G harmonic minor scale
G harmonic minor scale is G – A – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F♯, with B♭, E♭ and F♯. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
Notes and steps
Counted in steps it goes W H W W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half). The half steps fall between A–B♭, D–E♭ and F♯–G. The wide step is E♭–F♯.
| Degree | Note | Interval from G | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | root | |
| 2 | A | major second | |
| ♭3 | B♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | C | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | D | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | E♭ | minor sixth | |
| 7 | F♯ | major seventh |
The sound of G harmonic minor scale
The raised 7th (F♯) is the whole point of harmonic minor: it lets G minor end songs with a strong major V chord pulling home. Played as a melody, that step-and-a-half jump is the sound people call "Middle Eastern" or "neoclassical".
The gap between E♭ and F♯ is three half steps. Play just those two notes back and forth and you'll recognize the harmonic minor sound anywhere.
Compared with G natural minor scale, G harmonic minor scale has F♯ where the other has F; the other six notes are shared. Hear G natural minor scale and compare.
Playing G harmonic minor
Keyboard players: three black (B♭, E♭ and F♯), four white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 3rd fret of the low E string and spans frets 1–7: 18 notes, low string to high.
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords that fit G harmonic minor scale; the ones that differ from the major set are what give the scale its color. Tap to hear each one.
Finding G harmonic minor on the neck
Anchor points for G: low E string fret 3 and 15, A string fret 10. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12. On guitar, the three-fret leap between the 6th and 7th notes is the stretch to practise on its own.
On the piano, G harmonic minor scale uses 3 black keys (B♭, E♭ and F♯) and 4 white.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: G–B♭, A–C, B♭–D, C–E♭, D–F♯, E♭–G, F♯–A.
Three ways to practise G harmonic minor
Running a scale straight up and down only teaches the order. These patterns use the same 7 notes and train your ear and fingers to jump around inside G harmonic minor scale.
- Three-note runs: G A B♭ · A B♭ C · B♭ C D · C D E♭ · D E♭ F♯ · E♭ F♯ G.
- Target F♯: G F♯ G F♯ G: the raised 7th, a step and a half above the ♭6, gives the scale its exotic leap.
Try next, from G
Harmonic minor scale in every key
G harmonic minor scale: questions
What are the notes of the G harmonic minor scale?
G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, F♯, G. As degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7.
How many sharps or flats are in the G harmonic minor scale?
Three: B♭, E♭ and F♯.
What chords are in the G harmonic minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Gm (i), Adim (ii°), B♭aug (III+), Cm (iv), D (V), E♭ (VI) and F♯dim (vii°).
What's the difference between G harmonic minor scale and G natural minor scale?
F♯ in G harmonic minor; F in the other. Everything else is the same.
Generated from the step pattern 2-1-2-2-1-3-1 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.