Hi! This is Paul Huppert with OnLineLessonVideos.com.

In this lesson we’ll be studying all 12 minor keys in harmonic minor form. For those of you who read music, there is downloadable sheet music included with this lesson and for those of you who don’t or just simply want to close or up view of the left hand that will also be done in a slow version for both the scales and the arpeggios. Let’s get started.

The key ingredient in executing a harmonic minor scale is that you raise the seventh step. But one thing that makes harmonic minor easier to remember is that the note or step that is raised in harmonic minor is also remains raised on the decent. So the ascent and the decent are identical in terms of the actual pitches. Let me demonstrate in the key of A minor. We have the first step, second, third, fourth, fifth, now, the sixth step is just like it would be a natural minor. The difference with harmonic is that we raised the seventh. So instead of playing a G natural we play a G sharp and then A.

Let me show that to you again. First step, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, raise the seventh, and then tonic.

[Demonstration]

And the decent is exactly the same

[Demonstration]