Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
G Harmonic Minor Scale
Raised 7th degree creates Middle Eastern, Balkan, and neoclassical shred guitar aesthetics.
Tap any note to hear it.
G 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|-----------------------------3-5-6-| B|-------------------------4-7-------| G|-------------------3-5-7-----------| D|-------------4-5-7-----------------| A|-------3-5-6-----------------------| E|-3-5-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-6-8-| B|-------------------------7-8-------| G|-------------------5-7-8-----------| D|-------------5-7-8-----------------| A|-------5-6-9-----------------------| E|-5-6-8-----------------------------|
e|------------------------------------8-10-11-| B|----------------------------8-10-11---------| G|---------------------7-8-11-----------------| D|--------------7-8-10------------------------| A|---------9-10-------------------------------| E|-8-10-11------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-13----------| G|----------------------------11-12-14----------------| D|-------------------10-12-13-------------------------| A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------| E|-10-11-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-| B|----------------------------------13-15-16-------| G|-------------------------12-14-15----------------| D|----------------12-13-16-------------------------| A|-------12-13-15----------------------------------| E|-14-15-------------------------------------------|
How to play G Harmonic Minor on guitar
Find the root first: G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every G 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 3–7. 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 | G |
| 2 | A |
| ♭3 | Bb |
| 4 | C |
| 5 | D |
| ♭6 | Eb |
| 7 | F# |
Chords in G Harmonic Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in G Harmonic Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Gm | Gm(maj7) | Tonic |
| ii° | Adim | Am7b5 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Bbaug | Bbmaj7#5 | Mediant |
| iv | Cm | Cm7 | Subdominant |
| V | D | D7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Eb | Ebmaj7 | Submediant |
| vii° | F#dim | F#dim7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the G Harmonic Minor Scale?
- The G Harmonic Minor Scale has 7 notes: G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F#.
- What chords are in the G Harmonic Minor Scale?
- The chords of G Harmonic Minor are Gm (i), Adim (ii°), Bbaug (♭III+), Cm (iv), D (V), Eb (♭VI), F#dim (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 G Harmonic Minor on the guitar?
- The root G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 3–7, and four more positions connect it up the neck.