Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
A Harmonic Major Scale
The major scale with a lowered 6th, also called Ionian ♭6. Its augmented 2nd between ♭6 and 7 gives it a harmonic-minor colour.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Harmonic Major Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------5-7-9-| B|-------------------------6-9-------| G|-------------------6-7-9-----------| D|-------------6-7-9-----------------| A|-------5-7-8-----------------------| E|-5-7-9-----------------------------|
e|----------------------------------7-9-10-| B|-----------------------------9-10--------| G|----------------------7-9-10-------------| D|---------------7-9-11--------------------| A|--------7-8-11---------------------------| E|-7-9-10----------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------9-10-12-13-| B|----------------------------------10-12------------| G|--------------------------9-10-13------------------| D|------------------9-11-12--------------------------| A|------------11-12----------------------------------| E|-9-10-12-13----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-16-| B|-------------------------------------14-15----------| G|----------------------------13-14-16----------------| D|-------------------12-14-15-------------------------| A|----------12-14-16----------------------------------| E|-12-13-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-| B|----------------------------------15-17-18-------| G|-------------------------14-16-18----------------| D|----------------14-15-18-------------------------| A|-------14-16-17----------------------------------| E|-16-17-------------------------------------------|
How to play A Harmonic Major on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–9. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| 2 | B |
| 3 | C# |
| 4 | D |
| 5 | E |
| ♭6 | F |
| 7 | G# |
Chords in A Harmonic Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in A Harmonic Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | Amaj7 | Tonic |
| ii° | Bdim | Bm7b5 | Supertonic |
| iii | C#m | C#m7 | Mediant |
| iv | Dm | Dm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| V | E | E7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Faug | Fmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| vii° | G#dim | G#dim7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A Harmonic Major anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
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Questions
- What notes are in the A Harmonic Major Scale?
- The A Harmonic Major Scale has 7 notes: A, B, C#, D, E, F, G#.
- What chords are in the A Harmonic Major Scale?
- The chords of A Harmonic Major are A (I), Bdim (ii°), C#m (iii), Dm (iv), E (V), Faug (♭VI+), G#dim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the harmonic major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Harmonic Major on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.