F harmonic minor scale on guitar

F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭ · E

The course explains what this page shows in Lesson 15 · One position.

The notes

  1. F1
  2. G2
  3. A♭♭3
  4. B♭4
  5. C5
  6. D♭♭6
  7. E7

The F harmonic minor scale is F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E.

You may also see it called 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7.

On the staff

FGA♭B♭CD♭EF

On a treble staff, the F harmonic minor scale is written F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E.

This is one octave of the F harmonic minor scale, written on the treble clef. Guitar and bass music is written an octave higher than it sounds, and the small 8 under the clef is the sign for that.

Why the F harmonic minor scale has these flats

  1. F1
  2. T
  3. G2
  4. S
  5. A♭♭3
  6. T
  7. B♭4
  8. T
  9. C5
  10. S
  11. D♭♭6
  12. T+S
  13. E7
  14. S
  15. F8

A scale is a pattern of steps, and this one is T S T T S T+S S: a tone, a semitone, a tone, and so on. S stands for a semitone, the distance of one fret or one key. T stands for a tone, which is two semitones. T+S stands for a tone and a half, which is three semitones. The pattern is what gives F harmonic minor its sound, and it stays the same whichever note you start on.

The second rule is that a seven-note scale uses each letter name once, from A to G, so its seven notes take seven different letters. That is why F harmonic minor is spelled the way it is, rather than with whichever accidental looks tidier.

Together, the two rules leave no room for choice. If you walk the pattern up from F, three letters cannot keep up:

  • A♭ — the flat third. The pattern needs a semitone from G, but G to A is only a tone, so A has to fall to A♭.
  • B♭ — the fourth. The pattern needs a tone from A♭, but A♭ to B is only a tone and a half, so B has to fall to B♭.
  • D♭ — the flat sixth. The pattern needs a semitone from C, but C to D is only a tone, so D has to fall to D♭.

None of those accidentals was a choice. Once you pick the note to start on, the pattern decides the rest, and a key signature is a record of the result.

The F harmonic minor scale is written with A♭, B♭ and D♭, because the T S T T S T+S S pattern of steps cannot be spelled with plain letters from F.

The pattern of steps is the part of a scale that never changes. The letter names take sharps or flats to fit that pattern, and a key signature is a record of those sharps or flats.

On the piano

5CD7E1F2GAB5CD7E1F2GAB5CD7E1F2GAB5CD7E1F2GAB5C♭6D♭D♯F♯♭3A♭4B♭♭6D♭D♯F♯♭3A♭4B♭♭6D♭D♯F♯♭3A♭4B♭♭6D♭D♯F♯♭3A♭4B♭C2C3C4C5C6

The keyboard shows the same seven notes as a shape you can see. The coloured keys are the F harmonic minor scale, and you can click any key to hear it.

F harmonic minor scale on the whole neck

EADGBE123456789101112131415E7F1G2A♭♭3B♭4C5D♭♭6E7F1G2B♭4C5D♭♭6E7F1G2A♭♭3B♭4C5E7F1G2A♭♭3B♭4C5D♭♭6E7F1G2A♭♭3B♭4C5D♭♭6E7F1G2A♭♭3B♭4C5D♭♭6E7F1G2A♭♭3B♭4C5D♭♭6E7F1G2A♭♭3B♭4C5D♭♭6E7F1G2

81 notes of the F harmonic minor scale are marked across six strings.

This is every place the notes of the F harmonic minor scale fall on the guitar, with each note's name and its scale degree. The roots are marked so you can find your bearings.

Position by position

Position 1 — starts on the 1
EADGBE12345612♭345♭6712♭3455♭6712♭3
Position 2 — starts on the 2
EADGBE3456782♭345♭6712♭345♭6712♭34
Position 3 — starts on the ♭3
EADGBE456789♭345♭6712♭345♭6712♭345
Position 4 — starts on the 4
EADGBE6789101145♭6712♭345♭67112♭345♭6
Position 5 — starts on the 5
EADGBE89101112135♭6712♭345♭67122♭345♭67
Position 6 — starts on the ♭6
EADGBE91011121314♭6712♭345♭6712♭3♭345♭671
Position 7 — starts on the 7
EADGBE121314151617712♭345♭6712♭345♭6712♭3

The F harmonic minor scale has seven playable positions, at frets 1–5, 3–7, 4–8, 6–10, 8–12, 9–13 and 12–16.

Each shape starts on a different degree of the scale and fits inside five frets, so your hand can play all of it without moving.

One climb up the neck

EADGBE123456789101112131412♭345♭6712♭345♭6712♭345♭671TAB1346347856810691089111391213

The climb runs from fret 1 to fret 13 and plays 22 notes.

This is one path from the lowest root to the top of the neck, and it plays each note once, never on two strings. It takes a different number of notes on different strings. The widest stretch on any one string is five frets.