Also written Nahawand or Kirwani
A♭ harmonic minor uses A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, G. Box 1 places the root on string 6 fret 4 for a compact five-fret span.
A♭ harmonic minor raises the seventh degree of A♭ natural minor from G♭ to G, creating a leading tone. The scale follows W, H, W, W, H, 1½, H. The augmented second between F♭ and G gives it a distinctive Middle Eastern color. Compare with A♭ natural minor to hear the raised seventh.
Use A♭ harmonic minor over A♭ minor and A♭ 5th chords. It also fits E♭ major as the dominant. The raised seventh creates a strong pull to the tonic, making it ideal for classical cadences and flamenco progressions.
Practise Box 1 first: the root on string 6 fret 4 keeps the hand in one position. It covers frets 0–3 and sets up Box 2.
A♭ harmonic minor in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 13 notes across 6 strings, from F♭ on the low E string at fret 0 up to G on the high e string at fret 3. The root falls on the G string at fret 1.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 0, 3 | F♭, G |
| 5 (A) | 1, 2 | B♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 1, 2 | E♭, F♭ |
| 3 (G) | 0, 1, 3 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 0, 2 | C♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 0, 3 | F♭, G |
A♭ harmonic minor in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 15 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to C♭ on the high e string at fret 7. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4, the D string at fret 6 and the high e string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6, 7 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 4 (D) | 5, 6 | G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 6 | C♭, D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 5 | E♭, F♭ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
A♭ harmonic minor in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 16 notes across 6 strings, from B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 up to D♭ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the D string at fret 6 and the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 7, 9 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 6, 7 | E♭, F♭ |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8, 9 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 8, 9 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 2 (B) | 8, 9 | G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 7, 9 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
A♭ harmonic minor in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 15 notes across 6 strings, from D♭ on the low E string at fret 9 up to F♭ on the high e string at fret 12. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 11, 12 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 5 (A) | 10, 11 | G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 11 | C♭, D♭ |
| 3 (G) | 9, 12 | F♭, G |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11, 12 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11, 12 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
A♭ harmonic minor in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 15 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to F♭ on the high e string at fret 12. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the G string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 12 | E♭, F♭ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13, 14 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13, 14 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 3 (G) | 12, 13 | G, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 12, 14 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 12 | E♭, F♭ |
A♭ harmonic minor, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭6 and runs from fret 0 to fret 6, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4, the G string at fret 1 and the high e string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 0, 3, 4 | F♭, G, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 1, 2, 4 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
| 4 (D) | 1, 2, 5 | E♭, F♭, G |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3, 4 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 2 (B) | 2, 4, 5 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 1 (e) | 3, 4, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
A♭ harmonic minor, position 2 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 7 and runs from fret 2 to fret 8, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4, the D string at fret 6 and the high e string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 4, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 2, 4, 6 | C♭, D♭, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 2, 5, 6 | F♭, G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 3, 4, 6 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 5, 8 | E♭, F♭, G |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
A♭ harmonic minor, position 3 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the root and runs from fret 4 to fret 9, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4, the D string at fret 6 and the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6, 7 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 4 (D) | 5, 6, 8 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 6, 8 | C♭, D♭, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 5, 8, 9 | F♭, G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 7, 9 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
A♭ harmonic minor, position 4 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 2 and runs from fret 6 to fret 11, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the D string at fret 6 and the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 7, 9 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 6, 7, 10 | E♭, F♭, G |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8, 9 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 8, 9 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 2 (B) | 8, 9, 11 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 7, 9, 11 | C♭, D♭, E♭ |
A♭ harmonic minor, position 5 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭3 and runs from fret 7 to fret 12, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 7, 9, 11 | C♭, D♭, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 7, 10, 11 | F♭, G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 8, 9, 11 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
| 3 (G) | 8, 9, 12 | E♭, F♭, G |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11, 12 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11, 12 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
A♭ harmonic minor, position 6 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 4 and runs from fret 9 to fret 15, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the G string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 11, 12 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 5 (A) | 10, 11, 13 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 11, 13 | C♭, D♭, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 9, 12, 13 | F♭, G, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 12, 14 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 12, 15 | E♭, F♭, G |
A♭ harmonic minor, position 7 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 5 and runs from fret 11 to fret 16, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 11, the G string at fret 13 and the high e string at fret 16.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 12, 15 | E♭, F♭, G |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13, 14 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13, 14 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 3 (G) | 12, 13, 15 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 12, 14, 16 | C♭, D♭, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 12, 15, 16 | F♭, G, A♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
A♭ harmonic minor contains A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, and G. The raised seventh is G. The scale has an augmented second between F♭ and G. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
A♭ harmonic minor fits A♭ minor and A♭ 5th chords. It also works over E♭ major as the dominant. The scale outlines an A♭ minor tonality with a major V chord.
A♭ harmonic minor raises the seventh degree from G♭ to G. This creates a leading tone that pulls strongly to the tonic. The natural minor has a whole step between the sixth and seventh degrees.