B♭ Major Scale - Emily Learning Music

B♭ Major Scale it starts and ends with B♭. The relative minor of B♭ Major is G minor. Both of these keys have B♭ and E♭.

B♭ Major Key Signature

Here’s the key signature for B♭ Major – B♭ and E♭.

Key signature of B flat major in treble clef. This is also the key signature of G minor, a relative minor of B♭ Major

Key signature of B flat major in bass clef. This is also the key signature of G minor, a relative minor of B♭ Major

Key signature of B flat major in alto clef. This is also the key signature of G minor, a relative minor of B♭ Major

Key signature of B flat major in tenor clef. This is also the key signature of G minor, a relative minor of B♭ Major

Notes in the Scale of B♭ Major

When we play a scale, we usually start off with an ascending scale (the notes get higher), followed by descending scale (the notes get lower).

Ascending scale of B♭ Major: B♭, C, D, E♭, F, G, A, B♭

Descending scale of B♭ Major: B♭, A, G, F, E♭, D, C, B♭

Degrees of the Scale

Degrees of the scale refers to the number we assign to each note of a scale. When we are assigning degrees of a scale, we look at the scale in ascending order. Here are the notes for the various degrees of the B♭ Major scale:

1st degree: B♭

2nd degree: C

3rd degree: D

4th degree: E♭

5th degree: F

6th degree: G

7th degree: A

Technical Names of Notes in B♭ Major

Instead of using the degree of the scale, we can also use technical names of notes.

tonic – B♭

supertonic – C

mediant – D

subdominant – E♭

dominant – F

submediant – G

leading note – A

Semitones and Tones

In all major scales, they follow this:

Pairs of notes	Tone or semitone apart?
1st -> 2nd	tone
2nd -> 3rd	tone
3rd -> 4th	semitone
4th -> 5th	tone
5th -> 6th	tone
6th -> 7th	tone
7th -> 8th	semitone

Most adjacent pairs of notes in the major scale are a tone apart, except for the 3rd to 4th note, and the 7th to the 8th note. This doesn’t apply just to B♭ Major scale, but for ALL major scales. By knowing the distance between the notes in a Major scale, we can form any major scale even if we do not know its key signature.

In this case, the semitones are found here:

From D to E♭ (3rd to 4th note)
From A to B♭ (7th to 8th note)

B♭ Major Scale on different clefs.

Here’s how the B♭ Major scales look like in treble clef (without key signature). I’ve also included the fingerings:

B flat Major ascending and descending scales in treble clef with fingerings included.

Here’s how the B♭ Major scales look like in bass clef (without key signature). I’ve also included the fingerings:

B flat Major ascending and descending scales in bass clef with fingerings included.

Here’s how the B♭ Major scales look like in alto clef.

B flat Major ascending and descending scales in alto clef.

Here’s how the B♭ Major scales look like in tenor clef (without key signature).

B flat Major ascending and descending scales in tenor clef.

How to play the B♭ Major scale on the piano

The fingerings for the right hand part of the B♭ Major scale are:

B♭ -2/4 (Use 2nd finger for the l0west note of the scale)

C- 1

D- 2

E♭ -3

F – 1

G- 2

A – 3

The fingerings for the left hand part of the B♭ Major scale are:

B♭ -2 (Use the 5th finger for the lowest note, the rest should be played with the 1st finger or thumb)

C- 1

D- 3

E♭ -2

F – 1

G- 4

A – 3