C harmonic minor scale
C harmonic minor scale is C – D – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B, with E♭ and A♭. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7. Press play and follow the keys.
The notes, one step at a time
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 D–E♭, G–A♭ and B–C. The wide step is A♭–B.
| Degree | Note | Interval from C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | root | |
| 2 | D | major second | |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | F | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | G | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | A♭ | minor sixth | |
| 7 | B | major seventh |
What C harmonic minor sounds like
Harmonic minor is natural minor with the 7th raised a half step, here to B. 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 A♭ and B is three half steps. Play just those two notes back and forth and you'll recognize the harmonic minor sound anywhere.
Compared with C natural minor scale, C harmonic minor scale has B where the other has B♭; the other six notes are shared. Hear C natural minor scale and compare.
On piano and on guitar
E♭ and A♭ are on black keys; the rest are white.
18 notes fit in the box between frets 6 and 12, with C at the 8th 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 C harmonic minor scale; the ones that differ from the major set are what give the scale its color. Tap to hear each one.
Finding C harmonic minor on the neck
Anchor points for C: low E string fret 8, A string fret 3 and 15. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10. On guitar, the three-fret leap between the 6th and 7th notes is the stretch to practise on its own.
On the piano, C harmonic minor scale uses 2 black keys (E♭ and A♭) and 5 white.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: C–E♭, D–F, E♭–G, F–A♭, G–B, A♭–C, B–D.
Three ways to practise C harmonic minor
Once C harmonic minor is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Three-note runs: C D E♭ · D E♭ F · E♭ F G · F G A♭ · G A♭ B · A♭ B C.
- Target B: C B C B C: the raised 7th, a step and a half above the ♭6, gives the scale its exotic leap.
Scales to compare with C harmonic minor
Harmonic minor scale in every key
C harmonic minor scale: questions
What are the notes of the C harmonic minor scale?
C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B, C. As degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7.
How many sharps or flats are in the C harmonic minor scale?
Two: E♭ and A♭.
What chords are in the C harmonic minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Cm (i), Ddim (ii°), E♭aug (III+), Fm (iv), G (V), A♭ (VI) and Bdim (vii°).
What's the difference between C harmonic minor scale and C natural minor scale?
B in C harmonic minor; B♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Notes and fingering generated from the scale formula and checked automatically against the step pattern. Updated September 2026.