Harmonic Minor Scale Lesson

The "harmonic minor scale" is one of the most recognizable
of guitar scales in sound, offering a "dissonant" and
"far eastern" sound. It differs from the Natural Minor
scale by it's raised 7th interval. (See comparison's below).

A minor scale * Natural or Pure 
    A  B C  D  E  F   G  A
e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-5--7------------|-----------------|
A :---------5--7--8-|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-5--7--8---------|-----------------|-----------------|

A Harmonic Minor Scale
    A  B  C  D E  F   G# A
e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-6--7------------|-----------------|
A :---------5--7--8-|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-5--7--8---------|-----------------|-----------------|


Below shows the two octave pattern
The tonic note is A followed by octave 1=01 and octave 2=02

    A                01                         02
e :-----------------|-----------------|-------4--5------|
B :-----------------|-----------------|-5--6------------|
G :-----------------|-------4--5--7---|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-6--7------------|-----------------|
A :---------5--7--8-|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-5--7--8---------|-----------------|-----------------|


This next example demonstrates who to play a guitar riff
using this scales, demonstrating as most riff's is derived
and created from the bass notes in the scale. 

e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :--------7-7-7----|-8-8-8---5-5-5---|--7-7-7----------|
E :-5-5-5-----------|-----------------|---------8-8-8---|

e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-5-5-5-----------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :--------7-7-7----|-----------------|-----------------

Good practice techniques include playing this scale in
"ascending 3rd's" as shown below. When played using alternate
picking (down,up,down,up, etc..) when adding a touch of
distortion, these scales exercise's also produce some of
the heaviest of metal thats has been known and used by
such great guitarist as Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai
and others.

                        Example

e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|-----------------|---4---5--4--7---|
D :-----------------|----------6---7--|-6---7-----------|
A :---------5---7---|-5--8--7----8----|-----------------|
E :-5--8--7---8-----|-----------------|-----------------|

                               s
e :--------------4--|----5-4--5--17---|-----------------|
B :----5----6--5----|-6---------------|-----------------|
G :-5-----7---------|-----------------|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

Another good guitar scale practice for this scale is to
use alternate picking while playing "descedning if four's"
playing four descending notes back to back as shown below.


e :-5--4------------|-4---------------|-----------------|
B :------6--5-------|---6--5----------|-6--5------------|
G :-----------------|---------7-------|------7--5-------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-5---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :---7--5--4-------|-7--5--4---------|-5--4------------|
D :-----------------|---------7-------|--------7--6-----|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

To begin creating and imporvising lead guitar solo's
using the harmonic minor scale, try adding "guitar techniques"
like hammer-on, pull-off, slide and vibrato as shown below.

     p p s      h p              h p     p    p p
e :-8-7-5-4--5-4-5-4|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-6-5-------------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|------7-5--4-5-4-|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-7-6-------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|------8-7-5------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

     p p  v
e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-8-7-5-4---------|-----------------|-----------------|



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