Harmonic Minor

There are three minor scales, the natural, the harmonic and the melodic minor, one of which, the natural minor, you have learnt already. This lesson will concentrate on the harmonic minor - as you may have guessed from the title. This can be an interesting scale to use, as it creates a sound that is quite distinct from the other minors.

The harmonic minor is the same as the natural minor scale, apart from that the 7th note raised half a step. This is illustrated below, where the harmonic minor is shown in relation to the natural minor. Note this is not in relation to the major scale, but to the natural minor - therefore rather than the natural minor's formula being 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7, it is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, because it is shown in relation to itself.

Now these are the formulas the scales give in relation to the major scale (the major scale being 1 2 3 4 5 6 7):

Ok, that's the theory finished. All that is left to show is how you play the scale! Below the fingering for the harmonic minor is illustrated:

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