A Harmonic majorScale
Formula
A Harmonic major on the chromatic circle
A Harmonic major is the 1st mode of the Harmonic major family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.
A Harmonic major across the fretboard
Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.
Chords in A Harmonic major
Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.
Where A Harmonic major fits
Major with a ♭6: over a major chord moving to its minor iv. Heard in film music and jazz.
A Harmonic major is mode 1 of the harmonic major family. The same notes played from each of its other degrees give the family's other modes:
- A Harmonic major
- B Dorian ♭5
- C♯ Phrygian ♭4
- D Lydian ♭3
- E Mixolydian ♭2
- F Lydian augmented ♯2
- G♯ Locrian 𝄫7
Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:
Harmonic major scale in every key
A Harmonic major scale questions
What notes are in the A Harmonic major scale?
A B C♯ D E F G♯. As degrees from the root: 1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7.
What is the A Harmonic major scale formula?
1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7, or in steps between the notes, W W H W H 1½ H (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).
How do you play the A Harmonic major scale on guitar?
This page draws every note of A Harmonic major up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the G shape to the E shape to the D shape to the C shape to the A shape.
What chords are in the A Harmonic major scale?
Amaj7 (I), Bm7♭5 (ii°), C♯m7 (iii), Dm(maj7) (iv), E7 (V), Fmaj7♯5 (♭VI+), G♯°7 (vii°).
When is the A Harmonic major scale used?
Major with a ♭6: over a major chord moving to its minor iv. Heard in film music and jazz.