Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
F# 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.
F# 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|-----------------------------2-4-6-| B|-------------------------3-6-------| G|-------------------3-4-6-----------| D|-------------3-4-6-----------------| A|-------2-4-5-----------------------| E|-2-4-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-6-7-| B|-------------------------6-7-------| G|-------------------4-6-7-----------| D|-------------4-6-8-----------------| A|-------4-5-8-----------------------| E|-4-6-7-----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------6-7-9-10-| B|---------------------------7-9----------| G|--------------------6-7-10--------------| D|--------------6-8-9---------------------| A|----------8-9---------------------------| E|-6-7-9-10-------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------9-10-13-| B|----------------------------------11-12---------| G|-------------------------10-11-13---------------| D|-----------------9-11-12------------------------| A|---------9-11-13--------------------------------| E|-9-10-13----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-| B|----------------------------------12-14-15-------| G|-------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|----------------11-12-15-------------------------| A|-------11-13-14----------------------------------| E|-13-14-------------------------------------------|
How to play F# Harmonic Major on guitar
Find the root first: F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F# 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 2–6. 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 | F# |
| 2 | G# |
| 3 | A# |
| 4 | B |
| 5 | C# |
| ♭6 | D |
| 7 | E# |
Chords in F# Harmonic Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F# Harmonic Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | F# | F#maj7 | Tonic |
| ii° | G#dim | G#m7b5 | Supertonic |
| iii | A#m | A#m7 | Mediant |
| iv | Bm | Bm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| V | C# | C#7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Daug | Dmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| vii° | E#dim | E#dim7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F# 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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- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the F# Harmonic Major Scale?
- The F# Harmonic Major Scale has 7 notes: F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D, E#.
- What chords are in the F# Harmonic Major Scale?
- The chords of F# Harmonic Major are F# (I), G#dim (ii°), A#m (iii), Bm (iv), C# (V), Daug (♭VI+), E#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 F# Harmonic Major on the guitar?
- The root F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 2–6, and four more positions connect it up the neck.