Harmonic minor · A♭ · Guitar
The A♭ Harmonic minor scale is A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F♭ G — formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7, step pattern W–H–W–W–H–W+H–H. Use it over A♭m(maj7): it is the scale for minor keys where the V7 has a ♭9 — play it over the whole minor ii–V–i for a classic sound. Below, every note is marked on the fretboard in standard tuning; press play to hear it on a synthesized guitar while each note lights up, or tap any fret to sound that note.
Visualizer
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
Tap any note on the diagram to hear it. Play loops the scale up and down one octave in eighth notes (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 4. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Reference
| Degree | Note | Interval from A♭ | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♭ | unison (0 semitones) | W |
| 2 | B♭ | major 2nd (2 semitones) | H |
| ♭3 | C♭ | minor 3rd (3 semitones) | W |
| 4 | D♭ | perfect 4th (5 semitones) | W |
| 5 | E♭ | perfect 5th (7 semitones) | H |
| ♭6 | F♭ | minor 6th (8 semitones) | W+H |
| 7 | G | major 7th (11 semitones) | H |
Chord it implies: A♭m(maj7) (A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G). Use it for: minor keys where the V7 has a ♭9 — play it over the whole minor ii–V–i for a classic sound.
Common questions
A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F♭ G. As scale degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7. It has 7 notes.
A♭ Harmonic minor fits A♭m(maj7) and, more generally, minor keys where the V7 has a ♭9 — play it over the whole minor ii–V–i for a classic sound.
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 — the step pattern from the root is W H W W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Start on the root A♭ on the low E string at fret 4, and play the one-octave position shown: E-string fret 4, E-string fret 6, E-string fret 7, A-string fret 4, A-string fret 6, A-string fret 7, D-string fret 5, D-string fret 6. Every A♭ on the neck is a root, so the same shape works in every position where the notes are marked.
Keep going
Same scale on piano · all Harmonic minor pages: Harmonic minor hub · theory: chord-scale theory.
Other scales from A♭