These harmonic minor scales will add a Latin touch to your solo’s and you can combine them with pentatonic scales. This scale has a minor 3rd interval in it giving it a unique sound to spice up licks or leads
This scale is one of my favorite to use improvising over minor chords. Replace the C with a C sharp in the D minor Pentatonic and you will have the basic sound, the minor 3rd interval changes the whole mood. It gives that outside the scale touch for a moment.
The C sharp also leads back to your D note home chord nice too.
Here’s a written D minor harmonic scale with tab.
Here is what it sounds like.
The Harmonic Minor Scales
Harmonic Minor Chords
These are the chords for the harmonic minor scales, a little different than the melodic minor but keeping 3 chords the same.
AmMa7
Bm7♭5
Cma7♯5
Dm7
E7
FMaj7
G♯dim7
DmMa7
Em7♭5
Fma7♯5
Gm7
A7
B♭Ma7
C♯dim7
GmMa7
Am7♭5
B♭ma7♯5
Cm7
D7
E♭Ma7
F♯dim7
CmMa7
Dm7♭5
E♭ma7♯5
Fm7
G7
A♭ma7
Bdim7
FmMa7
Gm7♭5
A♭ma7♯5
B♭m7
C7
D♭ma7
Edim7
B♭mMa7
Cm7♭5
D♭ma7♯5
E♭m7
F7
G♭ma7
Adim7
E♭mMa7
Fm7♭5
G♭ma7♯5
A♭m7
B♭7
C♭ma7
Ddim7
D♯mMa7
E♯m7♭5
F♯ma7♯5
G♯m7
A♯7
Bma7
C♯♯dim7
G♯mMa7
A♯m7♭5
Bma7♯5
C♯m7
D♯7
Ema7
F♯♯dim7
C♯mMa7
D♯m7♭5
Ema7♯5
F♯m7
G♯7
Ama7
B♯dim7
F♯mMa7
G♯m7♭5
Ama7♯5
Bm7
C♯7
Dma7
E♯dim7
BmMa7
C♯m7♭5
Dma7♯5
Em7
F♯7
Gma7
A♯dim7
EmMa7
F♯m7♭5
Gma7♯5
Am7
B7
Cma7
D♯dim7
Harmonic Minor Scale Chord Forms
The first chord from the above list is a minor chord with a major 7th in it.
If you play these three chords in order you will hear a familiar progression used in many songs
The second chord is a minor 7th chord with a flatted 5th.
The 3rd chord is a major 7th with a raised 5th. This chord is used sparingly and for a short duration most of the time.
The 4th chord is a minor 7th, a common chord.
The 5th chord is a dominant 7th chord
The 6th chord is a major 7th
The 7th chord is a Diminished 7th
The diminished 7th chord has 4 names, one for each note it contains.
A G♯ diminished 7th can also be a B, D and F diminished chord.
This chord can be written as G♯ dim or G♯ ° using the degree sign.
This chord can also replace a 7th flat 9 chord, using the chord up one tone from the flat ninth chord. In other words replace a G7 flat9 with a G♯ diminished 7th chord.
Harmonic Scale Patterns
The squares are notes before or after the root, use them after you know how the scale is supposed to sound.
The nut is on the top , the 6th string is on the left.
Left Handed Patterns
The nut is on the top, the 6th string is on the right
More Harmonic the Minor Scale
I hope you found this page useful.