A harmonic minor scale
A harmonic minor scale is A – B – C – D – E – F – G♯, with G♯. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
Notes and steps
Counted in steps it goes W H W W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half). The half steps fall between B–C, E–F and G♯–A. The wide step is F–G♯.
| Degree | Note | Interval from A | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | root | |
| 2 | B | major second | |
| ♭3 | C | minor third | |
| 4 | D | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | E | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | F | minor sixth | |
| 7 | G♯ | major seventh |
The sound of A harmonic minor scale
Harmonic minor is natural minor with the 7th raised a half step, here to G♯. The raise gives the minor key a real leading tone and a major V chord, and it leaves a wide step-and-a-half gap between the 6th and 7th notes that sounds exotic on its own.
The gap between F and G♯ is three half steps. Play just those two notes back and forth and you'll recognize the harmonic minor sound anywhere.
Compared with A natural minor scale, A harmonic minor scale has G♯ where the other has G; the other six notes are shared. Hear A natural minor scale and compare.
Where your hands go
Keyboard players: one black (G♯), six white.
18 notes fit in the box between frets 3 and 9, with A at the 5th fret of the low E string.
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords that fit A harmonic minor scale; the ones that differ from the major set are what give the scale its color. Tap to hear each one.
Moving it around the guitar
Anchor points for A: low E string fret 5, A string fret 0 and 12 (0 = open string). Five overlapping fingerings cover the neck, starting near frets 2, 5, 7, 10 and 12 on the low E string. On guitar, the three-fret leap between the 6th and 7th notes is the stretch to practise on its own.
On the piano, A harmonic minor scale uses 1 black key (G♯) and 6 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's A–C, B–D, C–E, D–F, E–G♯, F–A, G♯–B.
Practice patterns for A harmonic minor scale
Once A harmonic minor is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Three-note runs: A B C · B C D · C D E · D E F · E F G♯ · F G♯ A.
- Lean on G♯: A G♯ A G♯ A: the raised 7th, a step and a half above the ♭6, gives the scale its exotic leap.
Scales to compare with A harmonic minor
Harmonic minor scale in every key
A harmonic minor scale: questions
What are the notes of the A harmonic minor scale?
A, B, C, D, E, F and G♯, then A again at the octave. Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7.
How many sharps or flats are in the A harmonic minor scale?
One: G♯.
What chords are in the A harmonic minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Am (i), Bdim (ii°), Caug (III+), Dm (iv), E (V), F (VI) and G♯dim (vii°).
What's the difference between A harmonic minor scale and A natural minor scale?
G♯ in A harmonic minor; G in the other. Everything else is the same.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 and tested. Updated September 2026.