B-flat minor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
B♭ minor

Relative key	D♭ major
Parallel key	B♭ major
Notes in this scale
B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭

B-flat minor is a minor scale in music. It is built around the note B-flat. This key has five flats in its key signature.

Every minor key has a relative major key. For B-flat minor, its relative major is D-flat major. It also has a parallel major key, which is B-flat major. Another name for B-flat minor, which sounds the same but is spelled differently, is A-sharp minor. This is called an enharmonic equivalent.

Many musicians feel that B-flat minor sounds "dark" or serious. The famous composer Tchaikovsky once described a part for the oboe in B-flat minor. He said it expressed "the feeling that you get when you are all alone." This was in the second part of his Symphony No. 4.

In the past, old horns without valves found it hard to play in B-flat minor. Because of this, you don't find many examples of music in this key from the 1700s. One rare example is a small change in key, called a modulation, in a piece by Franz Krommer.

B-flat Minor in Classical Music

Many famous composers have used B-flat minor in their works. This key often helps create a serious or dramatic mood.

• Frédéric Chopin used B-flat minor in several well-known piano pieces. These include his Piano Sonata No. 2, Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1, and Scherzo No. 2.
• Sergei Rachmaninoff also wrote his Piano Sonata No. 2 in this key.
• Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13 is another major work in B-flat minor.
• Peter Tchaikovsky used this key for his famous Piano Concerto No. 1. He also used it in his exciting orchestral piece, Marche Slave.
• Sir William Walton's Symphony No. 1 is another example of a large-scale work in B-flat minor.

B-flat Minor in Popular Music

B-flat minor is also used in modern popular songs, often to create a certain feeling.

• "Part-Time Lover" by Stevie Wonder is a well-known song in this key.
• "Cannonball (Damien Rice song)" by Damien Rice also uses B-flat minor.
• The band The Raveonettes released an album called Whip It On. All eight songs on this album are in the key of B-flat minor. One of the band members, Sune Rose Wagner, said they chose this key because of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13.

Diatonic Scales and Keys
	Flats Sharps Major minor Major minor 0 C, a 1 F d G e 2 B♭ g D b 3 E♭ c A f♯ 4 A♭ f E c♯ 5 D♭ b♭ B g♯ 6 G♭ e♭ F♯ d♯ 7 C♭ a♭ C♯ a♯ 8 F♭ d♭ G♯ e♯
The table shows the number of sharps or flats in each scale. Minor scales are written in lower case.

See also

In Spanish: Si bemol menor para niños