Harmonic Minor Scale

Hungarian Snake Charmer Solo

Here is something you can play after a few minutes of practice and it will really turn heads. It is the harmonic minor scale and it is probably the least understood of all the common musical scales. Even the name is questionable. I have seen this scale charted out in books and on the internet in several ways and I have seen it called "Hungarian Minor." You may find it but it is generally not "user friendly." I am a pragmatist at many things and learning the intricacies of the guitar is one. "If it feels good do it." If it works, who cares whether it is done with tablature or notes or some other mysterious method.

The “C” harmonic minor scale is made up of the following notes: C D Eb F G Ab B and C. (see diagram) the scale has a very “eastern” sound which accounts for its nickname--"snake charmer scale." When you listen to songs of the late 60’s and early 70’s it is often heard and the reason for its popularity is quite interesting. In 1968 the Beatles traveled to India and fell under the influence of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. They even went so far as to become disciples of the Yogi. The Beatles were certainly trend setters and their Indian influence was no exception. Other rock musicians and singers made the trip and it wasn’t long before the “eastern sound” started to be heard in the popular songs of the day. The Beatles recorded their “White Album” at this time. Robby Krieger of the Doors gave us “Take It As It Comes.” Jethro Tull recorded “Bungle In The Jungle” which certainly has an “eastern” flavor. There is some question regarding “Kashmir” which was written and recorded by Led Zeppelin in 1975. According to undocumented information I have read, Robert Plant wrote the lyrics to “Kashmir” as he was traveling through the Saraha Desert. Nevertheless, the harmonic minor scale was evident in many of the songs of that era. Whether the various rock stars made their way to India, studied eastern religions, or were merely influenced by what they were hearing in popular songs, is debatable. If nothing else they were all plausible explanations of the “snake charmer “ music that was so obvious at that time.

The scale sounds especially good over these chords: Am Bb F G and C. Have a fellow picker play a measure of Am followed by a measure of Bb and continue with that as you improvise in the “C Harmonic Minor” scale. I numbered the notes that are good to play over these chords. Mix them up at random if you like but I will give you a couple of interesting sequences here. Play the following notes in the order I suggest: 14, 15, 17, 18, 17, 15, 14. Try it several times. After you have memorized the pattern, try it with notes 6, 7, 9, 10, 9, 7, and 6. After you get this going go ahead and include the rest of the notes just as you would when improvising with any scale. If you are in a band and like to take lengthy guitar solos, just signal your bass player to move into Am etc.as you ilmprovise using the "harmonic minor" scale.

Harmonic Minor Scale