Chords of harmonic minor
Build chords on the degrees of harmonic minor and explain why the dominant is major.
A leading note in minor
In natural minor, degree VII lies a whole tone below the tonic and does not pull towards it. To give minor the same strong pull as major, degree VII is raised by a semitone. That makes harmonic minor: in A minor, G♯.
The raised note is not part of the key signature: it is written as an accidental every time.
A harmonic minor
Practice: Which note is raised?
The triads of the degrees
The raised seventh changes the three triads it belongs to:
Degree Natural Harmonic
III major augmented triad V minor major triad VII major diminished triad
Above all, the dominant becomes major. Its third is the leading note, which rises a semitone to the tonic in a cadence. That is why in minor-key music the dominant is almost always major, and the V7 is built on it.
The triads on every degree of A harmonic minor
A minor dominant → tonic, then a major dominant → tonic
The augmented triad on III is the only "natural" home of that chord in a key. Meeting one in minor, you have almost certainly found the raised seventh.