E♭ harmonic minor scale on mandolin
The E♭ harmonic minor scale has seven notes: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D (1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7). Natural minor with a raised 7th, which leads back up to the root and makes the V chord major. The neo-classical shred sound; the jump from ♭6 to 7 is three frets wide.
| Note | E♭ | F | G♭ | A♭ | B♭ | C♭ | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | ♭3 | 4 | 5 | ♭6 | 7 |
| Step to the next | whole | half | whole | whole | half | 1½ | half |
3 positions to learn it in
Each stretch here is a few frets you can play without moving the hand: the open position, then from the root on the lowest string. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the E♭ harmonic minor scale
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; E♭ (E♭m) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (E♭) | E♭mhome | – |
| 2 (F) | Fdimthe edge | Fm7♭5the edge |
| ♭3 (G♭) | G♭augdaylight | – |
| 4 (A♭) | A♭msoft fall | A♭m7soft fall |
| 5 (B♭) | B♭the pull | B♭7the pull |
| ♭6 (C♭) | C♭cinematic | C♭maj7cinematic |
| 7 (D) | Ddimthe edge | – |
Scales with the same notes
Compare the E♭ minor scale, its natural minor.
Questions
What notes are in the E♭ harmonic minor scale?
E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D. Its intervals from the root are 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7, and the steps between its notes are W H W W H W+H H (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the E♭ harmonic minor scale?
The chords made only of its notes: E♭m, Fdim, G♭aug, A♭m, B♭, C♭ and Ddim, and as seventh chords Fm7♭5, A♭m7, B♭7 and C♭maj7. E♭ is home: E♭m is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The harmonic minor scale in every key
Other scales in E♭
E♭ majorE♭ minorE♭ minor pentatonicE♭ major pentatonicE♭ bluesE♭ DorianE♭ MixolydianE♭ LydianE♭ PhrygianE♭ melodic minorE♭ Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: mandolin scales. This scale on guitar, bass, ukulele and banjo.