Bb Minor Scale — Notes, Chords & Free MIDI
The Bb Minor scale is Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab. Free MIDI download, with the chord built on every degree of the key — no sign-up.
The natural minor, or Aeolian: a flattened third, sixth and seventh. No leading tone, so it settles rather than resolving — the plainest way to sound sad. In Bb Minor the notes are Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, written with 5 flats (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb). Its relative major is Db Major. The interval that gives it its sound is the b3, b6 and b7. This page presets the scale tool to Bb Minor (also called the natural minor or Aeolian mode) — play it, or download it as MIDI with or without the chords.
The notes of the Bb Minor scale
| Degree | 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | b6 | b7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | Bb | C | Db | Eb | F | Gb | Ab |
Key signature: 5 flats (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb).
Step pattern
- W
- H
- W
- W
- H
- W
- W
W is a whole step (two semitones), H a half step (one), W+H a three-semitone jump. The pattern adds up to the octave.
Bb Minor on the keyboard
The tonic is the darkest key; every other highlighted key belongs to the scale.
Chords in the key of Bb Minor
Stack a third and a fifth from the scale on every degree and you get the chords that belong to this key. Tick diatonic chords before downloading to put all 7 of them in the MIDI file after the scale itself.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bbm | Bb – Db – F | minor |
| ii° | C° | C – Eb – Gb | diminished |
| bIII | Db | Db – F – Ab | major |
| iv | Ebm | Eb – Gb – Bb | minor |
| v | Fm | F – Ab – C | minor |
| bVI | Gb | Gb – Bb – Db | major |
| bVII | Ab | Ab – C – Eb | major |
Related keys
- Db Major — relative major — the same seven notes, resolving to a different home
- Bb Major — parallel major — the same tonic, a different third
The other modes of these notes
Start the same seven notes on a different degree and you get a different mode. These six share every note with Bb Minor and differ only in which one is home.
Where the Minor scale is used
pop ballads, rock, techno, drum and bass, trap, and most electronic music written in a minor key.
How it works
Choose a root note and a scale, and this tool builds a MIDI file containing the scale played ascending and descending in quarter notes. Enable diatonic chords to also include the triad built on every degree of the scale — a quick way to hear which chords belong to a key. Press play preview to hear the exact notes before downloading. This page arrives preset to Bb Minor, so the preview and the download both start on Bb4 and climb through the scale from there.
What can you do with a scale MIDI file?
- Drag it into your DAW as a reference lane while writing melodies.
- Learn unfamiliar scales — modes, pentatonics, harmonic minor — by seeing them on a piano roll.
- Feed it to arpeggiators or samplers that expect incoming MIDI.
A Bb Minor reference lane earns its keep fast: with Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab laid out on the piano roll, one glance tells you whether a note in your melody belongs to the scale or is a deliberate colour tone.
Want full generated tracks instead of raw scales? Open the MIDI Maker studio and let the generator write melodies in Bb Minor for you.
The minor scale in every key
More scales starting on Bb
- Bb Major
- Bb Dorian
- Bb Phrygian
- Bb Lydian
- Bb Mixolydian
- Bb Locrian
- Bb Major Pentatonic
- Bb Minor Pentatonic
- Bb Blues
- Bb Harmonic Minor
- Bb Melodic Minor
Or head back to the scale to MIDI tool to build any combination yourself.
Keep building: chords, drums and more
- I–V–vi–IV in Bb Major
- vi–IV–I–V in Bb Major
- I–IV–V–IV in Bb Major
- I–vi–IV–V in Bb Major
- ii–V–I in Bb Major
- I–vi–ii–V in Bb Major
- Drum MIDI generator
- Audio to MIDI converter
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the Bb Minor scale?
The Bb Minor scale contains 7 notes: Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab. Measured against the major scale that is 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7, and the step pattern is W H W W H W W. The MIDI file plays them ascending and descending in quarter notes starting from Bb4.
What chords are in the key of Bb Minor?
Stacking thirds on each degree gives i Bbm, ii° C°, bIII Db, iv Ebm, v Fm, bVI Gb, bVII Ab. Tick "diatonic chords" before downloading and the MIDI file includes all 7 of them after the scale.
Is this Bb Minor MIDI file free to use?
Yes — the download is free, requires no sign-up, and the generated MIDI is royalty-free for personal and commercial projects. A scale is not copyrightable in any case.
How do I use the scale MIDI in my DAW?
Drag the downloaded .mid file onto an instrument track in any DAW (Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, Cubase, Reaper, Bitwig, Studio One). It appears on the piano roll as regular notes you can edit, transpose, or feed into an arpeggiator.
Want full tracks, not just scales?
The MIDI Maker studio rolls complete, editable arrangements — melody, chords, bass and drums — you can export to any DAW. Free, in your browser.
Open the Studio — Free