A Harmonic Minor Scale on Guitar
A B C D E F G♯ — natural minor with a raised 7th, and an unmistakably dramatic sound.
A harmonic minor
Tap any fret to hear it. Gold dots are the root. Positions start at each scale note on the low string, so position 1 is the lowest box.
Notes and Intervals
| Note | Interval | From the root |
|---|---|---|
| A | R | Root · 0 semitones |
| B | 2 | Major 2nd · 2 semitones |
| C | ♭3 | Minor 3rd · 3 semitones |
| D | 4 | Perfect 4th · 5 semitones |
| E | 5 | Perfect 5th · 7 semitones |
| F | ♭6 | Minor 6th · 8 semitones |
| G♯ | 7 | Major 7th · 11 semitones |
Positions in Standard Tuning
| Position | Frets | Low E string starts on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0–4 | E |
| 2 | 0–4 | F |
| 3 | 3–7 | G♯ |
| 4 | 4–8 | A · root |
| 5 | 6–10 | B |
| 6 | 7–11 | C |
| 7 | 9–13 | D |
Positions are numbered from the lowest box on the neck, as in the explorer above. Add 12 to any of them for the same shape an octave higher.
About the A Harmonic Minor Scale
The A harmonic minor scale is A, B, C, D, E, F and G♯: the A natural minor with its 7th raised from G to G♯. That one change gives the scale a leading tone a semitone below the root, which pulls hard back to A, and turns the chord on the 5th degree into E major — the E or E7 that classical and pop composers use to end minor-key phrases.
It also opens a gap of three semitones between F and G♯, an augmented second. That leap is responsible for the scale's exotic, Middle Eastern and neoclassical flavour.
Finding It on the Fretboard
The scale has 7 notes, so it has 7 positions: five-fret windows that each start on a different scale note on the low E string. The one that starts on the root, A, covers frets 4 to 8. It is the shape most lessons teach first, and the easiest to keep your bearings in, because the root is under your hand on both E strings. Use the position buttons in the explorer to isolate each one, and switch the labels to intervals to see what every fret does in the scale.
Chords in the Scale
Stacking every other note of the scale gives these seven chords. Any of them, and progressions made from them, can be played under the scale:
How to Practise It
- Play the scale slowly over an A drone and dwell on the F–G♯–A at the top. Listen to how insistently G♯ wants to resolve.
- Loop Am–E7 and improvise. Over the E7, the G♯ is its major third; over the Am, resolve it to A.
- Practise the scale in three notes per string, the fingering neoclassical players use for speed.
- Play the same notes starting from E to hear the Phrygian dominant mode, a staple of metal riffs.
A steady reference makes every one of these more useful: open the drone generator on A in another tab and play against it.
Where You Hear It
Classical music in minor keys, flamenco, klezmer and neoclassical metal all draw on it. Yngwie Malmsteen and many of the shred players who followed built their style on harmonic minor and its modes.
Most minor-key pop and rock songs use it only for a moment: an E or E7 chord before returning to Am. Over that chord, switch from natural to harmonic minor.
Explore every scale in every key in the scale explorer, or print the free guitar charts to practise away from a screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the notes of the A harmonic minor scale?
A, B, C, D, E, F and G♯: the natural minor with a raised seventh.
Why is it called harmonic minor?
Because the raised seventh exists for the harmony: it makes the V chord major (E instead of Em in A minor), which gives a much stronger resolution back to the tonic.
What is Phrygian dominant?
The fifth mode of harmonic minor. Starting A harmonic minor from E gives E F G♯ A B C D, used over an E major chord for a dark, Spanish or Middle Eastern sound.