A# Harmonic Minor Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Baritone (B Standard) tuning — fretboard diagram
A# Harmonic Minor in Baritone (B Standard) — Notes and Intervals
The A# Harmonic Minor scale is a variation of the minor scale that introduces a strong leading tone. On Guitar, the notes are A#, C, C#, D#, F, F#, A. It has a distinctive exotic or Middle Eastern flavor due to the wide gap between its upper notes, and is used to provide the harmonic tension necessary for classical minor-key resolutions. It is a staple in neo-classical metal and flamenco. The diatonic chords of A# Harmonic Minor are A#mMaj7, Cm7b5, C#+maj7, D#m7, F7, F#maj7, Ao7. Commonly used in Metal, Classical, Flamenco, Film Scores, Neoclassical. Notable players include Yngwie Malmsteen, Ritchie Blackmore, Johann Sebastian Bach. Use over m(Maj7), m7, dim7 chords. Essential for creating V7 → i resolutions in minor keys. The raised 7th provides the leading tone that natural minor lacks.
Notes: A#, C, C#, D#, F, F#, A
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 4P, 5P, 6m, 7M
Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7
Formula: W-H-W-W-H-WH-H
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Baritone (B Standard) (B-E-A-D-F#-B)
Diatonic Chords
A♯mMaj7 — Cm7♭5 — C♯+maj7 — D♯m7 — F7 — F♯maj7 — Ao7
About Baritone (B Standard) Tuning
The baritone guitar is tuned a perfect fourth lower than standard guitar (B-E-A-D-F#-B), producing a distinctly beefy tone with serious low-end depth that sits perfectly between guitar and bass. Its rich, dark voice has made it a secret weapon in film scoring, ambient music, and moody songwriting where you need that unmistakable low-end warmth without losing clarity.
Unlike simply tuning a standard guitar down (which causes floppy strings and muddy tone), the baritone guitar uses a longer scale length (typically 27"-30") designed specifically for lower tunings. This gives each note clarity and definition even in the lowest register. Session musicians, film composers, and bedroom producers alike reach for the baritone when they need dark, atmospheric textures, doom-laden riffs, or simply a different sonic palette that standard guitar can't deliver.
Notable artists: Pat Metheny, Nels Cline, Brian Setzer, Baritone session players in Nashville
Best for: Moody songwriting, film scoring, ambient textures, doom metal, and any production that needs low-end depth with clarity
Musical Character
The augmented 2nd interval between the b6 and natural 7 creates an exotic 'Middle Eastern' leap that is both the scale's signature sound and its main challenge for smooth phrasing.
Chord Progressions Using This Scale
- i – VII – VI – V (Andalusian Cadence)World / Flamenco — Tension & Drama