How to play A Harmonic Minor Scale

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLOKD6g4xdk[/embedyt]

G’day!

In a previous video, we talked about the theory behind harmonic minor scales – if you missed that, definitely click the link to get all caught up!  Today we’ll look at how to play an A harmonic minor scale – nice and simple and short.

A Harmonic Minor Scale

Sheet Music for A Harmonic Minor Scale

Fur Elise by Beethoven: This piece is in the key of A Harmonic Minor.

Other beginner scales

Below is a list of the other beginner scales we’ve made videos for so far – Everything on this list is 1 octave, and hands separate. For more scales, please visit the “Categories” page.

C major scale (1 octave)

F major scale (1 octave)

A natural minor scale (1 octave)

D major scale (1 octave)

D natural and harmonic minor scale (1 octave)

A major scale (1 octave)

E major scale (1 octave)

Why scales?

Scales are often thought of as tedious and dry, but they’re extremely useful to know and understand as a musician. Knowing scales – and their individual flavors of sharps or flats – allows you to instantly understand key signatures (the sharps/flats that hover at the beginning of a line of music).

Most songs are based on a “key”. For example, if we say a song is in the “Key of C major”, what we’re saying is that it’s based off C major scale, and therefore has no sharps or flats (unless otherwise indicated in the music).

So in the case of A harmonic minor scale, if you see a piece that has no sharps or flats in the key signature, you it’s either in C major – OR A minor. Every major scale has a minor counterpart. For more info on how that works, check out this video on Major and Minor doppelgangers.)

xo,
Allysia