Also written Nahawand or Kirwani
G harmonic minor uses G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, F♯. Box 1 places the root on string 6 fret 3 for a compact five-fret span.
G harmonic minor raises the seventh degree of G natural minor from F to F♯, creating a leading tone. The scale follows W, H, W, W, H, 1½, H. The augmented second between E♭ and F♯ gives it a distinctive Middle Eastern color. Compare with G natural minor to hear the raised seventh.
Use G harmonic minor over G minor and G 5th chords. It also fits D 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 3 keeps the hand in one position. It covers frets 3–6 and sets up Box 2.
G harmonic minor in box 1 runs from fret 3 to fret 6, 15 notes across 6 strings, from G on the low E string at fret 3 up to B♭ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the low E string at fret 3, the D string at fret 5 and the high e string at fret 3.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 5, 6 | G, A, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 3, 5, 6 | C, D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 5 | F♯, G |
| 3 (G) | 3, 5 | B♭, C |
| 2 (B) | 3, 4 | D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 3, 5, 6 | G, A, B♭ |
G harmonic minor in box 2 runs from fret 5 to fret 8, 16 notes across 6 strings, from A on the low E string at fret 5 up to C on the high e string at fret 8. The root falls on the D string at fret 5 and the B string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 5, 6, 8 | A, B♭, C |
| 5 (A) | 5, 6 | D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 5, 7, 8 | G, A, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 5, 7, 8 | C, D, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 8 | F♯, G |
| 1 (e) | 5, 6, 8 | A, B♭, C |
G 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 A string at fret 10 and the B string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 9, 10 | F♯, G |
| 4 (D) | 8, 10 | B♭, C |
| 3 (G) | 8, 11 | E♭, F♯ |
| 2 (B) | 8, 10, 11 | G, A, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
G harmonic minor in box 4 runs from fret 10 to fret 13, 15 notes across 6 strings, from D on the low E string at fret 10 up to E♭ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the A string at fret 10 and the G string at fret 12.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10, 11 | D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 10, 12, 13 | G, A, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 10, 12, 13 | C, D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 12 | F♯, G |
| 2 (B) | 10, 11, 13 | A, B♭, C |
| 1 (e) | 10, 11 | D, E♭ |
G harmonic minor, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 7 and runs from fret 1 to fret 7, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 3, the D string at fret 5 and the high e string at fret 3.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2, 3, 5 | F♯, G, A |
| 5 (A) | 1, 3, 5 | B♭, C, D |
| 4 (D) | 1, 4, 5 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 3 (G) | 2, 3, 5 | A, B♭, C |
| 2 (B) | 3, 4, 7 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 1 (e) | 3, 5, 6 | G, A, B♭ |
G harmonic minor, position 2 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the root and runs from fret 3 to fret 8, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 3, the D string at fret 5 and the B string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 5, 6 | G, A, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 3, 5, 6 | C, D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 5, 7 | F♯, G, A |
| 3 (G) | 3, 5, 7 | B♭, C, D |
| 2 (B) | 4, 7, 8 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 1 (e) | 5, 6, 8 | A, B♭, C |
G harmonic minor, position 3 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 2 and runs from fret 5 to fret 10, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the D string at fret 5 and the B string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 5, 6, 8 | A, B♭, C |
| 5 (A) | 5, 6, 9 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 4 (D) | 5, 7, 8 | G, A, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 5, 7, 8 | C, D, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 8, 10 | F♯, G, A |
| 1 (e) | 6, 8, 10 | B♭, C, D |
G harmonic minor, position 4 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭3 and runs from fret 6 to fret 11, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 10 and the B string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 8, 10 | B♭, C, D |
| 5 (A) | 6, 9, 10 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 4 (D) | 7, 8, 10 | A, B♭, C |
| 3 (G) | 7, 8, 11 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 2 (B) | 8, 10, 11 | G, A, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
G harmonic minor, position 5 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 4 and runs from fret 8 to fret 14, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 10 and the G string at fret 12.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 9, 10, 12 | F♯, G, A |
| 4 (D) | 8, 10, 12 | B♭, C, D |
| 3 (G) | 8, 11, 12 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 2 (B) | 10, 11, 13 | A, B♭, C |
| 1 (e) | 10, 11, 14 | D, E♭, F♯ |
G harmonic minor, position 6 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 5 and runs from fret 10 to fret 15, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 10, the G string at fret 12 and the high e string at fret 15.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10, 11, 14 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 5 (A) | 10, 12, 13 | G, A, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 10, 12, 13 | C, D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 12, 14 | F♯, G, A |
| 2 (B) | 11, 13, 15 | B♭, C, D |
| 1 (e) | 11, 14, 15 | E♭, F♯, G |
G harmonic minor, position 7 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭6 and runs from fret 11 to fret 17, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 15, the G string at fret 12 and the high e string at fret 15.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 14, 15 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 5 (A) | 12, 13, 15 | A, B♭, C |
| 4 (D) | 12, 13, 16 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 3 (G) | 12, 14, 15 | G, A, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 13, 15, 16 | C, D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 14, 15, 17 | F♯, G, A |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
G harmonic minor contains G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, and F♯. The raised seventh is F♯. The scale has an augmented second between E♭ and F♯.
G harmonic minor fits G minor and G 5th chords. It also works over D major as the dominant. The scale outlines a G minor tonality with a major V chord.
G harmonic minor raises the seventh degree from F to F♯. This creates a leading tone that pulls strongly to the tonic. The natural minor has a whole step between the sixth and seventh degrees.