Playing the C Harmonic Major Scale
Learn the C harmonic major scale as C, D, E, F, G, Ab and B. Against the C major you already know, only the Ab is new, and that single flat sixth is what the whole scale is about.
With no open string to lean on, the pattern is fully movable. Anchor the root on the 8th fret of the low E string or the 3rd fret of the A string. Try ending a phrase on Ab and then resolving to G, which highlights the minor flavour inside a major key. Mixing major and minor modes explains why that works.
Play the C harmonic major scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the C harmonic major scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Root | 0 |
| D | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| E | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| F | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| G | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| Ab | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| B | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
C harmonic major scale notes:
How the harmonic major scale is built:
The harmonic major scale is built from the degrees 1 2 3 4 5 b6 7, which gives the step pattern W-W-H-W-H-W+H-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is the parent scale of its own modal family.
C Harmonic Major Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (B)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the C harmonic major scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
The harmonic major scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
