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Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic

Eb Harmonic Minor Scale

Raised 7th degree creates Middle Eastern, Balkan, and neoclassical shred guitar aesthetics.

Notes EbFGbAbBbCbD
Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Steps W H W W H W+H H
Mood Neoclassical, Oriental, Dramatic
Heard in Yngwie Malmsteen, Metal, Neoclassical Shred, Classical

Interactive scale diagram

Eb Harmonic Minor Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

Eb 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.

Position 1 · E shape frets 11–15
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-14-|
B|-------------------------------------12-15----------|
G|----------------------------11-13-15----------------|
D|-------------------12-13-15-------------------------|
A|----------11-13-14----------------------------------|
E|-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-16-|
B|-------------------------------------15-16----------|
G|----------------------------13-15-16----------------|
D|-------------------13-15-16-------------------------|
A|----------13-14-17----------------------------------|
E|-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 15–19
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-19-|
B|----------------------------------16-18-19----------|
G|-------------------------15-16-19-------------------|
D|----------------15-16-18----------------------------|
A|----------17-18-------------------------------------|
E|-16-18-19-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 18–22
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-22-|
B|-------------------------------------19-21----------|
G|----------------------------19-20-22----------------|
D|-------------------18-20-21-------------------------|
A|----------18-20-21----------------------------------|
E|-18-19-22-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 20–22
e|-------------------------22-|
B|----------------------21----|
G|----------------20-22-------|
D|----------20-21-------------|
A|----20-21-------------------|
E|-22-------------------------|

How to play Eb Harmonic Minor on guitar

Find the root first: Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Eb 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 11–15. 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

DegreeNote
1 Eb
2 F
♭3 Gb
4 Ab
5 Bb
♭6 Cb
7 D

Chords in Eb Harmonic Minor

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Eb Harmonic Minor; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
i Ebm Ebm(maj7) Tonic
ii° Fdim Fm7b5 Supertonic
♭III+ Gbaug Gbmaj7#5 Mediant
iv Abm Abm7 Subdominant
V Bb Bb7 Dominant
♭VI Cb Cbmaj7 Submediant
vii° Ddim Ddim7 Leading tone / subtonic

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

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Questions

What notes are in the Eb Harmonic Minor Scale?
The Eb Harmonic Minor Scale has 7 notes: Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, D.
What chords are in the Eb Harmonic Minor Scale?
The chords of Eb Harmonic Minor are Ebm (i), Fdim (ii°), Gbaug (♭III+), Abm (iv), Bb (V), Cb (♭VI), Ddim (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 Eb Harmonic Minor on the guitar?
The root Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 11–15, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Harmonic Minor Scale in every key

More scales in Eb