Harmonic minor vs natural minor: the one note that changes
Six notes are the same; the 7th moves up a half step
and changes the chords, the sound and the cadence.
A natural minor is A B C D E F G. A harmonic minor is A B C D E F G#. The only difference is the 7th: a whole step under the root in natural minor, a half step under it in harmonic minor.
The table compares the two scales degree by degree, and the player below plays them one after the other. Choose another key in the player to compare them anywhere on the neck.
| Degree | A natural minor | A harmonic minor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A (1) | A (1) |
| 2 | B (2) | B (2) |
| 3 | C (b3) | C (b3) |
| 4 | D (4) | D (4) |
| 5 | E (5) | E (5) |
| 6 | F (b6) | F (b6) |
| 7 | G (b7) | G# (7) |
How natural minor and harmonic minor sound
Play both rows and listen to the top of the scale:
G falls gently to F, G# leaps to A.
A harmonic minor1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7
- A1
- B2
- Cb3
- D4
- E5
- Fb6
- G#7
A natural minor1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
- A1
- B2
- Cb3
- D4
- E5
- Fb6
- Gb7
One note changes: A harmonic minor has G# where A natural minor has G.
Natural minor ends with two whole steps, F G A, and feels open and calm. Harmonic minor ends with F G# A, a step and a half then a half step, and the G# leans hard into the root. That is why harmonic minor sounds more dramatic and more final.
Natural minor vs harmonic minor chords
The raised 7th changes three chords of the key:
the III, the v and the vii.
In A natural minor the chords are Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F and G. In A harmonic minor, G# turns C into C+, Em into E and G into G#dim. The table shows both chord sets, with the triads and the seventh chords.
| Degree | natural minor triad | Harmonic minor triad | natural minor 7th | Harmonic minor 7th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | i Am | i Am | Am7 | Am(maj7) |
| 2 | ii° Bdim | ii° Bdim | Bm7b5 | Bm7b5 |
| 3 | bIII C | bIII+ C+ | Cmaj7 | Cmaj7#5 |
| 4 | iv Dm | iv Dm | Dm7 | Dm7 |
| 5 | v Em | V E | Em7 | E7 |
| 6 | bVI F | bVI F | Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 |
| 7 | bVII G | vii° G#dim | G7 | G#dim7 |
The most important change is the V chord. Em, the v of natural minor, does not pull home; E, the V of harmonic minor, has G# in it and resolves to Am with a clear sense of arrival. Most songs in minor keys borrow that one chord from harmonic minor and keep natural minor for the rest.
Natural minor and harmonic minor on guitar in A
In the open position one fret changes:
G on the open 3rd string becomes G# on its 1st fret.
In A, natural minor uses every open string. Harmonic minor uses all of them except G, which it replaces with G# on the 1st fret of the 3rd string and on the 4th fret of the 6th and 1st strings. The diagram shows both shapes.
A useful habit: play natural minor over Am, and when the chord changes to E, switch the G to G#. Your fingers learn the one fret that separates the two scales, and your ear learns when to use each.
When to use natural minor or harmonic minor
Follow the chord under the melody:
the V chord asks for the raised 7th.
Over the minor chords of the key, Am, Dm and F in A minor, natural minor fits and sounds smooth. Over E or E7, the V chord, play harmonic minor so the melody has G#, the 3rd of the chord. Classical composers worked this way, and so do rock and jazz players over a minor cadence.
Melodic minor: the third minor scale
Melodic minor raises both the 6th and the 7th: A B C D E F# G#. Classical music uses it on the way up and falls back to natural minor on the way down, to avoid the augmented second. Jazz players use the raised form in both directions.
Harmonic minor vs melodic minor
Melodic minor smooths out the augmented second
by raising the 6th as well.
Harmonic minor keeps F and G#, a step and a half apart. Melodic minor raises F to F#, so the top of the scale climbs in whole and half steps, F# G# A. The table puts every scale of this page side by side, and the card shows the two scales in the page key.
| Scale | Formula | Notes | Home chord |
|---|---|---|---|
| A harmonic minor | 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 | A B C D E F G# | Am |
| A natural minor | 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 | A B C D E F G | Am |
| A melodic minor | 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 | A B C D E F# G# | Am |
| E Phrygian dominant | 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7 | E F G# A B C D | E |
Harmonic minor sounds exotic because of the gap; melodic minor sounds smooth and jazzy because the gap is gone. Both share the leading tone and the major V chord.
Harmonic minor vs Phrygian dominant
Same seven notes, another home:
A harmonic minor started on E is E Phrygian dominant.
Phrygian dominant is the 5th mode of harmonic minor. E Phrygian dominant, E F G# A B C D, uses exactly the notes of A harmonic minor. Over Am you hear A harmonic minor; over E or E7 the same notes sound like E Phrygian dominant, the flamenco and Hijaz sound.
So when you play A harmonic minor over the E7 of a minor cadence, you are already playing E Phrygian dominant. The guitar pages of both scales use the same fingerings, seen from a different root.
Harmonic Minor vs Natural Minor: frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions guitarists ask most about the harmonic minor vs natural minor.
What is the difference between harmonic minor and natural minor?
The 7th degree. Natural minor has a minor 7th (G in A), harmonic minor a major 7th (G#). The other six notes are the same.
Which sounds darker, natural or harmonic minor?
Natural minor sounds softer and more open; harmonic minor sounds more dramatic and tense, because of the leading tone and the wide gap between F and G#.
When do I use harmonic minor instead of natural minor?
Over the V chord of a minor key: E or E7 in A minor. Over Am, Dm and F most melodies stay in natural minor.
What is melodic minor?
Natural minor with the 6th and 7th raised on the way up: A B C D E F# G#. It removes the augmented second of harmonic minor.
Is natural minor the same as the Aeolian mode?
Yes. Natural minor is the Aeolian mode, the major scale started on its 6th degree: A minor has the notes of C major.