Also written Nahawand or Kirwani
C harmonic minor uses C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B. Box 1 places the root on string 5 fret 3 for a compact five-fret span.
C harmonic minor raises the seventh degree of C natural minor from B♭ to B, creating a leading tone. The scale follows W, H, W, W, H, 1½, H. The augmented second between A♭ and B gives it a distinctive Middle Eastern color. Compare with C natural minor to hear the raised seventh.
Use C harmonic minor over C minor and C 5th chords. It also fits G 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 5 fret 3 keeps the hand in one position. It covers frets 0–4 and sets up Box 2.
C harmonic minor in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 4, 18 notes across 6 strings, from F on the low E string at fret 1 up to A♭ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the A string at fret 3 and the B string at fret 1.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1, 3, 4 | F, G, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 2, 3 | B, C |
| 4 (D) | 0, 1, 3 | D, E♭, F |
| 3 (G) | 0, 1, 4 | G, A♭, B |
| 2 (B) | 0, 1, 3, 4 | B, C, D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 1, 3, 4 | F, G, A♭ |
C harmonic minor in box 2 runs from fret 3 to fret 6, 15 notes across 6 strings, from G on the low E string at fret 3 up to A♭ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the A string at fret 3 and the G string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 4 | G, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 3, 5, 6 | C, D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 3, 5, 6 | F, G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 5 | B, C |
| 2 (B) | 3, 4, 6 | D, E♭, F |
| 1 (e) | 3, 4 | G, A♭ |
C harmonic minor in box 3 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 15 notes across 6 strings, from C on the low E string at fret 8 up to E♭ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the low E string at fret 8, the D string at fret 10 and the high e string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 8, 10, 11 | F, G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 10 | B, C |
| 3 (G) | 8, 10 | E♭, F |
| 2 (B) | 8, 9 | G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
C harmonic minor in box 4 runs from fret 10 to fret 13, 16 notes across 6 strings, from D on the low E string at fret 10 up to F on the high e string at fret 13. The root falls on the D string at fret 10 and the B string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10, 11, 13 | D, E♭, F |
| 5 (A) | 10, 11 | G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 10, 12, 13 | C, D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 10, 12, 13 | F, G, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 12, 13 | B, C |
| 1 (e) | 10, 11, 13 | D, E♭, F |
C harmonic minor, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 4 and runs from fret 1 to fret 7, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 3 and the G string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1, 3, 4 | F, G, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 2, 3, 5 | B, C, D |
| 4 (D) | 1, 3, 5 | E♭, F, G |
| 3 (G) | 1, 4, 5 | A♭, B, C |
| 2 (B) | 3, 4, 6 | D, E♭, F |
| 1 (e) | 3, 4, 7 | G, A♭, B |
C harmonic minor, position 2 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 5 and runs from fret 3 to fret 8, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 3, the G string at fret 5 and the high e string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 4, 7 | G, A♭, B |
| 5 (A) | 3, 5, 6 | C, D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 3, 5, 6 | F, G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 5, 7 | B, C, D |
| 2 (B) | 4, 6, 8 | E♭, F, G |
| 1 (e) | 4, 7, 8 | A♭, B, C |
C harmonic minor, position 3 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭6 and runs from fret 4 to fret 10, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 8, the G string at fret 5 and the high e string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 7, 8 | A♭, B, C |
| 5 (A) | 5, 6, 8 | D, E♭, F |
| 4 (D) | 5, 6, 9 | G, A♭, B |
| 3 (G) | 5, 7, 8 | C, D, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 6, 8, 9 | F, G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 7, 8, 10 | B, C, D |
C harmonic minor, position 4 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 7 and runs from fret 6 to fret 12, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 8, the D string at fret 10 and the high e string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 7, 8, 10 | B, C, D |
| 5 (A) | 6, 8, 10 | E♭, F, G |
| 4 (D) | 6, 9, 10 | A♭, B, C |
| 3 (G) | 7, 8, 10 | D, E♭, F |
| 2 (B) | 8, 9, 12 | G, A♭, B |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
C harmonic minor, position 5 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the root and runs from fret 8 to fret 13, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 8, the D string at fret 10 and the B string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 8, 10, 11 | F, G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 10, 12 | B, C, D |
| 3 (G) | 8, 10, 12 | E♭, F, G |
| 2 (B) | 9, 12, 13 | A♭, B, C |
| 1 (e) | 10, 11, 13 | D, E♭, F |
C harmonic minor, position 6 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 2 and runs from fret 10 to fret 15, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the D string at fret 10 and the B string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10, 11, 13 | D, E♭, F |
| 5 (A) | 10, 11, 14 | G, A♭, B |
| 4 (D) | 10, 12, 13 | C, D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 10, 12, 13 | F, G, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 12, 13, 15 | B, C, D |
| 1 (e) | 11, 13, 15 | E♭, F, G |
C harmonic minor, position 7 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭3 and runs from fret 11 to fret 16, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 15 and the B string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 13, 15 | E♭, F, G |
| 5 (A) | 11, 14, 15 | A♭, B, C |
| 4 (D) | 12, 13, 15 | D, E♭, F |
| 3 (G) | 12, 13, 16 | G, A♭, B |
| 2 (B) | 13, 15, 16 | C, D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 13, 15, 16 | F, G, A♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
C harmonic minor contains C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, and B. The raised seventh is B. The scale has an augmented second between A♭ and B.
C harmonic minor fits C minor and C 5th chords. It also works over G major as the dominant. The scale outlines a C minor tonality with a major V chord.
C harmonic minor raises the seventh degree from B♭ to B. This creates a leading tone that pulls strongly to the tonic. The natural minor has a whole step between the sixth and seventh degrees.