12 scales (including enharmonic equivalents)
C Harmonic Minor Scale
C – D – D# / Eb – F – G – G# / Ab – B
C# or Db Harmonic Minor Scale
C# / Db – D# / Eb – E – F# / Gb – G# / Ab – A – B# / C
D Harmonic Minor Scale
D – E – F – G – A – A# / Bb – C# / Db
D# or Eb Harmonic Minor Scale
D# / Eb – F – F# / Gb – G# / Ab – A# / Bb – Cb / B – D
E Harmonic Minor Scale
E – F# / Gb – G – A – B – C – D# / Eb
F Harmonic Minor Scale
F – G – G# / Ab – A# / Bb – C – C# / Db – E
F# or Gb Harmonic Minor Scale
F# / Gb – G# / Ab – A – B – C# / Db – D – E# / F
G Harmonic Minor Scale
G – A – A# / Bb – C – D – D# / Eb – F# / Gb
G# or Ab Harmonic Minor Scale
G# / Ab – A# / Bb – B – C# / Db – D# / Eb – E – G
A Harmonic Minor Scale
A – B – C – D – E – F – G# / Ab
A# or Bb Harmonic Minor Scale
A# / Bb – C – C# / Db – D# / Eb – F – F# / Gb – A
B Harmonic Minor Scale
B – C# / Db – D – E – F# / Gb – G – A# / Bb
ANATOMY
Harmonic Minor Scale Formula
The 7 scale degrees that build every harmonic minor scale — in any key.
The harmonic minor scale is the natural minor with one note changed — the 7th is raised a half step, from a ♭7 up to a natural (major) 7th. That raised 7th becomes a leading tone that pulls strongly back to the root, and it turns the V chord in a minor key into a major dominant (V7) for a much stronger cadence. Raising the 7th also opens a three-semitone gap — the augmented 2nd — between the ♭6 and the 7th, the wide interval that gives harmonic minor its exotic, classical, faintly Middle-Eastern colour.
Applied to A: A – B – C – D – E – F – G# (A natural minor with G raised to G#). Applied to E: E – F# – G – A – B – C – D#. Applied to C: C – D – Eb – F – G – Ab – B.
About Harmonic Minor Scales on Guitar
The harmonic minor scale is the seven-note backbone of minor-key classical harmony, flamenco, and neoclassical metal. Take any natural minor scale and raise its 7th a half step — from the ♭7 to a natural 7th — and you get a leading tone that pulls hard toward the root and a major V (V7) chord that resolves far more strongly than the minor v of natural minor. That single raised note also creates the scale's signature feature: a three-semitone augmented 2nd between the ♭6 and the 7th, the wide, dramatic step that gives harmonic minor its exotic, Eastern-flavoured sound. On guitar the scale maps into box positions like any other, and its raised 7th makes it the natural choice for playing over a minor key's dominant chord — the reason it underpins so much shred, Spanish guitar, and minor-key classical music.
- 01Built from 7 notes — scale degrees 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, 7
- 02Formed by raising the 7th of the natural minor scale a half step (♭7 → 7)
- 03The raised 7th is a leading tone — it makes the V chord a major dominant (V7)
- 04A three-semitone augmented 2nd between the ♭6 and 7 gives its exotic sound
- 05The go-to scale for playing over the V7 chord in a minor key
- 06Heard in neoclassical metal, flamenco, and classical minor-key music
- 0712 unique harmonic minor scales cover every possible root note
Frequently Asked Questions
The harmonic minor scale is a seven-note scale — the natural minor with its 7th raised a half step to a natural (major) 7th. In A that gives A, B, C, D, E, F, G#. The raised 7th is a leading tone that pulls back to the root and gives the scale its dramatic, exotic character.
The notes depend on the root. A harmonic minor is A, B, C, D, E, F, G#; E harmonic minor is E, F#, G, A, B, C, D#; C harmonic minor is C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, B. Every harmonic minor scale follows the same 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, 7 pattern — pick any of the 12 roots above to see and hear its exact notes.
There are 12 harmonic minor scales — one for each note in the chromatic scale: C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb, and B. Each contains the same seven-note pattern starting from a different root.
The harmonic minor scale uses scale degrees 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, 7 — in semitones, 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11 from the root. It is the natural minor scale with the 7th raised a half step.
Just one note. Harmonic minor raises the 7th of the natural minor a half step — for example, A natural minor (A B C D E F G) becomes A harmonic minor (A B C D E F G#). That raised 7th creates a leading tone and turns the v chord into a major V7.
It is the three-semitone gap between the ♭6 and the raised 7th — a step and a half, wider than any interval in the major or natural minor scale. That wide leap is what gives harmonic minor its exotic, classical, faintly Middle-Eastern sound.
Because it was formed to fix the harmony of the minor key. Natural minor has a weak minor v chord that does not resolve strongly to the tonic. Raising the 7th creates a leading tone and a major V7 chord, giving minor keys the strong V–i cadence heard throughout classical music.
A harmonic minor and E harmonic minor are the usual starting points. A harmonic minor sits under a huge amount of neoclassical and classical guitar, and E harmonic minor has open strings as scale tones — both work well over an E7 or B7 dominant resolving to A minor or E minor.