Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
E 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.
E 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|-----------------------------0-2-4-| B|-------------------------1-4-------| G|-------------------1-2-4-----------| D|-------------1-2-4-----------------| A|-------0-2-3-----------------------| E|-0-2-4-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------2-4-5-| B|-------------------------4-5-------| G|-------------------2-4-5-----------| D|-------------2-4-6-----------------| A|-------2-3-6-----------------------| E|-2-4-5-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-5-7-8-| B|-------------------------5-7---------| G|-------------------4-5-8-------------| D|-------------4-6-7-------------------| A|---------6-7-------------------------| E|-4-5-7-8-----------------------------|
e|----------------------------------7-8-11-| B|-----------------------------9-10--------| G|----------------------8-9-11-------------| D|---------------7-9-10--------------------| A|--------7-9-11---------------------------| E|-7-8-11----------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------11-12-| B|-------------------------------10-12-13-------| G|-----------------------9-11-13----------------| D|---------------9-10-13------------------------| A|-------9-11-12--------------------------------| E|-11-12----------------------------------------|
How to play E Harmonic Major on guitar
Find the root first: E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every E 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 0–4. 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 | E |
| 2 | F# |
| 3 | G# |
| 4 | A |
| 5 | B |
| ♭6 | C |
| 7 | D# |
Chords in E Harmonic Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in E Harmonic Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | E | Emaj7 | Tonic |
| ii° | F#dim | F#m7b5 | Supertonic |
| iii | G#m | G#m7 | Mediant |
| iv | Am | Am(maj7) | Subdominant |
| V | B | B7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Caug | Cmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| vii° | D#dim | D#dim7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise E Harmonic Major anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the E Harmonic Major Scale?
- The E Harmonic Major Scale has 7 notes: E, F#, G#, A, B, C, D#.
- What chords are in the E Harmonic Major Scale?
- The chords of E Harmonic Major are E (I), F#dim (ii°), G#m (iii), Am (iv), B (V), Caug (♭VI+), D#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 E Harmonic Major on the guitar?
- The root E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 0–4, and four more positions connect it up the neck.