C♯ / D♭ Harmonic Minor Scale

72 scales in every key on a map of the whole neck: positions, patterns, and every note played as it lights up.

The C♯ harmonic minor scale has 7 notes: C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B♯. The harmonic minor is the natural minor with its 7th raised a half step. The gap of three frets between the ♭6 and the 7 gives it its exotic, classical sound, and the raised 7th makes the V chord major, so it pulls strongly back home.

C♯ and D♭ are the same pitch, so this page covers both names; the notes are spelled from C♯, the way the key is usually written. Compared with the C♯ major scale it has ♭3 (E instead of E♯), ♭6 (A instead of A♯).

The explorer above is set to C♯ harmonic minor: the whole neck is mapped, and you can zoom into any of its 7 positions, change the labels to degrees or fingers, and hear it up, down and in patterns.

C♯ harmonic minor scale notes

Degree	Note	Interval from C♯	Frets above the root	Sargam
1	C♯	R	0	S
2	D♯	M2	2	R
♭3	E	m3	3	g
4	F♯	P4	5	M
5	G♯	P5	7	P
♭6	A	m6	8	d
7	B♯	M7	11	N

Steps between the notes: W H W W H W+H H (W = two frets, H = one fret). Start on any C♯ and follow those steps up one string to play the scale.

C♯ harmonic minor scale positions on the guitar

With three notes on every string, C♯ harmonic minor has seven patterns that climb the neck. Position 1 starts on C♯ on the low E string at fret 9; each next position starts on the next note of the scale. In standard tuning, high string first:

Position	E (1st)	B	G	D	A	E (6th)
Position 1 frets 9–14	11 12 14	10 13 14	9 11 13	10 11 13	9 11 12	9 11 12
Position 2 frets 11–16	12 14 16	13 14 16	11 13 14	11 13 14	11 12 15	11 12 14
Position 3 frets 12–17	14 16 17	14 16 17	13 14 17	13 14 16	12 15 16	12 14 16
Position 4 frets 14–20	16 17 20	16 17 19	14 17 18	14 16 18	15 16 18	14 16 17
Position 5 frets 16–21	17 20 21	17 19 21	17 18 20	16 18 19	16 18 19	16 17 20
Position 6 frets 5–11	8 9 11	7 9 10	6 8 9	6 7 10	6 7 9	5 8 9
Position 7 frets 7–13	9 11 12	9 10 13	8 9 11	7 10 11	7 9 11	8 9 11

Chords in the C♯ harmonic minor scale

Stacking every other note of the scale on each degree gives these chords. They are the chords a song in C♯ harmonic minor is made from, and the chords this scale fits over.

	i	ii°	♭III+	iv	V	♭VI	vii°
Triad	C♯m	D♯dim	Eaug	F♯m	G♯	A	B♯dim
7th chord	C♯mMaj7	D♯m7♭5	Emaj7♯5	F♯m7	G♯7	Amaj7	B♯dim7

Where you hear it

C♯ harmonic minor is used in neo-classical metal, flamenco, Middle Eastern and Indian film music, and classical. It sounds best over minor chords and the major V or V7 chord of a minor key.

Backing tracks to practise C♯ harmonic minor

C♯ minor blues C♯ minor rock C♯ minor funk C♯m metal

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 9–14) slowly, up and down, saying the note names.
Play it with the pattern set to In 3s, then In 4s, at a tempo where every note is clean.
Learn position 2 and how it joins position 1: the notes they share are where your hand moves.
Switch the labels to degrees and find every C♯ (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on C♯.