Harmonic Minor Scale
The Harmonic Minor Scale has a minor quality due to its minor Third E♭. The Harmonic Minor Scale, like Harmonic Minor, is based on the Natural Minor Scale but with a raised (by a semitone) Seventh, B in this case. This improves tonal harmony by changing the V chord to be a Dominant G Major Chord due to the now Major Third B of that chord. The Harmonic Minor Scale is classified as a heptatonic scale as it has seven notes, C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B.
Below you will find the Harmonic Minor Scale notes, notation, patterns, degrees, intervals and more. You can also opt to see the Harmonic Minor Scale on your preferred instrument.
Notes Ascending
C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B, C
Notes Descending
C, B, A♭, G, F, E♭, D, C
Notation Ascending
Notation Descending
Pattern Ascending
T, S, T, T, S, TS, S
S = Semitone, T = Tone (2 Semitones)
Pattern Descending
S, TS, S, T, T, S, T
S = Semitone, T = Tone (2 Semitones)
Degrees Ascending
| Note | Number | Name |
|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Tonic |
| D | 2 | Supertonic |
| E♭ | ♭3 | Mediant |
| F | 4 | Subdominant |
| G | 5 | Dominant |
| A♭ | ♭6 | Submediant |
| B | 7 | Leading Tone |
| C | 8 | Tonic (Octave) |
Degrees Descending
| Note | Number | Name |
|---|---|---|
| C | 8 | Tonic (Octave) |
| B | 7 | Leading Tone |
| A♭ | ♭6 | Submediant |
| G | 5 | Dominant |
| F | 4 | Subdominant |
| E♭ | ♭3 | Mediant |
| D | 2 | Supertonic |
| C | 1 | Tonic |
Intervals Ascending
| Notes | Semitones | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| C > C | 0 | Perfect Unison (P1) |
| C > D | 2 | Major 2nd (M2) |
| C > E♭ | 3 | minor 3rd (m3) |
| C > F | 5 | Perfect 4th (P4) |
| C > G | 7 | Perfect 5th (P5) |
| C > A♭ | 8 | minor 6th (m6) |
| C > B | 11 | Major 7th (M7) |
| C > C | 12 | Perfect Octave (P8) |
Intervals Descending
| Notes | Semitones | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| C > C | 0 | Perfect Unison (P1) |
| C > B | 1 | minor 2nd (m2) |
| C > A♭ | 4 | Major 3rd (M3) |
| C > G | 5 | Perfect 4th (P4) |
| C > F | 7 | Perfect 5th (P5) |
| C > E♭ | 9 | Major 6th (M6) |
| C > D | 10 | minor 7th (m7) |
| C > C | 12 | Perfect Octave (P8) |
Scales related to C Harmonic Minor Scale
Enharmonic Equivalent Scale
Scale with the same root and notes as the C Harmonic Minor Scale but different spelling.
B♯ Harmonic Minor Scale
Parallel Major Scale
Major scale with the same root note as C Harmonic Minor Scale.
C Major Scale
Chords related to C Harmonic Minor Scale
Related Triads
These chords have been built using the notes of the C Harmonic Minor Scale. The chords are in degree order and shown in Roman numerals (lowercase = minor/diminished, uppercase = Major/Augmented).
i Chord - C Minor
iio Chord - D Diminished
♭III+ Chord - E♭ Augmented
iv Chord - F Minor
V Chord - G Major
♭VI Chord - A♭ Major
viio Chord - B Diminished
Learn to Play Harmonic Minor Scale
If you want to learn what scales and modes are and much more, check out our free Fundamentals of Music Theory course. If you already know some of the basics, you can jump straight into the scales lesson.
