The Harmonic Minor Scale Explored

Although learning this theory isn't essential in knowing how to use the harmonic minor scale, it can help broaden your understanding of how and when to use the scale.

The illustration above displays a C harmonic minor scale, constrasted against both the major and natural minor scales. Notice the harmonic minor scale differs from the natural minor scale in just one note; the raised seventh. This note contains the strongest color in the scale, in that it carries a certain degree of tension, and should be used with this knowledge in mind. Hanging onto the seventh degree of the scale, then resolving it up a semi-tone to the root is a nice way to create a tension-release scenario when improvising over a minor chord.