Harmonic Minor scale · 7 notes
F harmonic minor scale on guitar
The F 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.
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 1. Open position: frets 0–4.
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 3 flats (A♭, B♭ and D♭). 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.
- iFmF · A♭ · CFm(maj7)
- ii°G°G · B♭ · D♭Gm7♭5
- ♭III+A♭+A♭ · C · EA♭+maj7
- ivB♭mB♭ · D♭ · FB♭m7
- VCC · E · GC7
- ♭VID♭D♭ · F · A♭D♭maj7
- vii°E°E · G · B♭E°7
Progressions to try
- Fm – B♭m – C i–iv–V · minor with a major V
- G° – C – Fm ii°–V–i · minor jazz cadence
- Fm – 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) | 1 |
| B (2nd) | 6 |
| G (3rd) | 10 |
| D (4th) | 3 |
| A (5th) | 8 |
| Low E (6th) | 1 |
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 3 flats (A♭, B♭ and D♭).
What chords are in F harmonic minor?
Harmonising the F harmonic minor scale in thirds gives Fm (i), G° (ii°), A♭+ (♭III+), B♭m (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 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 0–4, starting from the root on the 6th string.