C♯ harmonic minor scale (D♭ harmonic minor)
C♯ harmonic minor scale is C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B♯, with C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and B♯. 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 |
The sound of C♯ harmonic minor scale
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.
Stack thirds on the 5th degree and you get G♯, a major chord in a minor key; G♯ to C♯m is the cadence this scale exists for. The 7th degree gives B♯dim, which pulls up to C♯ the same way.
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.
Where your hands go
C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯ are on black keys; the rest are white. B♯ is a white key with a sharp or flat name, because each letter can appear only once in the scale.
18 notes fit in the box between frets 7 and 13, with C♯ at the 9th 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
Find C♯ first: fret 9 of the 6th string, fret 4 of the 5th. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 2, 4, 6, 9 and 11. 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 4 black keys (C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯) and 3 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's C♯–E, D♯–F♯, E–G♯, F♯–A, G♯–B♯, A–C♯, B♯–D♯.
Drills for C♯ harmonic minor
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Three-note runs: C♯ D♯ E · D♯ E F♯ · E F♯ G♯ · F♯ G♯ A · G♯ A B♯ · A B♯ C♯.
- Land on B♯: C♯ B♯ C♯ B♯ C♯: the raised 7th, a step and a half above the ♭6, gives the scale its exotic leap.
Try next, from C♯
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?
Five: C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and B♯.
What chords are in the C♯ harmonic minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives C♯m (i), D♯dim (ii°), Eaug (III+), F♯m (iv), G♯ (V), A (VI) and B♯dim (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.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 and tested. Updated September 2026.