E♭ / 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 E♭ harmonic minor scale has 7 notes: E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C♭ – D. 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.

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

The explorer above is set to E♭ 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.

E♭ harmonic minor scale notes

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

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

E♭ harmonic minor scale positions on the guitar

With three notes on every string, E♭ harmonic minor has seven patterns that climb the neck. Position 1 starts on E♭ on the low E string at fret 11; 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 11–16	13 14 16	12 15 16	11 13 15	12 13 15	11 13 14	11 13 14
Position 2 frets 13–18	14 16 18	15 16 18	13 15 16	13 15 16	13 14 17	13 14 16
Position 3 frets 14–19	16 18 19	16 18 19	15 16 19	15 16 18	14 17 18	14 16 18
Position 4 frets 16–22	18 19 22	18 19 21	16 19 20	16 18 20	17 18 20	16 18 19
Position 5 frets 6–11	7 10 11	7 9 11	7 8 10	6 8 9	6 8 9	6 7 10
Position 6 frets 7–13	10 11 13	9 11 12	8 10 11	8 9 12	8 9 11	7 10 11
Position 7 frets 9–15	11 13 14	11 12 15	10 11 13	9 12 13	9 11 13	10 11 13

Chords in the E♭ harmonic minor scale

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

	i	ii°	♭III+	iv	V	♭VI	vii°
Triad	E♭m	Fdim	G♭aug	A♭m	B♭	C♭	Ddim
7th chord	E♭mMaj7	Fm7♭5	G♭maj7♯5	A♭m7	B♭7	C♭maj7	Ddim7

Where you hear it

E♭ 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 E♭ harmonic minor

E♭ minor blues E♭ minor rock E♭ minor funk

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 11–16) 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 E♭ (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on E♭.