Harmonic minor scale

• A Harmonic Minor contains the notes: A B C D E F G#
• Bb Harmonic Minor contains the notes: Bb C Db Eb F Gb A
• D Harmonic Minor contains the notes: D E F G A Bb C#

 i   ii0   III+   iv  V   VI    vii0
Am  Bdim    C+    Dm  E   F    G#dim
Am7 Bm7b5 Cmaj7+5 Dm7 E7 Fmaj7  G#07

Harmonic minor is often used briefly in pieces written in the natural minor scale, if only to play the fully-diminished seventh or dominant fifth chord before resolving back to the tonic. Interesting chromatic effects can be achieved by playing both the seven and the flat seven in a single phrase. Noted guitar bad-ass Yngwie Malmsteen uses the harmonic minor scale all the time.

The harmonic minor scale contains seven modes. They are, from the first up (in the key of A minor):

• Harmonic Minor (I) -- A B C D E F G# A
• Locrian b6 (II) -- B C D E F G# A B
• Ionian Augmented (III) -- C D E F G# A B C
• Dorian #4 (IV) -- D E F G# A B C D
• Phrygian Major (V) -- E F G# A B C D E
• Lydian #2 (VI) -- F G# A B C D E F
• Alt bb7 (VII) -- G# A B C D E F G#

The guitar pattern for the scale is:

======
##|#||
||#|#|
####|#
##|||#
||###|
||||##
||||||
||||||
||||||

The bass pattern for the scale is:

====
##|#
||#|
####
##||
||##
||||
||||
||||
||||

The piano pattern for the scale is:

A  B  C  D  E  F  G# A
1  2  3  1  2  3  4  5

Source: The Keyboard Grimoire (book), Advanced Scale Concepts and Licks for Guitar (book)