Playing C Harmonic Minor from the 8th Fret
Learn the C harmonic minor scale as C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab and B. Compare it with C natural minor and only the last note moves, from Bb up to B, which opens a wide gap of three frets between Ab and B.
No open string helps in this key, so the shapes are found from the root alone: the 8th fret of the low E string or the 3rd fret of the A string. The major G chord, G, is the one that wants to resolve home. Slow work on scale fingering makes the stretch easier.
Play the C harmonic minor scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the C harmonic minor scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Root | 0 |
| D | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| Eb | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| F | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| G | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| Ab | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| B | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
C harmonic minor scale notes:
How the harmonic minor scale is built:
The harmonic minor scale is built from the degrees 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7, which gives the step pattern W-H-W-W-H-W+H-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is the parent scale of its own modal family.
It is also known as Aeolian Maj 7.
C Harmonic Minor 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 minor scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Related modes
These scales share the same notes as the harmonic minor scale, starting from a different degree.
The harmonic minor scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
