Minor scales · G sharp harmonic minor
G♯ harmonic minor scale
The G♯ harmonic minor scale (G sharp harmonic minor) is G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E F𝄪 G♯. It uses the key signature of B major, five sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ and A♯), and raises the seventh note with an accidental. Here it is for both hands with the standard fingering.
- 5 sharps: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯
- Relative major: B major
- RH 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3
- LH 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3
Listen with the cursor following the notes, or play along: the music waits for each note, and the keys show which finger to use.
The notes
G♯ minor has five sharps, the key signature of B major, its relative major.
| Degree | Note | Right hand | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tonic | G♯ | 3 | 3 |
| 2Supertonic | A♯ | 4 | 2 |
| 3Mediant | B | 1 | 1 |
| 4Subdominant | C♯ | 2 | 3 |
| 5Dominant | D♯ | 3 | 2 |
| 6Submediant | E | 1 | 1 |
| 7Leading note | F𝄪 | 2 | 4 |
| 8Tonic | G♯ | 3 | 3 |
Key signature
G♯ minor has five sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ and A♯) in its key signature, the same as B major, its relative major. The harmonic minor adds one accidental, the raised seventh, F𝄪, which is written in each time it comes.
What makes it harmonic minor
The harmonic minor is the natural minor with its seventh raised a half step, F♯ to F𝄪, written as an accidental (the key signature stays B major’s). The raised seventh is a leading note: a half step below the tonic, it pulls up to G♯, and it gives the key its major chord on the fifth note.
That leaves a step and a half between the sixth and seventh notes, E to F𝄪 (an augmented second), the gap that gives the harmonic minor its sound. Watch it under the fingers: 1–2 in the right hand and 1–4 in the left hand going up.
Fingering
Right hand: 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 going up. Going up, the thumb passes under the fourth finger from A♯ to B and the thumb passes under the third finger from D♯ to E. The fourth finger plays A♯: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is.
Left hand: 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 going up. Going up, the third finger crosses over the thumb from B to C♯ and the fourth finger crosses over the thumb from E to F𝄪. The fourth finger plays F𝄪: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is.
The right hand starts on its third finger, with the fourth on A♯ and the thumbs on B and E. The left hand goes 3 2 1, 3 2 1, then crosses its fourth finger onto the seventh note.
Chords in G♯ minor
The triads built on each note of the harmonic minor. Its raised seventh makes the chord on the fifth note major, the V that leads home in most minor-key music.
- i G♯ minor
- ii° A♯ diminished
- III+ B augmented
- iv C♯ minor
- V D♯ major
- VI E major
- vii° F𝄪 diminished
Music in G♯ minor
- Liszt’s “La Campanella”
- Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G♯ minor, Op. 32 No. 12
How to practise it
- Hands separately first, slowly, saying the finger numbers. Fingering learned slowly stays; fingering found at speed changes every time.
- Practise the thumb crossings alone: play just the notes either side of each crossing, back and forth, until the thumb is in place before it’s needed.
- Then hands together, one octave, then two. The hands cross their thumbs at different places, which is what makes scales hands together hard at first.
- Use “Play along” above: it waits for each note, so you can check every note and finger at your own pace. Then Listen at ♩ = 72 and play with it.
Quick answers
- What are the notes of the G sharp harmonic minor scale?
- G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E F𝄪 G♯.
- What is the fingering for the G sharp harmonic minor scale?
- Right hand 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3, left hand 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3, going up one octave from G♯ (1 is the thumb). Coming down, the same fingers in reverse.
- What key signature does G♯ minor have?
- Five sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ and A♯), the same as its relative major, B major.
Scales, then real music
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