ArpeggiosEN

Scale

E♭ harmonic minor

Harmonic minor modes

Formula
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Notes
E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D

Notation

4412♭345♭671

Fretboard — frets 0–24

E♭ harmonic minor — frets 0 to 24, 86 notes, roots in orange2♭345♭6712♭345♭671♭6712♭345♭6712♭345♭645♭6712♭345♭6712♭3712♭345♭6712♭345♭675♭6712♭345♭6712♭342♭345♭6712♭345♭6710123456789101112131415161718192021222324
E♭ harmonic minor — frets 0 to 24, 86 notes, roots in orange2♭345♭6712♭345♭671♭6712♭345♭6712♭345♭645♭6712♭345♭6712♭3712♭345♭6712♭345♭675♭6712♭345♭6712♭342♭345♭6712♭345♭6710123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Degrees

DegreeNoteIntervalSemitonesRole
1E♭perfect unison0The root — the tonal centre every other note is heard against; land on it and the sound resolves.
2Fmajor second2The major second — a bright neighbour a whole step above the root; in sus2 it replaces the third, so the chord commits to neither major nor minor.
♭3G♭minor third3The minor third — the dark counterpart of the major third; it turns a shape minor and colours m, m7 and the minor scales.
4A♭perfect fourth5The perfect fourth — stable yet suspended; in sus4 it takes the third's place and leaves the chord hanging.
5B♭perfect fifth7The perfect fifth — the root's strongest companion; it anchors every triad and stacked-seventh quality.
♭6C♭minor sixth8The minor sixth — the dark sixth of aeolian, harmonic minor and mixolydian ♭6; it adds a classical, mournful weight.
7Dmajor seventh11The major seventh — the leading tone a half-step under the root; in maj7 it glows, in harmonic minor it sharpens the pull home.

About this scale

Harmonic minor is the minor scale with a raised seventh, created by the need for a leading tone in classical harmony. The raised seventh makes the tonic chord minor-major and turns the dominant into a major chord, so the scale resolves with real force. Its most striking feature is the augmented second between the flat sixth and the natural seventh, an exotic leap that gives the scale its Middle Eastern, Baroque and neoclassical flavour. It is the parent of the harmonic minor family — six more qualities are built from its degrees. Listen for the augmented second and the strong pull of the leading tone.

How to practise this scale

  • Play the augmented second between the flat sixth and the seventh slowly.
  • Resolve the leading tone to the root and feel the strong pull.
  • Improvise a classical phrase that uses the raised seventh as a pivot.
  • Compare it with aeolian and hear what raising the seventh changes.