant | G | 3 | 3 |
| 7Leading note | A♯ | 4 | 2 |
| 8Tonic | B | 5 | 1 |
Key signature
B minor has two sharps (F♯ and C♯) in its key signature, the same as D major, its relative major. The harmonic minor adds one accidental, the raised seventh, A♯, which is written in each time it comes.
What makes it harmonic minor
The harmonic minor is the natural minor with its seventh raised a half step, A to A♯, written as an accidental (the key signature stays D major’s). The raised seventh is a leading note: a half step below the tonic, it pulls up to B, and it gives the key its major chord on the fifth note.
That leaves a step and a half between the sixth and seventh notes, G to A♯ (an augmented second), the gap that gives the harmonic minor its sound. Watch it under the fingers: 3–4 in the right hand and 3–2 in the left hand going up.
Fingering
Right hand: 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 going up. Going up, the thumb passes under the third finger from D to E. The fourth finger plays A♯: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is. Over two octaves, the B in the middle takes the thumb instead of the fifth finger, and the pattern starts again.
Left hand: 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 going up. Going up, the fourth finger crosses over the thumb from E to F♯. The fourth finger plays B: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is. Over two octaves, the left hand starts on the fourth finger only once, at the bottom; the B in the middle takes the thumb.
The right hand plays C major’s fingering; the left hand starts on its fourth finger, as in B major: 4 3 2 1 from B to E, then 4 3 2 1 from F♯ to B.
Chords in B minor
The triads built on each note of the harmonic minor. Its raised seventh makes the chord on the fifth note major, the V that leads home in most minor-key music.
- i B minor
- ii° C♯ diminished
- III+ D augmented
- iv E minor
- V F♯ major
- VI G major
- vii° A♯ diminished
Music in B minor
- Liszt’s Sonata in B minor
- Bach’s Mass in B minor
- Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”
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 harmonic minor scale?
- B C♯ D E F♯ G A♯ B.
- What is the fingering for the B harmonic minor scale?
- Right hand 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5, left hand 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1, going up one octave from B (1 is the thumb). Coming down, the same fingers in reverse.
- What key signature does B minor have?
- Two sharps (F♯ and C♯), the same as its relative major, D major.
Scales, then real music
Pianomi is a free app that listens to your MIDI keyboard. It takes you through scales and arpeggios at a steady tempo, grading every note and beat, and gives you new music to sight-read every day, at your level.