How to Play the Harmonic Minor Scale on Guitar
Do you see yourself as a guitarist? Do you often frequent the guitar shops Brisbane? As much as you might like the instrument, understand that the guitar learning lessons are much taxing and you will need your full concentration to master the scales. There are many music shops in Brisbane that have the top of the line guitars and they all look alluring to a newbie guitarist. However, as much as you need to know the right music stores in Brisbane who has the right instruments, you also need to learn how to play them properly.
The first chapter of understanding any music instrument is having a thorough knowledge of the scales. There are plenty of it to learn such as the major scales, pentatonic scales, chords, modes (Mixolydian, Dorian, Phrygian, and more).
Understanding minor scale
As obvious as it sounds, they are the next important scales to the major ones in guitar. They are basically the second mode of the major scale and have a distinct sound. Whether you are playing jazz or neo-classical, the minor scales are must. Because of a similarity with the Middle-Eastern music, they are often nicknamed as Mohammedan scale. You have to learn the minor scale exceptionally well if you are into improvisation of your tool kit.
Harmonic Minor Scale on Guitar
It would be wrong to visit the musical instrument store without having a proper knowledge on the minor and major scales of guitar.
The harmonic minor scale is a 7 note scale which is a derivative of the natural minor scale. The only difference between the two scales is that the 7th scale note of the harmonic minor is one semitone (half-step) up. It is widely used in creating Jewish, jazz, folk, Neoclassical, metal, and Flamenco music.
Just like all other musical scales, there is a scale degree formula and semitone and tone interval formula which goes as –
Harmonic minor scale formula:
1 – 2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – b6 – 7
Harmonic minor interval formula where T = tone and S = Semitone:
T – S – T – T – S – T½ – S
Here’s the formula shown in whole and half steps:
W – H – W – W – H – W½ – H
Recognise a Relative Minor Scale
The minor relative scale is formed starting from the 6th degree of the major scale. There are three semitones between the tonic (the first note) and the third. When you find the third note as minor, it’s almost always a minor scale. And, the same theory can be used to find all the minor relative scales. You can find three minor scales each with their own structure but all of them have a similar tone. If you are visiting any Brisbane store for music instrument, you can try the guitars and their minor scales to pick the right one. The right scale and chord is perfect for improvising.
Harmonic Minor Scale Exercises
The ideal way to master the harmonic minor scale is to practice it, over and over again. Usually, the guitarists will start with E harmonic minor scale and go in an ascending order. You can surf the effect by adding in tremolo picking for a sometime.
Reach out to the biggest music shop in Brisbane and the experts will tell you how to learn one scale pattern at a time.