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Scale · 7 notes

A♭ Harmonic Minor Scale

A♭ Harmonic Minor is a 7-note scale with the notes A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F♭ G. It sounds minor with a raised 7th, giving a strong pull to the tonic and a dramatic, classical or Middle Eastern flavour.

F♭GC♭D♭E♭A♭B♭

Purple = A♭ (the tonic) · green = other scale notes

On the fretboard

Every A♭ harmonic minor note on the neck. Pick a pattern to see the compact fingering shape that fits under one hand.

EADGBe135791215F♭GA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭F♭GB♭C♭D♭E♭F♭GA♭B♭C♭E♭F♭GA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭F♭GA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭F♭GA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭F♭GA♭B♭C♭D♭F♭GA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭F♭G

Blue = A♭ (the root) · green = other scale notes

Notes in the A♭ Harmonic Minor scale

DegreeNoteName
1A♭Tonic
2B♭Supertonic
♭3C♭Mediant
4D♭Subdominant
5E♭Dominant
♭6F♭Submediant
7GLeading tone

Each note uses a different letter name, so the spelling follows the scale rather than the keyboard: A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F♭ G.

A♭ Harmonic Minor scale formula

The pattern of steps from one note to the next is W – H – W – W – H – W+H – H (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step of three semitones). Compared with the major scale the degrees are 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7.

Chords in the A♭ Harmonic Minor scale

Stacking thirds on each note of the scale gives these chords:

DegreeTriad7th chord
iA♭mA♭m(maj7)
ii°B♭°B♭ø7
III+C♭+C♭7♯5
ivD♭mD♭m7
VE♭E♭7
VIF♭F♭maj7
vii°G°G°7

Chord names link to guitar chord shapes where we have them.

Related scales

How to practise the A♭ Harmonic Minor scale

Learn it as natural minor with the 7th raised a half step. The leap from the ♭6 up to the 7 is a step and a half, which gives the scale its dramatic sound, so practise that gap slowly.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes in the A♭ Harmonic Minor scale?

The notes of the A♭ Harmonic Minor scale are A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F♭ G.

What is the formula for the A♭ Harmonic Minor scale?

The pattern of whole and half steps is W – H – W – W – H – W+H – H (W = whole step, H = half step). In scale degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7.

What chords are in the A♭ Harmonic Minor scale?

Built from the scale in triads: A♭m, B♭°, C♭+, D♭m, E♭, F♭, G°.

More A♭ scales

A♭ Major, A♭ Natural Minor, A♭ Melodic Minor, A♭ Dorian, A♭ Lydian, A♭ Mixolydian, A♭ Major Pentatonic, A♭ Minor Pentatonic, A♭ Lydian Dominant, A♭ Whole Tone, A♭ Lydian Augmented, A♭ Mixolydian ♭6, A♭ Hungarian Minor, A♭ Bebop Dominant, A♭ Bebop Major

Explore the full scales library, find a scale from notes with the scale finder, or see every chord in every key in the chord chart.