B flat major

About B flat major

B flat major is built on the notes B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F – G – A. It has 2♭ in the signature (B♭, E♭), so every note of its scale is either a white key or one of those sharps or flats; nothing else is needed. The first note is the home note: melodies in B flat major tend to come back to it, and the music feels finished when they do.

The three main chords are B♭, E♭ and F, the I, IV and V of the key. They contain every note of the scale between them, so a melody in B flat major can almost always be accompanied by one of the three. The minor chords on degrees ii, iii and vi add softer colours, and the diminished chord on vii (Adim) is a short moment of tension.

Its relative key is G minor: the same notes and the same signature, starting from G. Many pieces move between the two, and the chords of one are the chords of the other in a different order. The parallel key, B flat minor, starts on the same note but has a different signature.

On the circle of fifths, B flat major sits between E flat major and F major. Those neighbouring keys differ by only one note, so pieces in B flat major often visit them: the V chord of the key (F) is the home chord of F major, and the IV chord (E♭) is the home chord of E flat major.

On guitar, B flat major needs several barre chords. A capo helps: put it on fret 3 and play the shapes G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, and you sound in B flat major with mostly open chords.

To get to know the key, play the scale slowly, then the chords in order from I to vii, saying the Roman numerals aloud. Then try the progressions above with the play button and play along at a steady tempo.