Harmonic Minor scale · 7 notes
F♯ harmonic minor scale on guitar
The F♯ harmonic minor scale (F sharp harmonic minor scale) has 7 notes: F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D and E♯. Natural minor with a raised 7th: dramatic, neoclassical and a little exotic. You may also see it written as G♭ harmonic minor, but F♯ is the usual spelling because it needs fewer accidentals.
Notes
- F♯
- G♯
- A
- B
- C♯
- D
- E♯
Formula
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Steps
W – H – W – W – H – W+H – H
Sound
Dramatic, classical and slightly Middle Eastern
F♯ harmonic minor on the whole fretboard
Every F♯ harmonic minor note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, F♯, 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
F♯ at fret 2. 1st position: frets 1–5.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of F♯ harmonic minor as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from F♯, the F♯ harmonic minor scale is built from these intervals. It contains 4 sharps (F♯, G♯, C♯ and E♯). Compared with F♯ minor, it has E♯ (7) instead of E.
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F♯ | root | 0 |
| 2 | G♯ | major 2nd | 2 |
| ♭3 | A | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | B | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | C♯ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭6 | D | minor 6th | 8 |
| 7 | E♯ | major 7th | 11 |
Chords in F♯ harmonic minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to F♯ harmonic minor: any of them will sound at home under a melody in F♯ harmonic minor.
- iF♯mF♯ · A · C♯F♯m(maj7)
- ii°G♯°G♯ · B · DG♯m7♭5
- ♭III+A+A · C♯ · E♯A+maj7
- ivBmB · D · F♯Bm7
- VC♯C♯ · E♯ · G♯C♯7
- ♭VIDD · F♯ · ADmaj7
- vii°E♯°E♯ · G♯ · BE♯°7
Progressions to try
- F♯m – Bm – C♯ i–iv–V · minor with a major V
- G♯° – C♯ – F♯m ii°–V–i · minor jazz cadence
- F♯m – D – C♯ i–♭VI–V
How to use F♯ 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 F♯ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every F♯ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with F♯ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 2 |
| B (2nd) | 7 |
| G (3rd) | 11 |
| D (4th) | 4 |
| A (5th) | 9 |
| Low E (6th) | 2 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as F♯ harmonic minor. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
F♯ harmonic minor scale FAQ
What notes are in the F♯ harmonic minor scale?
The F♯ harmonic minor scale has 7 notes: F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D and E♯. Its formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7. It contains 4 sharps (F♯, G♯, C♯ and E♯).
What chords are in F♯ harmonic minor?
Harmonising the F♯ harmonic minor scale in thirds gives F♯m (i), G♯° (ii°), A+ (♭III+), Bm (iv), C♯ (V), D (♭VI) and E♯° (vii°).
Where do you play the F♯ harmonic minor scale on guitar?
The root, F♯, is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 1–5, starting from the root on the 6th string.