www.music-instrument-guitar.com - Harmonic minor scales IIa.

The Basic scales I. section describes the most important scales, i.e. the seven basic scales, while Basic scales II. section demonstrates these scales one by one from all the possible twelve starting tones. In the European music and music theory, the major and minor scales have become predominant among the basic scales over the decades. The minor scale has three other versions, which are described in The four types of minor scales section. Tonality wise, the harmonic minor is of the highest importance out of these four types of minor scales; the greatest classical composers and their successors in modern music have preferred this kind minor to the other ones. In fact, the other five basic scales got intentionally excluded from classical music theory, and classified as 'modal scales'. This necessarily meant that the major and minor scales had become prevalent.

The harmonic minor scales are systematically described in Harmonic minor scale degrees I. section. Let's take all the harmonic minor scales degrees from all the possible twelve starting tones, which makes 12 x 7 = 84 different scale degrees. The different scale starting notes have been denoted based on the denotations of the circle of fifths...

...except for the 6 sharps - 6 flats enharmonic tonalities, where the denotation of D sharp minor (of the 6 sharps) is used.

Another important thing is the following approach, which is already mentioned in a previous section:

...Another difference between the harmonic minor scale and the basic scales is that each of the basic scale degrees can be used as a separate tonality (hence the absolute denomination of the scales), whereas in the case harmonic minor you just can't do the same thing; The harmonic minor defines only one tonality, and this is the first scale degree (hence the relative denomination of the scales). I describe this in detail in introduction of the Phrygian dominant scale section.

Yet, it would still be useful to introduce an absolute scale denomination for the harmonic minor scale degrees. My students usually successfully comprehend the basic scales and the relation between them in a few months, and this is why I find using the same scale denomination for the harmonic minor scales a very useful thing; for them to see the relation between the basic scales and the harmonic minor scale degrees.

Here I want to add that this sort of denomination of the harmonic minor scales only makes the scale identification easier...

Here's a short list of how the scales are denoted:

1^st degree - Minor
2^nd degree - Locrian
3^rd degree - Major
4^th degree - Dorian
5^th degree - Phrygian
6^th degree - Lydian
7^th degree - Mixolydian

Furthermore, the scales can also be played on one string. They are called one-string scales.

The one-string basic scales are demonstrated in Basic scales II. section. The the denomination of the basic scales is absolute (Major, Minor, Phryigian, etc.), the harmonic minor scales have relative denomination (first degree, second degree, third degree, etc.). Innovatively, the one-string harmonic minor scales have a hybrid, absolute-relative, denomination.

As an example, here's this: There is an E Harmonic Minor full scale structure...

...and the one-string E harmonic minor scale started from the A string...

...This one-string scale is actually the fourth degree, which is the Dorian degree (it only differs from a normal Dorian scale in one altered note). One more note: the notes in this one-string scale reflect the number of the notes in the full scale structure above.

Any questions? J