B♭ Hungarian major uses B♭, D♭, D, F♭, F, G, A♭. Its chromatic pairs make it a sharp alternative to B♭ major.
B♭ Hungarian major uses B♭, D♭, D, F♭, F, G, A♭. Its chromatic pairs make it a sharp alternative to B♭ major.
B♭ Hungarian major is B♭ acoustic with the second degree lowered to D♭ and a major third D added. The scale retains the ♭7 A♭, giving it a dominant flavour. Compare with B♭ acoustic to hear the altered degrees.
B♭ Hungarian major fits B♭ major and B♭ minor chords, adding a ♭5. Use it over B♭ major or B♭ minor in jazz-rock. The scale's dual thirds allow quick major-minor shifts.
Practise Box 1 first; the root sits on string 6, fret 6 and covers frets 0–3. This position keeps the chromatic pairs within a four-fret span.
B♭ hungarian major in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 15 notes across 6 strings, from F♭ on the low E string at fret 0 up to G on the high e string at fret 3. The root falls on the A string at fret 1 and the G string at fret 3.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 0, 1, 3 | F♭, F, G |
| 5 (A) | 1 | B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 0, 2, 3 | D, F♭, F |
| 3 (G) | 0, 1, 3 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 2, 3 | D♭, D |
| 1 (e) | 0, 1, 3 | F♭, F, G |
B♭ hungarian major in box 2 runs from fret 3 to fret 6, 16 notes across 6 strings, from G on the low E string at fret 3 up to B♭ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the low E string at fret 6, the G string at fret 3 and the high e string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 4, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 5 | D♭, D |
| 4 (D) | 3, 5, 6 | F, G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 3, 6 | B♭, D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 3, 5, 6 | D, F♭, F |
| 1 (e) | 3, 4, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
B♭ hungarian major in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 14 notes across 6 strings, from B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 up to D♭ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the low E string at fret 6, the D string at fret 8 and the high e string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 9 | B♭, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 7, 8 | F♭, F |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8 | A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 7, 9 | D♭, D, F♭ |
| 2 (B) | 6, 8, 9 | F, G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 9 | B♭, D♭ |
B♭ hungarian major in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 15 notes across 6 strings, from D♭ on the low E string at fret 9 up to F♭ on the high e string at fret 12. The root falls on the B string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 10, 12 | D♭, D, F♭ |
| 5 (A) | 10, 11 | G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 12 | D♭, D |
| 3 (G) | 9, 10, 12 | F♭, F, G |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11 | A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 10, 12 | D♭, D, F♭ |
B♭ hungarian major, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 5 and runs from fret 1 to fret 6, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 1, the G string at fret 3 and the high e string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1, 3, 4 | F, G, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 1, 4, 5 | B♭, D♭, D |
| 4 (D) | 2, 3, 5 | F♭, F, G |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3, 6 | A♭, B♭, D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 3, 5, 6 | D, F♭, F |
| 1 (e) | 3, 4, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
B♭ hungarian major, position 2 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 6 and runs from fret 3 to fret 9, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 6, the G string at fret 3 and the high e string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 4, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 5, 7 | D♭, D, F♭ |
| 4 (D) | 3, 5, 6 | F, G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 3, 6, 7 | B♭, D♭, D |
| 2 (B) | 5, 6, 8 | F♭, F, G |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6, 9 | A♭, B♭, D♭ |
B♭ hungarian major, position 3 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭7 and runs from fret 4 to fret 10, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 6, the D string at fret 8 and the high e string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6, 9 | A♭, B♭, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 5, 7, 8 | D, F♭, F |
| 4 (D) | 5, 6, 8 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 7, 9 | D♭, D, F♭ |
| 2 (B) | 6, 8, 9 | F, G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 9, 10 | B♭, D♭, D |
B♭ hungarian major, position 4 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the root and runs from fret 6 to fret 12, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 6, the D string at fret 8 and the B string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 9, 10 | B♭, D♭, D |
| 5 (A) | 7, 8, 10 | F♭, F, G |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8, 11 | A♭, B♭, D♭ |
| 3 (G) | 7, 9, 10 | D, F♭, F |
| 2 (B) | 8, 9, 11 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 10, 12 | D♭, D, F♭ |
B♭ hungarian major, position 5 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭3 and runs from fret 8 to fret 14, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the D string at fret 8 and the B string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 10, 12 | D♭, D, F♭ |
| 5 (A) | 8, 10, 11 | F, G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 8, 11, 12 | B♭, D♭, D |
| 3 (G) | 9, 10, 12 | F♭, F, G |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11, 14 | A♭, B♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 10, 12, 13 | D, F♭, F |
B♭ hungarian major, position 6 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 3 and runs from fret 10 to fret 15, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 13 and the B string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10, 12, 13 | D, F♭, F |
| 5 (A) | 10, 11, 13 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 12, 14 | D♭, D, F♭ |
| 3 (G) | 10, 12, 13 | F, G, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 14, 15 | B♭, D♭, D |
| 1 (e) | 12, 13, 15 | F♭, F, G |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
B♭ Hungarian major contains B♭, D♭, D, F♭, F, G, A♭. The scale includes a minor third and a major third. Its diminished fifth adds a bluesy edge. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
B♭ Hungarian major works over B♭ major and B♭ minor chords. The ♭5 creates an altered dominant sound. Use it for rock or fusion solos.
B♭ Hungarian major lowers the second degree to D♭ and adds D as a major third. B♭ acoustic uses C and D instead. The Hungarian major has a ♭3 and ♭5.