How to play Harmonic Minor Scales on Guitar using 3 Notes Per String

In this article, I want to show you “How to play Harmonic Minor Scales using 3 Notes Per String” on the guitar. If you missed the major scale version, I will link it here, “How to play major scales using 3 notes per string”.

The formula

Comparing the harmonic minor scale to the major scale is 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, and 7. Notice this minor scale has a natural 7th and not a lowered 7th.

This jump from the b6 to the major 7th is a minor third. Therefore it involves four frets instead of three as in the whole step interval. A whole step has one fret in between notes.

Where it Comes From

My first example of the harmonic minor scale’s formula above is compared to the major scale. It is closer to a mode within the major scale, the natural minor, or Aeolian mode.

Likened to the natural minor scale the only difference is the major 7th in the harmonic minor scale. Furthermore, the natural minor scale is known as the relative minor scale or chord.

Composers used the relative minor scale to write melodies though after some time wanted a stronger pull from the five-chord being a minor chord back to the minor scales root.

This resulted in changing the minor chord’s 3rd to a major 3rd. Following this change, a dominant 7th chord is produced resulting in a stronger pull than the one chord being a minor 7th chord.

Sound

To me, the sound of the harmonic minor scale is Egyptian-like and Spanish sounding.

F Harmonic Minor Scale

Use

It is found in rock, metal, and jazz.

My example for rock is Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl“. In this example, you can hear this happening at the end of the song during the guitar-only outro.

For metal, my example is Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s “Rising Force“. When it happens, I hear it during the keyboard solo trade-off with Yngwie.

And in my jazz example is a song that Miles Davis plays called “Solar“. The first chord is a minor chord with a major 7th.

The last thing to note, a minor-major 7th chord is found in both the harmonic minor and melodic minor scales. For the turnaround in this song, you find the chords m7b5 to Dominant 7thb9 which fits a C harmonic minor scale.