Guitar · harmonic minor

E harmonic minor scale on guitar

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.

Key
Scale
The notes of the E harmonic minor scale
NoteEF♯GABCD♯
Interval1 (root)2♭345♭67
Step to the nextwholehalfwholewholehalf1½half
Make a practice sheet of it
The whole neckevery E harmonic minor scale note from the nut to fret 15, the root a diamond
EADGBE135791215openR2♭345♭67R2♭345♭67R2♭345♭67R2♭345♭67R♭345♭67R2♭345♭67R2♭345♭6R2♭345♭67R2♭3

5 positions to learn it in

On guitar a seven-note scale is learnt in five shapes, each built round one of the open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Together they cover the neck. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.

D shapefrets 1–5
EADGBE1352♭345♭67R2♭345♭6♭67R2♭34
C shapefrets 4–7
EADGBE457457R2♭345♭67R245
A shapefrets 6–10
EADGBE6795♭67R2♭345♭67R2♭345♭6
G shapefrets 8–12
EADGBE8912♭67R2♭345♭67R2♭3♭345♭67R
E shapefrets 11–14
EADGBE11127R2457R2♭345♭67R2

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 (Em) is where it sounds at home.

On theChordSeventh chord
root (E)Emhome–
2 (F♯)F♯dimthe edgeF♯m7♭5the edge
♭3 (G)Gaugdaylight–
4 (A)Amsoft fallAm7soft fall
5 (B)Bthe pullB7the pull
♭6 (C)CcinematicCmaj7cinematic
7 (D♯)D♯dimthe 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: Em, F♯dim, Gaug, Am, B, C and D♯dim, and as seventh chords F♯m7♭5, Am7, B7 and Cmaj7. E is home: Em is the chord it sounds most settled over.

The harmonic minor scale in every key

CC♯DE♭EFF♯GG♯AB♭B

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: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.