Scales
A Harmonic Major Scale
A · B · C# · D · E · F · G#
The major scale with a flattened sixth — brighter than harmonic minor, and stranger than major.
A Harmonic Major Scale
A · B · C# · D · E · F · G#
Fingering on the piano
| Hand | Fingering | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 | A · B · C# · D · E · F · G# · A | |
| Left hand | 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 | A · B · C# · D · E · F · G# · A |
One octave ascending; 1 is the thumb. A standard fingering, not the only one.
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Scale degrees
A Harmonic Major is made of the notes A · B · C# · D · E · F · G#. Each is a degree counted from the tonic, and the gaps between them are the step pattern W W H W H W½ H.
Read on: scale degrees · building any scale
Chords in this key
Stacking thirds on each degree of A Harmonic Major gives the chords of the key; the roman numeral names the degree each is built on.
Related scales
The scales A Harmonic Major shares its notes with: the one it is a rotation of, the relative and parallel keys, the scales inside it and the ones that contain it.
Scales inside it
A Ionian PentatonicA · C# · D · E · G#
Every note of this scale is in A Harmonic Major.
A Flat Six PentatonicA · B · C# · E · F
Every note of this scale is in A Harmonic Major.
Scales that contain it
A Bebop MajorA · B · C# · D · E · E# · F# · G#
Contains every note of A Harmonic Major.
A ChromaticA · Bb · B · C · C# · D · Eb · E · F · F# · G · G#
Contains every note of A Harmonic Major.
Understanding A Harmonic Major
Names and spellings
The harmonic major is the major scale with a flattened sixth. It is sometimes confused with the harmonic minor, which flattens the third as well; the two share their augmented second between the sixth and seventh degrees.
How it is built
On A the scale is A · B · C# · D · E · F · G#, following the step pattern W W H W H W½ H. It is a major scale with the sixth degree lowered a semitone, which opens an augmented second between the sixth and seventh.
It is the mirror of harmonic minor: where that raises the seventh of a minor scale, this lowers the sixth of a major one, and both end up with the same distinctive three-semitone gap.
How it is used
The flattened sixth is a borrowed note, so the scale is a compact way to write the modal-interchange sound of a major key leaning briefly toward its parallel minor.
Harmonising it produces a minor iv chord inside a major key, which is one of the most recognisable devices in pop songwriting.
Learn this properly
Chapter 14: Chromatic HarmonyCommon questions
- What notes are in the A Harmonic Major?
- The A Harmonic Major contains A · B · C# · D · E · F · G#. Find every scale that contains these notes with the scale finder.
- How is harmonic major different from harmonic minor?
- Harmonic major is a major scale with a flattened sixth; harmonic minor is a minor scale with a raised seventh. Both contain an augmented second.
- What chord does harmonic major produce?
- Among others, a minor iv in a major key — the borrowed chord behind a great deal of pop songwriting.
- How do I play A Harmonic Major?
- On guitar start with the 1st position, played from the lowest string upward; the instrument panel on this page shows its frets and the positions further up the neck. On the piano the right hand ascends 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5, with 1 as the thumb. Every position plays when you press it.
- What chords are in the key of A Harmonic Major?
- Stacking thirds on each degree of A Harmonic Major gives A (I), Bdim (ii°), C#m (iii), Dm (iv), E (V), Faug (VI+), G#dim (vii°). These are the diatonic chords of the key, the ones a song in this key uses most; the harmony band on this page lists them with the seventh chords built the same way.