Harmonic Minor scale · 7 notes
A♭ harmonic minor scale on guitar
The A♭ harmonic minor scale (A flat harmonic minor scale) has 7 notes: A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭ and G. Natural minor with a raised 7th: dramatic, neoclassical and a little exotic. You may also see it written as G♯ harmonic minor.
Notes
- A♭
- B♭
- C♭
- D♭
- E♭
- F♭
- G
Formula
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Steps
W – H – W – W – H – W+H – H
Sound
Dramatic, classical and slightly Middle Eastern
A♭ harmonic minor on the whole fretboard
Every A♭ harmonic minor note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, A♭, is shown in red so you can always find home.
A shape to learn first
You don’t need the whole neck at once. This hand position is anchored on a root note on the 6th (low E) string, which is how most guitarists find a scale in any key.
Root on the 6th (low E) string
A♭ at fret 4. 3rd position: frets 3–7.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of A♭ harmonic minor as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from A♭, the A♭ harmonic minor scale is built from these intervals. It contains 6 flats (A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭ and F♭). Compared with G♯ minor, it has G (7) instead of F♯.
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♭ | root | 0 |
| 2 | B♭ | major 2nd | 2 |
| ♭3 | C♭ | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | D♭ | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | E♭ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭6 | F♭ | minor 6th | 8 |
| 7 | G | major 7th | 11 |
Chords in A♭ harmonic minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to A♭ harmonic minor: any of them will sound at home under a melody in A♭ harmonic minor.
- iA♭mA♭ · C♭ · E♭A♭m(maj7)
- ii°B♭°B♭ · D♭ · F♭B♭m7♭5
- ♭III+C♭+C♭ · E♭ · GC♭+maj7
- ivD♭mD♭ · F♭ · A♭D♭m7
- VE♭E♭ · G · B♭E♭7
- ♭VIF♭F♭ · A♭ · C♭F♭maj7
- vii°G°G · B♭ · D♭G°7
Progressions to try
- A♭m – D♭m – E♭ i–iv–V · minor with a major V
- B♭° – E♭ – A♭m ii°–V–i · minor jazz cadence
- A♭m – F♭ – E♭ i–♭VI–V
How to use A♭ harmonic minor
Reach for it over minor keys where the V chord is major (or V7), neoclassical metal, flamenco-flavoured and classical-style passages. Its sound is dramatic, classical and slightly Middle Eastern.
Tip: Use it mainly over the V7 chord of a minor key (E7 in A minor). That one move makes a minor progression sound instantly “classical”.
Where to find A♭ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every A♭ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with A♭ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 4 |
| B (2nd) | 9 |
| G (3rd) | 1 |
| D (4th) | 6 |
| A (5th) | 11 |
| Low E (6th) | 4 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as A♭ harmonic minor. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
A♭ harmonic minor scale FAQ
What notes are in the A♭ harmonic minor scale?
The A♭ harmonic minor scale has 7 notes: A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭ and G. Its formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7. It contains 6 flats (A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭ and F♭).
What chords are in A♭ harmonic minor?
Harmonising the A♭ harmonic minor scale in thirds gives A♭m (i), B♭° (ii°), C♭+ (♭III+), D♭m (iv), E♭ (V), F♭ (♭VI) and G° (vii°).
Where do you play the A♭ harmonic minor scale on guitar?
The root, A♭, is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 3–7, starting from the root on the 6th string.