B Ionian ♯5

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B Ionian ♯5 Scale

R234♯5678BC♯D♯EF𝄪G♯A♯BTTS3STS
Step pattern W – W – H – W+H – H – W – H

B Ionian ♯5 contains 7 notes: B, C♯, D♯, E, F𝄪, G♯, A♯. It has 4 sharps: C♯, D♯, G♯, A♯. The step pattern is W–W–H–W+H–H–W–H. It is derived from B Harmonic Minor.

Ionian #5 sounds like a major scale that's been stretched upward. It's lush and dreamy, with an augmented 5th that creates a floating, cinematic quality.

Built as 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - #5 - 6 - 7, this is the 3rd mode of harmonic minor. It takes the familiar Ionian (major) sound and raises the 5th by a half step, producing an augmented major 7th chord (maj7#5) as the tonic harmony. The #5 adds an unresolved, otherworldly quality to an otherwise bright and consonant scale.

Apply this over maj7#5 chords, which are uncommon but provide a unique floating tension. Use your standard major scale shapes and shift the 5th up one fret. The augmented 5th can sound jarring if overused, so treat it as a color note in jazz voicings and film-score-style passages.

BEF𝄪BC♯D♯G♯A♯R4♯582367
𝄞B (R)C♯ (2)D♯ (3)E (4)F𝄪 (♯5)G♯ (6)A♯ (7)B (8)
I+
III
IV
E
vii°
B Augmented majorB Ionian Augmented
JazzClassicalFilm scores