Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
C Harmonic Minor Scale
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Tap any note to hear it.
C Harmonic Minor Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|--------------------------------------8-10-11-| B|---------------------------------9-12---------| G|-------------------------8-10-12--------------| D|-----------------9-10-12----------------------| A|---------8-10-11------------------------------| E|-8-10-11--------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-| B|-------------------------------------12-13----------| G|----------------------------10-12-13----------------| D|-------------------10-12-13-------------------------| A|----------10-11-14----------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-16-| B|----------------------------------13-15-16----------| G|-------------------------12-13-16-------------------| D|----------------12-13-15----------------------------| A|----------14-15-------------------------------------| E|-13-15-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-19-| B|-------------------------------------16-18----------| G|----------------------------16-17-19----------------| D|-------------------15-17-18-------------------------| A|----------15-17-18----------------------------------| E|-15-16-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-20-| B|----------------------------------18-20-21-------| G|-------------------------17-19-20----------------| D|----------------17-18-21-------------------------| A|-------17-18-20----------------------------------| E|-19-20-------------------------------------------|
How to play C Harmonic Minor on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 8–12. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C |
| 2 | D |
| ♭3 | Eb |
| 4 | F |
| 5 | G |
| ♭6 | Ab |
| 7 | B |
Chords in C Harmonic Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C Harmonic Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | Cm(maj7) | Tonic |
| ii° | Ddim | Dm7b5 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Ebaug | Ebmaj7#5 | Mediant |
| iv | Fm | Fm7 | Subdominant |
| V | G | G7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Ab | Abmaj7 | Submediant |
| vii° | Bdim | Bdim7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise C Harmonic Minor anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Harmonic Minor Scale?
- The C Harmonic Minor Scale has 7 notes: C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, B.
- What chords are in the C Harmonic Minor Scale?
- The chords of C Harmonic Minor are Cm (i), Ddim (ii°), Ebaug (♭III+), Fm (iv), G (V), Ab (♭VI), Bdim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the harmonic minor scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7, which is the step pattern W H W W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C Harmonic Minor on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.