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Guitar scale · jazz minor

B Melodic Minor Scale

Natural minor with raised 6th and 7th degrees. Foundational to modern jazz and fusion.

Notes BC#DEF#G#A#
Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Steps W H W W W W H
Mood Sophisticated, Rich, Modern Jazz
Heard in Jazz Fusion, Modern Solos, Bebop

Interactive scale diagram

B Melodic Minor Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

How to play B Melodic Minor on guitar

Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B on the neck; the gold ones are the other chord tones (3rd, 5th and 7th), which are the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 7–11. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 B
2 C#
♭3 D
4 E
5 F#
6 G#
7 A#

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Questions

What notes are in the B Melodic Minor Scale?
The B Melodic Minor Scale has 7 notes: B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A#.
What is the formula of the melodic minor scale?
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W H W W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play B Melodic Minor on the guitar?
The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Melodic Minor Scale in every key

More scales in B