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Fig. 1 · Db harmonic minor · first 12 frets

guitar scale

D♭ harmonic minor

D♭1E♭2F♭♭3G♭4A♭5B♭♭♭6C7

Natural minor with the seventh raised, which buys a leading note and pays for it with a step and a half between the sixth and seventh.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are C♯ harmonic minor.

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · Db harmonic minor, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

D♭WE♭HF♭WG♭WA♭HB♭♭W+HCHD♭

What is true of it

D♭ harmonic minor is D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭, B♭♭ and C, and back to D♭.

Its steps are W – H – W – W – H – W+H – H, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Written correctly it needs 7 alterations, B♭♭ among them. That is what the letters force, and it is also why nobody writes music in this key: the same notes spelled from the other side are easier to read.

On the same tonic, D♭ natural minor differs from it by exactly one note.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 45 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

CdimdiminishedCaugaugmentedD♭mminorE♭dimdiminishedE♭m7♭5half-diminished seventhG♭mminorG♭dimdiminishedG♭m7minor seventh

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 7 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on D♭

D♭ natural minorminorD♭ melodic minorminorD♭ majormajorD♭ harmonic majormajorD♭ Dorianmode

C harm minD harm minD♯ harm minE♭ harm minE harm minF harm minF♯ harm minG♭ harm minall 374