Harmonic Minor

The Neo-Classical scale. Guitar virtuosos such as Yngwie Malmsteen and Richie Blackmore frequently use the Harmonic Minor scale along with the it’s fifth mode - Phrygian Dominant to give a classical or exotic feel to their solos.

The Harmonic Minor Scale has a strong pull from the Leading Tone (7) to the Tonic (1) and a three-semitone gap between the sixth and seventh scale degrees.

In the baroque period, classical composers noticed the pull from the Leading Tone (7th degree of a scale) of the Minor Seventh (♭7) to the Tonic (1) was weaker than the Major Seventh (7) to the Tonic (1) in the Major Scale. The Leading Tone was raised to a Major Seventh (♭7->7) to create the Harmonic Minor scale and allowed for a perfect cadence in a minor key.

Related Scales

• Natural Minor
• Melodic Minor
• Phrygian Dominant
• Double Harmonic