Ab harmonic minor scale
- Notes
- Ab Bb Cb Db Eb Fb G
- Formula
- 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7
- Steps
- W H W W H W+H H (W tone, H semitone)
Seven notes from Ab up to the next Ab. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
Ab harmonic minor on the piano
From Ab4 to Ab5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from Ab
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ab | 1 | root | 0 |
| Bb | 2 | major second | 2 |
| Cb | b3 | minor third | 3 |
| Db | 4 | perfect fourth | 5 |
| Eb | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| Fb | b6 | minor sixth | 8 |
| G | 7 | major seventh | 11 |
Ab harmonic minor on the guitar
Standard tuning, high e on top as in tablature, open strings to fret 12. Every dot is a note of the scale; the pattern repeats from fret 12 up.
The seven chords of Ab harmonic minor
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on Ab, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Abm (same notes, spelled G#m on its chord page) | Ab Cb Eb | |
| ii° | Bbdim (same notes, spelled A#dim on its chord page) | Bb Db Fb | |
| bIII+ | Cbaug (same notes, spelled Baug on its chord page) | Cb Eb G | |
| iv | Dbm (same notes, spelled C#m on its chord page) | Db Fb Ab | |
| V | Eb | Eb G Bb | |
| bVI | Fb (same notes, spelled E on its chord page) | Fb Ab Cb | |
| vii° | Gdim | G Bb Db |
Seventh chords
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i(maj7) | Abm(maj7) | Ab Cb Eb G | |
| iiø7 | Bbm7b5 (same notes, spelled A#m7b5 on its chord page) | Bb Db Fb Ab | |
| bIII+maj7 | Cbmaj7#5 (no chord page; semicord's chord namer reads these notes as Eb/B) | Cb Eb G Bb | |
| iv7 | Dbm7 (same notes, spelled C#m7 on its chord page) | Db Fb Ab Cb | |
| V7 | Eb7 | Eb G Bb Db | |
| bVImaj7 | Fbmaj7 (same notes, spelled Emaj7 on its chord page) | Fb Ab Cb Eb | |
| vii°7 | Gdim7 | G Bb Db Fb |
This scale is where the V chord of G# minor comes from; the key page lists it with the other chords of the key.
How Ab harmonic minor is built
The natural minor with its 7th raised a semitone: F# becomes G. That gives a leading note a semitone below Ab, and with it a major V chord and a diminished seventh chord on the 7th note, the chords classical minor-key music cadences with.
The raised 7th leaves a gap of three semitones between Fb and G, an augmented second. That wide step is the sound people describe as "Middle Eastern" or "Spanish", and it is why singers often smooth it out by raising the 6th as well, which gives the Ab melodic minor scale.
Played some notes and not sure which scale they come from? The scale finder listens to the piano, a MIDI keyboard or the microphone and ranks all 180 scales.
What this page cannot do
- One spelling per scale. the root is spelled the way that needs the fewest sharps and flats.
- Equal temperament only. Blues and many folk traditions bend notes between these pitches, and Arabic and Turkish maqam scales use quarter tones that a piano cannot play.
- The guitar diagram shows standard tuning only and does not suggest fingerings; any note can be played in several places.
- The sound is a simple synthesised tone made in your browser, not a recorded instrument.