About the F sharp Harmonic Minor b5 scale
F sharp Harmonic Minor b5 is used for jazz and film scoring that wants a dark, unsettled color. Think of it as a harmonic minor with a lowered fifth, tense and exotic.
Its notes are F♯, G♯, A, B, C, D, and E♯. The formula is W H W H W 1½ H.
Two of the notes in F♯ Harmonic Minor ♭5 are black keys, F♯ and G♯. Ascending through the scale, five white keys fall in a row.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | F#F♯ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | G#G♯ | Major 2nd |
| 3 | AA | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | BB | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | CC | Diminished 5th |
| 6 | DD | Minor 6th |
| 7 | E#E♯ | Major 7th |
| Steps | W H W H W 1½ H |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-1-2-1-2-3-1 |
| Degrees | 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7 |
Fingering
Suggested fingering, follows standard fingering rules
| Hand | F sharp | G sharp | A | B | C | D | E sharp | F sharp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Left hand | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Harmonic Minor b5 in other keys
C Harmonic Minor b5 scaleC sharp Harmonic Minor b5 scaleD Harmonic Minor b5 scaleD sharp Harmonic Minor b5 scaleE Harmonic Minor b5 scaleF Harmonic Minor b5 scaleG Harmonic Minor b5 scaleG sharp Harmonic Minor b5 scaleA Harmonic Minor b5 scaleA sharp Harmonic Minor b5 scaleB Harmonic Minor b5 scale
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.