Piano scales · Harmonic minor
Harmonic minor scale
The natural minor with one note raised: the 7th, a half step, so the key's V chord turns major and pulls home. It leaves a wide one-and-a-half-step leap that gives the scale its unmistakable sound. Pick a key and hear it.
Jam: start the loop, then play the computer keys A S D F G H J K L: each one is the next note of the scale, so nothing you play is wrong. Or click the lit keys.Jam: start the loop and tap the lit keys. They’re all in the scale, so nothing you play is wrong.
The notes: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
A harmonic minor is A B C D E F G♯: the A minor scale with G raised to G♯. E harmonic minor is E F♯ G A B C D♯. The steps are whole – half – whole – whole – half – one and a half – half.
The raised 7th is lit in the tool. Notice the gap below it: from the ♭6 up to the 7th is three half steps, a step and a half (F to G♯ in A minor). No major or natural minor scale has a gap that wide, and it's what makes the harmonic minor sound the way it does.
Why it exists: the V chord
In the natural minor, the chord on the 5th note is minor: in A minor, E–G–B. It's a soft, unconvincing way home. Raise the G to G♯ and that chord becomes E major (E–G♯–B), or E7 with the D on top. Now its G♯ sits a half step under A and leans into it. That's the pull you hear at the end of almost every classical piece in a minor key; the scale is named for the harmony it makes. The loop in the tool plays i – iv – V7 – i so you can hear it.
Every minor key page here shows that major V as an extra chord: see the chords in A minor.
The harmonic minor in every key
| Scale | Notes |
|---|---|
| C harmonic minor | C – D – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B |
| C♯ harmonic minor | C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B♯ |
| D harmonic minor | D – E – F – G – A – B♭ – C♯ |
| E♭ harmonic minor | E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C♭ – D |
| E harmonic minor | E – F♯ – G – A – B – C – D♯ |
| F harmonic minor | F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ – E |
| F♯ harmonic minor | F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯ – D – E♯ |
| G harmonic minor | G – A – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F♯ |
| G♯ harmonic minor | G♯ – A♯ – B – C♯ – D♯ – E – F𝄪 |
| A harmonic minor | A – B – C – D – E – F – G♯ |
| B♭ harmonic minor | B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G♭ – A |
| B harmonic minor | B – C♯ – D – E – F♯ – G – A♯ |
Fingering
Use the same fingering as the natural minor scale in the same key: the raised 7th doesn't change which finger plays it. In A minor, right hand 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 going up; left hand 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1.
Is your scale even? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a note that comes early or loud. Then it shows you how it should go.
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Questions people ask
What are the notes of the A harmonic minor scale?
A, B, C, D, E, F, G♯: the A natural minor scale with G raised to G♯.
What is the formula for the harmonic minor scale?
1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, 7: the natural minor with its 7th raised a half step. The steps are whole, half, whole, whole, half, one and a half, half.
Why is the 7th raised in the harmonic minor?
To make the V chord major. In A minor, the natural minor's V is E minor (E G B); raising G to G♯ makes it E major (E G♯ B), whose G♯ is a half step below A and pulls hard back home. Composers did it for the harmony, hence the name.
What is the difference between the harmonic and melodic minor?
The harmonic minor raises only the 7th, going up and down. The melodic minor raises the 6th and the 7th going up, to smooth over the harmonic minor's wide gap, and in classical music drops them again coming down.
Where do you hear the harmonic minor?
In classical music in minor keys, all the time: the V chord at almost every cadence. Its fifth mode, starting on the 5th note (Phrygian dominant), is a sound of flamenco, klezmer and much Middle Eastern music.