Natural, harmonic and melodic forms about minor scales. The a minor scale include exactly the same notes as the c major scale which makes them relative keys read more about this further down the page. Minor key songs will often use the harmonic minor when they reach the v chord of the progression the dire straits song sultans of swing is played in the key of dm. The harmonic minor scale gets its name from the fact that composers love to use this scale to form the harmonies underneath their minor melodies. It can be thought of as harmonic minor with a raised 6th. Guitar scales printable charts of the most commonly used. C harmonic minor scale c d eb f g ab b this is different from the natural minor scale as it contains a b instead of a bb. Thus, if a composition is in the key of c major, the c major scale is typically used to form melodies and harmonies. Lets see how many tertian chords are in the harmonic minor scale, starting on each of its scale degrees. Its also widely used in flamenco and shred metal genres extensively.
The most practical way to learn the scale across the entire fretboard is to first build patterns around each degree, then link them together into one large pattern. The only difference between the natural minor and the harmonic minor is the major 7. Harmonic minor the harmonic minor scale differs from the natural minor scale in only one way the 7th scale degree is raised by halfstep. If you count the first note, repeated an octave higher at the top of the scale, it is eight notes. The natural minor scale, which is the one we have discussed so far. Free printable pdf downloads with notes and fingerings for scales in every key. Bach to surf guitar pioneer dick dale check out the pulp fiction soundtrack to modern progressive fusion and metal players. Harmonic minor positions 7 positions of harmonic minor. This resolution is typical in the minor harmonic context, because it doesnt exist nor in the natural major harmonic field as in natural minor. Clicking here and on the image below will open a pdf file of the guitar major scale chart that prints nicely. Here are some examples of minor iivi lines using the harmonic minor scale. The harmonic minor scales are used in all types of music from classical to metal. Learn the note names all harmonic minor scales in table form, in all 12 circle of 5ths keys, including single and double accidental theoretical keys home mobile view scale. The harmonic minor differs from the natural minor by the sharpened seventh note, and this minor scale is consequently not played in the same way as the relative major scale.
A common use of harmonic minor is when there is a major v chord in a minor key. Harmonic minor scale 3 notes per string jens larsen. This scale is a favorite among shredders like yngwie malmsteen, steve vai, joe satriani, and marty friedman. In other words, in a natural minor scale the 7th scale degree is a minor 7th, whereas in a harmonic minor scale the 7th scale degree is a major 7th and will be a halfstep away from the root of the scale. The harmonic minor scale was created when composers wanted to create minor sounds but still retain the powerful resolution that comes from the major v i cadence a natural minor scale has a minor v chord.
If you need staff paper, you may print the staff paper12 pdf file. If you are a horn player, play the arpeggios of each. Minor scales cheat sheet harmonic minor raise the 7 th scale degree melodic minor raise the 6 th and 7 th scale degree ascending, revert to. The harmonic minor scale is one of three minor scales. The harmonic minor scale is exactly the same as the natural minor scale except the 7th is raised to make it major instead of minor. Natural, harmonic, and melodic minor music theory online. Then after you have your natural minor scale, all you have to do to get the b harmonic minor is raise the 7th scale degree one halfstep.
The natural minor scale is often referred to simply as the minor scale. The other two are the natural minor and the melodic minor. Harmonic minor scale fingerings pdf best piano tips. Scales and scale studies for the violin edition peters.
There are also harmonic minor and melodic minor scales. Below is a diagram showing the db harmonic minor scale. In music theory, the term minor scale refers to three scale patterns the natural minor scale or. The hungarian minor scale is similar to the harmonic minor scale but with a raised 4th degree. Normally the 5th chord of dm is am, with the notes a c e. Double harmonic scale learn to play this exotic scale on guitar. Make sure when you spell the natural minor scale you start on the b note. The 7 harmonic minor positions we know from the harmonic minor lesson that the scale contains 7 tones. In the diagrams to the right you see one octave of an a natural minor scale contrasted with the harmonic minor. Two octave harmonic minor scales for the clarinet all keys, with key signatures e harmonic minor b harmonic minor.
The double harmonic scale goes by several other names, including the arabic scale, gypsy scale and byzantine scale. Its common therefore to see something like i iv v7 progressions where the v7 is taken from the harmonic minor while the rest of the chords are taken from the natural minor. Its a type of guitar scale that you will not often see in pop music, while it is mostly used in classical, jazz, gypsy, and metal shredding music. We call scales relative if they share the same key signature.
In this new guitar tutorial, were going to learn the harmonic minor scale, in the key of e. Minor scales are built on the 6th scale degree of a major scale to quickly find a major keys relative minor, count down 3 halfsteps from the tonic note of the major scale remember to start with the tonic then count downdont count the tonic note as one. Getting started with harmonic minorleads and jamming. Th e other chord tones of v7 are also included in the scale, but the 3rd is the note that would be left out of any minor scale with a. The harmonic minor scale works great over minor iivs. To play a harmonic minor scale, you simply raise the seventh note of the natural minor scale by a halfstep as you go up and down the scale. This scale can sometimes confuse people because it is in a way identical to the major scale.
Dec 18, 2014 the double harmonic scale goes by several other names, including the arabic scale, gypsy scale and byzantine scale. But when we want to use a harmonic minor that 7th degree of the dm scale. It has the unusual feature of two augmented second intervals. Learning the harmonic minor scale simplifying theory. Use the scale chart generator below to help you learn the harmonic minor scales in any key and just about any kind of guitar tuning. The guitar major scale is happy upbeat and useful in a variety of styles of music. The solution below shows the a harmonic minor scale notes, intervals and scale degrees on the piano, treble clef and bass clef the lesson steps then explain how to identify the a harmonic minor scale note interval positions, choose the note names and scale degree names. The sound of the harmonic scale is somewhat characterized by the music of the middle east. By raising the seventh note of the natural minor to a major seventh interval, this scale resolves to the tonic with more movement. Since you will be using the harmonic minor scale so oft en over the v7 chord, it is worth looking at them together.
If youve never fooled around with harmonic minor before, youll be immediately taken with the exotic almost spanish sound. Guitar practice the harmonic minor scale life in 12 keys. The scale in all keys can be downloaded as a pdffile. Each scale sounds similarly minorlike, but they each also. This pattern of whole and half steps is what creates the sound of major. Raises scale degrees 6 and 7 ascending, lowers them descending notice this means that the natural minor and descending melodic minor scale are the same.
Harmonic minor scale on bass fingeringsfor bass guitar. Chords of the harmonic minor scale arthur fox music. The 12 minor scales, however, come in 3 variations the harmonic minor scale uses the same keys as the parallel major scale same starting note, but major, but lowers the 3rd and the 6th the melodic minor scale uses the same keys as the parallel major scale, but lowers the 3rd when ascending going up and lowers. In this free video guitar lesson we will begin our look at harmonic minor scales and how to apply them in all keys.
However, there are in fact 3 minor scales which you will come across and can use. Key of db major bb or minor guitar scales as we discussed in our introduction, some notes can be referred to by di. The e minor harmonic scale learn how and when to play the e minor harmonic scale. Apr 06, 2016 harmonic minor the harmonic minor scale differs from the natural minor scale in only one way the 7th scale degree is raised by halfstep. The easiest way i know to learn all 7 harmonic minor scale shapes on the guitar neck. Minor scales cheat sheet harmonic minor raise the 7th scale degree melodic minor raise the 6th and 7th scale degree ascending, revert to natural minor descending. However, this leaves a minor third interval between the sixth and seventh note. The harmonic minor differs from the natural minor by the sharpened seventh note, and this minor scale is consequently not played in the same. Double harmonic scale learn to play this exotic scale on. Today i want to cover the harmonic minor scale, including some shapes, harmony and practical application that i hope you will enjoy and of course get some real world use from in your own guitar playing. How to harmonize minor scales with 7th chords learn jazz.
Now, to be more precise there are actually three different kinds of minor scale. Raises scale degree 7 ascending and descending melodic minor. How to use the harmonic minor scale over a minor 251. Notice how the mode names are derivative of the major scale modes. The harmonic minor scale is one of the most difficult scales to play because of the large interval between the flat 6th and raised 7th degrees and interval of an augmented second, same as a minor third. The harmonic minor scale as a whole is called nahawand in arabic nomenclature, as buselik hicaz in turkish nomenclature, and as an indian raga, it is called kirwani.
The e minor harmonic scale learn how to play the guitar. Play the chords if you are a pianist, guitarist, or another chordal instrument. The harmonic minor scale uses the same keys as the parallel major scale same starting note, but major, but lowers the 3rd and the 6th. Pdf the harmonic minor scale provides an optimum way of. We are going to focus this lesson in a global way, that is to say, apart from studying the minor harmonic scale in the electric bass, any musician will be able to inform himself and apply all this knowledge in his instrument. Minor scales are built on the 6th scale degree of a major scale to quickly find a major keys relative minor, count down 3 halfsteps from the tonic note of the. But where theres only one major scale, there are three different types of minor scales. Here is an overview of the harmonic minor scale in the key of c, using the caged system. This scale has been widely used for over 300 years by everyone from j.
To use it, simply play the harmonic minor scale built off of the root of the tonic or root of the i chord so for a minor iivi in c minor, play a c harmonic minor scale. Download our piano scale finger charts for the major scale, harmonic minor scale and more. The formula for forming a harmonic minor scale is whwwhw 12h. Harmonic minor scale 3 notes per string here is an overview of the harmonic minor scale in the key of c, using the 3 notes per string system. The harmonic minor scale has a raised 7th scale degree compared to the natural minor. When playing these 5 scale positions it can be useful to be aware of when to shift position. It can be useful to think about what fingers to use to limit the amount of positions switches per position.
Oct 27, 2016 play the chords if you are a pianist, guitarist, or another chordal instrument. The harmonic minor scale provides an optimum way of reducing average melodic interval size, consistent with sad affect cues. The harmonic minor scale is another variation of the natural minor scale. They usually have a sort of dark yet exotic sound when used yngwie malmsteen uses them. The harmonic minor scale guitar diagrams and theory. In the major field, v7 solves itself in a major chord, as we already. These additional types of minor scales are used when composers wish to utilize minor keys in a melody and in a harmony. These thirds can be either major interval of 4 semitones or minor interval of 3 semitones. Harmonic minor natural minor is only one of the three types of minor scales. The context that harmonic minor scale mostly appears in solos, riffs or arrangements is when a chord v7 solves in a minor chord. Near the bottom of the page i also provide a pdf download of all harmonic minor keys in standard tuning. Intro to the harmonic minor scale one way to think of the harmonic minor scale is as a natural minor scale with a raised 7th degree.
The 14 most common and usable guitar scales printable and ready to use 1. The minor scale is the scale which sounds negative it is used by composers to depict sad, melancholic or even angrydramatic moods. The harmonic minor scale raises the seventh note of the scale by one half. Scale harmonic minor 1,2,b3,4,5,b6,7 fullth pattern root note c guitar tuning. May 31, 2018 starting with the tertian chords of the harmonic minor scale. The more you are used to it the easier the arpeggios and the other scale positions will be to play. The melodic minor scale uses the same keys as the parallel major scale, but lowers the 3rd when ascending going up and lowers both the 7th, 6th and third going down. The simplest minor scale to write or play is a minor, since its the only minor scale that requires no sharps or flats its relative major is c major. Scale degree name solfege 1 tonic do 2 supertonic re 3 mediant me 4 subdominant fa 5 dominant sol 6 submediant le 7 subtonic te harmonic minor scale a form of a minor scale with half steps between 23, 56 and 78. To get the melodic minor scale you would raise both the 6 th and 7 scales degrees up one halfstep. Chord progressions using the harmonic minor scale will often be mixed with chords taken from the other minor scales. Harmonic minor modes the harmonic minor scale is definitely an interesting one with its unique step and a half interval creating a very eastern sound to the western ear.
774 408 1545 354 636 866 1017 1151 688 1282 1523 1160 387 250 1222 735 423 1046 1347 1125 393 859 1298 900 1505 454 1198 28 1468 509 1619 1394 1267 1078 591 1213 821 1430 1165 782 1090 511 140 663 1328