Harmonic minor scale in A
Harmonic minor scale in A: A, B, C, D, E, F and G#, the degrees 1–2–b3–4–5–b6–7. Natural minor with a major 7th: gains a leading tone and V7 in minor, plus the exotic step-and-a-half leap from 6th to 7th.
Take natural minor and raise the 7th note a half step: you get a leading tone — that is, a note sitting right next to the tonic, begging to resolve — and with it the V7 chord, the major dominant that gives minor keys a firm cadence. The price is a step-and-a-half gap between the 6th and 7th, that big "exotic"-flavored leap that became the scale's signature. In real repertoire it colors the minor cadences of choro, and it is the parent of Phrygian dominant, a sound at the heart of flamenco.
Example: A – B – C – D – E – F – G#Formula: 1 – 2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – b6 – 7In the formula, the numbers are degrees — positions counted in the reference major scale; "b" lowers a half step and "#" raises one.
Family: The three forms of the minor scale.
"Minor scale" can mean different structures. Classical melodic minor is directional (ascends with major 6th and 7th, descends as natural); jazz minor is treated as a fixed collection and generates its own seven modes.
Chords in the harmonic field
These are the seven chords born from this scale — one built on each of its notes. Put another way: the set of chords that sounds naturally "inside" the scale. See the harmonic field of every key →
The same scale on all four instruments
In the diagrams, each dot carries its scale degree — 1 is the tonic, highlighted.