E Harmonic Major: Open Position and Shapes
E, F#, G#, A, B, C and D# are the notes of the E harmonic major scale. The C is the only change from E major, and it is enough to make a plain major run sound wistful.
The open low E, A, B and high E strings are all part of it, so the first shape needs just a couple of fretted notes. Play the open strings, then slide to the C on the 5th fret of the B string. When you want to hear it against a chord, see which scale fits which chord.
Play the E harmonic major scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the E harmonic major scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | 1 | Root | 0 |
| F# | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| G# | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| A | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| B | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| C | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| D# | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
E 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.
E Harmonic Major Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (low E)
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 E 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
