C harmonic minor scale

The notes of the C harmonic minor scale

C D E♭ F G A♭ B

Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7. Steps from note to note: 2 1 2 2 1 3 1 semitones (whole, half, whole, whole, half, one and a half, half).

Natural C minor with the seventh raised to B. The gap from A♭ up to B is a step and a half: the sound that gives harmonic minor away.

In Hz, from C4: C4 261.6 · D4 293.7 · E♭4 311.1 · F4 349.2 · G4 392.0 · A♭4 415.3 · B4 493.9.

The C harmonic minor scale on the piano

White keys: C D F G B; black keys: E♭ A♭.

Fingering for one octave up: right hand 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5, left hand 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 (1 = thumb). The same fingers come back down.

The C harmonic minor scale on guitar

One position, frets 7–11, low E string first: low E: 7 8 10 11 (B C D E♭) · A: 8 10 11 (F G A♭) · D: 9 10 (B C) · G: 7 8 10 (D E♭ F) · B: 8 9 (G A♭) · high E: 7 8 10 11 (B C D E♭). 0 = open string.

The root C sits at fret 8 on the low E string and at fret 3 on the A string. Slide the same shape there for any other root.

From A♭ to B

C harmonic minor keeps E♭ and A♭ and raises B♭ to B, so the G chord in C minor becomes major and leads home. A♭ to B, a step and a half, is the interval to listen for.

More scales

Harmonic minor scale A harmonic minor scale G harmonic minor scale D harmonic minor scale C major scale on guitar C major pentatonic scale C minor: scale and chords

How this page works

Hear it plays the scale up and down at 100 BPM on one of four Brumm sounds. Take it gives the same notes as a MIDI file and a WAV. − and + move the root. Every note here is computed from the formula.

Sources

Scales and modes: Open Music Theory, musictheory.net. Piano fingerings: the standard scale-book fingerings (ABRSM scale books; Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist, part 3). Trumpet valves: the standard B♭ trumpet fingering chart (Yamaha, Bach). Hz: A4 = 440 Hz, ISO 16.

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