The 7th note (leading note) is raised by a semitone in a harmonic minor scale.
Chat with our AI personalities
All harmonic minor scales have the pattern of tone-semitone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone (raised 7th)-semitone. Therefore, D harmonic minor has the notes of D, E, F, G, A, B flat, C# (raised 7th), D.
Both of them are diatonic scales. Major scale is written as per key signature. Harmonic minor scales have a raised 7th. The semitone leaps in these scales are different.
In a harmonic minor scale, the 7th note is up one semitone ascending and descending. In a melodic minor scale, the 6th and 7th note is up one semitone ascending, and back to the natural minor scale descending.
The difference between a melodic minor scale and a harmonic minor scale is that in a melodic minor scale, the sixth and seventh scale degrees are raised on the way up, and on the way down they are the same as they would be in natural minor. In a harmonic minor scale, only the seventh scale degree is raised and stays the same on the way down.
Harmonic minor scale has a raised 7th in both ascending and descending scales. Melodic minor has raised 6th and 7th in ascending scale. It is similar to natural minor in descending scale.