D harmonic minor scale
D harmonic minor scale is D – E – F – G – A – B♭ – C♯, with B♭ and C♯. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7. Press play and follow the keys.
D harmonic minor scale, note by note
The step pattern is 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 E–F, A–B♭ and C♯–D. The wide step is B♭–C♯.
| Degree | Note | Interval from D | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | root | |
| 2 | E | major second | |
| ♭3 | F | minor third | |
| 4 | G | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | A | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | B♭ | minor sixth | |
| 7 | C♯ | major seventh |
What D harmonic minor sounds like
Harmonic minor is natural minor with the 7th raised a half step, here to C♯. 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 A, a major chord in a minor key; A to Dm is the cadence this scale exists for. The 7th degree gives C♯dim, which pulls up to D the same way.
Compared with D natural minor scale, D harmonic minor scale has C♯ where the other has C; the other six notes are shared. Hear D natural minor scale and compare.
Playing D harmonic minor
On the piano it uses two black keys (B♭ and C♯) and five white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 10th fret of the low E string and spans frets 8–14: 18 notes, low string to high.
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 D 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
Find D first: fret 10 of the 6th string, fret 5 of the 5th. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12. On guitar, the three-fret leap between the 6th and 7th notes is the stretch to practise on its own.
On the piano, D harmonic minor scale uses 2 black keys (B♭ and C♯) and 5 white.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: D–F, E–G, F–A, G–B♭, A–C♯, B♭–D, C♯–E.
Drills for D harmonic minor
Once D harmonic minor is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Up in threes: D E F · E F G · F G A · G A B♭ · A B♭ C♯ · B♭ C♯ D.
- Lean on C♯: D C♯ D C♯ D: the raised 7th, a step and a half above the ♭6, gives the scale its exotic leap.
Close relatives of D harmonic minor scale
Harmonic minor scale in every key
D harmonic minor scale: questions
What are the notes of the D harmonic minor scale?
D, E, F, G, A, B♭, C♯, D. As degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7.
How many sharps or flats are in the D harmonic minor scale?
Two: B♭ and C♯.
What chords are in the D harmonic minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Dm (i), Edim (ii°), Faug (III+), Gm (iv), A (V), B♭ (VI) and C♯dim (vii°).
What's the difference between D harmonic minor scale and D natural minor scale?
C♯ in D harmonic minor; C 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.