About the B Quartal Minor Scale (Stacked 4ths)
The B quartal minor scale is a 6-note scale. Quartal harmony for minor: stacked perfect 4ths over minor chords (So What, Dm7, minor modal). Its notes are B, E, A, D, G and C, built from the formula 1 4 ♭7 ♭3 ♭6 ♭2.
- Notes
- B – E – A – D – G – C
- Formula
- 1 4 ♭7 ♭3 ♭6 ♭2
- Steps
- 5–5–-7–5–-7–11
- Root
- B
B Quartal Minor Scale (Stacked 4ths) degrees and intervals
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | Root |
| 4 | E | Perfect 4th |
| ♭7 | A | Minor 7th |
| ♭3 | D | Minor 3rd |
| ♭6 | G | Minor 6th |
| ♭2 | C | Minor 2nd |
Where to play the B Quartal Minor Scale (Stacked 4ths) on guitar
Frets 0–12 in standard tuning (E A D G B E), lowest string first. Root notes (B) are highlighted; the pattern repeats from the 12th fret up.
| String | Frets |
|---|---|
| E2 | 0, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12 |
| A2 | 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 |
| D3 | 0, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12 |
| G3 | 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12 |
| B3 | 0, 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 |
| E4 | 0, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12 |
How to practice the quartal minor scale
- Use over m7, m11, and minor modal vamps
- Practice So What–style voicings (e.g. Dm7)
- Work on parallel quartal movement in minor
- Try comping over i–IV–i or i–♭VII in minor
- Combine with natural minor and Dorian for lines
Scales with the same notes as B Quartal Minor Scale (Stacked 4ths)
These scales share every note with the B quartal minor scale but start from a different root, so the same shapes work over different chords.
Quartal Minor scale in other keys
Other scales in B
- B Minor Pentatonic
- B Major Pentatonic
- B Mixolydian Pentatonic
- B Natural Minor
- B Major (Ionian)
- B Blues
- B Dorian
- B Mixolydian
- B Phrygian
- B Harmonic Minor
- B Lydian
- B Locrian
- B Diminished (Half-Whole)
- B Diminished (Whole-Half)
- B Whole Tone
- B Augmented (Hexatonic)
- B Altered (Super Locrian)
- B Phrygian Dominant
- B Lydian Dominant
- B Mixolydian ♭6 (Hindu)
- B Bebop Dominant
- B Quartal (Stacked 4ths)