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

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

The explorer above is set to F♯ 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.

F♯ harmonic minor scale notes

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

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

F♯ harmonic minor scale positions on the guitar

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

Chords in the F♯ harmonic minor scale

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

	i	ii°	♭III+	iv	V	♭VI	vii°
Triad	F♯m	G♯dim	Aaug	Bm	C♯	D	E♯dim
7th chord	F♯mMaj7	G♯m7♭5	Amaj7♯5	Bm7	C♯7	Dmaj7	E♯dim7

Where you hear it

F♯ 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 F♯ harmonic minor

F♯ minor blues F♯ minor rock F♯ minor funk F♯m metal

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 2–7) 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 F♯ (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on F♯.