Editing Minor scale (section)

===Construction===
{{Image frame|content=<score sound="1" override_midi="Schumann First Symphony harmonic minor example.mid">
\relative c {
   \clef bass 
   \time 2/2
   \key g \minor
   \tempo "Allegro"
   g2 a bes4 c2 d4 es2 fis g1
}
</score>|width=360|caption=Theme in harmonic minor from the opening of [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]]'s [[Symphony No. 1 (Schumann)|First Symphony]] (1841)<ref name=Forte>[[Allen Forte|Forte, Allen]] (1979). ''Tonal Harmony'', p. 13. Third edition. Holt, Rinhart, and Winston. {{ISBN|0-03-020756-8}}.</ref>}}The '''harmonic minor scale''' (or Aeolian {{music|natural}}7 scale) has the same notes as the natural minor scale except that the seventh degree is raised by one [[semitone]], creating an [[augmented second]] between the sixth and seventh degrees.

:<score sound="1"> {
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c' { 
  \clef treble \time 7/4
  a4^\markup { A harmonic minor scale } b c d e f gis a2 }
}
</score>
Thus, a harmonic minor scale is represented by the following notation:

: 1, 2, {{music|b}}3, 4, 5, {{music|b}}6, 7, 8
A harmonic minor scale can be built by lowering the 3rd and 6th degrees of the parallel major scale by one semitone.

Because of this construction, the 7th degree of the harmonic minor scale functions as a [[leading tone]] to the [[Tonic (music)|tonic]] because it is a ''semitone'' lower than the tonic, rather than a ''whole tone'' lower than the tonic as it is in natural minor scales.