The Lesson steps then describe how to identify the F-flat melodic minor scale note interval positions, choose the note names and scale degree names.. For a quick summary of this topic, have a look at Melodic minor scale. The red-headed stepchild of minor scales.. unless you’re a Jazz or Classical player that is. The Major scale formula = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 C major scale = C D E F G A B The Minor Pentatonic scale formula = 1 b3 4 5 b7 C Minor Pentatonic = C Eb F G Bb So you play the first note of the major scale, then the third note lowered by a half step, the fourth note, the fifth note and the seventh note lowered by a half step. For some pieces you may want to stick with one scale and its endemic modes/positions, but for most musically intensive compositions, switching scales and modes is not only a common thing to do, it is generally encouraged and might sound a bit odd if you don’t change scales/tonal centers over the course of a piece. Very interesting that it contains two Dominant 7th chords, the Modes from the scale that relate to each have very different flavours! The Solution below shows the A melodic minor scale notes, intervals and scale degrees on the piano, treble clef and bass clef.. A melodic minor is almost the same as A major). Listen in! The "A" natural minor scale uses only the white keys: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The interval formula for a natural minor scale is as follows: The natural minor scale has a constant relationship with a specific major scale and that relationship will be studied in detail next week. It is the most commonly used minor scale for improvisation in jazz music. In our example above using the F major scale, this means we will be lowering the A (the 3rd) to Ab, the D (the 6th) to Db, and the E (the 7th) to Eb. Images can be saved for free to find out how click here Read Me. F-flat melodic minor scale. One is the ascending version and one is for the descending version. Just as there is a major scale that uses nothing but the white keys of the keyboard, there is a natural minor scale that uses only the white keys. We tend to say that major scales have a ‘happier’ and ‘cheerier’ sound, whereas minor scales have If it had eight, there would be an extra note, and extra half steps. These can be described as intervals, as semi-notes or steps on the guitar fingerboard, written as 2 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 1 from the first note to the next octave. The B Melodic Minor is one of three B Minor scales, the other two are B … The Lesson steps then describe how to identify the A melodic minor scale note interval positions, choose the note names and scale degree names.. For a quick summary of this topic, have a look at Melodic minor scale. There is another way to discover the natural minor scale. Traditionally, these two forms are referred to as: Ascending and Descending: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7: A B C D E F G. One of the easiest mistakes to make is that, for whatever reason, you have to either be in the natural minor scale or the harmonic minor scale, and can’t be in both – or that we have to be in the melodic minor scale the entire time, and never in the harmonic minor scale, for instance. of the scale. Our scale will probably have seven notes. For example: the notes of the A natural minor scale are exactly the same as the notes of the C major scale, the A natural minor scale only starts on the A instea… Click here to see how your donation will help the site. Formula: 1-b2-b3-4-5-b6-b7-8 (Emin7 or G7(b9)sus) It’s also important to note that in jazz, the melodic minor is generally only applied in its ascended form, known as the “jazz minor scale”, and in these situations, it would be played the same ascending and descending: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 (or a major scale with a b3). Scale Formula. For instance, we may be headed to A major from A minor, and when this is occurring, switching to an A melodic minor scale would be very appropriate, as it can be used as a transitory scale between the two parallel modes: A major and A minor. Hopefully this helps to explain the versatility of the melodic minor scale and demonstrates several functions that can be applied across the board when working with any scale or chord progression. What's interesting about this scale is that it's different going up than it is coming down. The most difficult of these three minor scales is the melodic minor scale. There is some inconsistency as to how the melodic minor scale is used. Minor scales provide a darker, and often more complex sound than major scales. Please leave a like :) Support me - buy me a cuppa! 6 – Play a vertical A major scale on the spot using your memorized major scale formula. Don't forget the ∆ means Major, - means Minor, had to use shorthand here to fit the chord names in! If you’re a rock, metal, blues or country player you probably avoid this scale like the plague.. if you’ve ever even learned it at all. The formula for a melodic minor scale is whole step – half step – whole step – whole step – whole step – whole step – half step. The Melodic Minor Scale is a Major Scale with a flat 3rd (b3) and it's used mostly in it's modal forms of the Altered Scale (Superlocrian) and the funky Lydian Dominant. And in the case of the minor scales, this is even more so:  An A minor chord is: A C E, and ALL 3 minor scales (natural, harmonic, and melodic) can work over that chord, depending on the setting. "Downwards" the melodic minor is pratically the "normal" minor scale: C melodic minor: C D Eb F G A B C <-> C Bb Ab G F Eb D C. However, it's useful to know one thing: C major and C minor aren't a "pair". C harmonic minor: C D Eb F G Ab B . Today this scale, like the harmonic Major scale, is used in Jazz Music. In the melodic minor scale ascending, the half steps occur between 2-3 and 7-8. Melodic minor scale - has 2 forms: ascending and descending. W-H-W-W-W-W-H The descending formula is the natural minor scale formula backwards. It is important to note that in classical music, musicians will alter the melodic minor scale while descending. http://paypal.me/huwrees/2 Download/listen to my songs for free! The chords in the "Key Of C Major", that is the chords that can be made using only notes of the C Major Scale are: Shown are Triads (3 note chords) and Quadads (4 note chords), there are many hundreds more chords that can be built from this scale but these are by far the most commonly used. They will play the flattened three when ascending the scale but will flatten the 6 and 7 th when descending.. For jazz players, the scale is the same both ways (just the flattened 3 rd), so you don’t have to worry about any changes while descending this scale. The Dorian minor scale as a b3, natural 6, and b7. Next time we will wrap up our mini-series on music theory by taking a look at chord substitutions and their function within this realm. Formula: Whole, Half, Whole, Whole, Whole, Whole, Half. b3 (flat three) means you take the third note of the major scale only a half step … The melodic minor is the last one and a bit more complicated in that it has two different formulas. The formula for the melodic minor scale is: W-h-W-W-W-W-h Here is this scale displayed on one string of the guitar fretboard. The melodic minor scale can be a great tool to conceptualize some of these sounds. This scale is essentially a diatonic major scale with a lowered third, for example C–D–E ♭ –F–G–A–B–C. In Classical music theory the melodic minor and natural minor are combined into one scale. The melodic minor scale is one of the most useful scales in jazz. The scale formula for the major scale must be memorised, ... of the minor scale - enabling a Perfect Cadence ... You could use the C Harmonic Minor Scale to improvise over any or all of these chords but there are likely to be more melodic choices. The melodic minor scale, as it's name implies, is used mainly in melodic lines. (W-H-W-W-W-W-H) The descending formula is the natural minor scale formula backwards. Where the harmonic minor retains the b6 (flat 6) of the natural minor scale, creating the sometimes unwanted, augmented 2nd, the melodic minor takes the 6 from the major scale, fixing this problem (if it is one). Just as we get more and more skilled with writing nice chord progressions, we want to get just as skilled with our melodic writing as well. 3 – Write down and play a C major scale, vertical approach (played across multiple strings) 4 – Build a pentatonic minor scale on a single string. This is because the composers wanted to smooth out the leading tone, instead of leaping a whole step and half. This is because the upper parts in both scales are the same. The secret to understanding them is by paying attention to the first part of the scale. Because of this, understanding which of these two scales is minor and which is major can be tricky. The B Melodic Minor scale consists of seven notes. The melodic Major scale was used in Eastern European folk melodies, but was ignored by most classical composers. In any melodic minor key, the major b6 pentatonic is derived from the mixolydian b6 mode. The ascending form has half steps between 2-3 and 7-8. The melodic minor scale is formed by using both of these solutions. If we know the intervals of melodic minor we can find out which melodic minor parent key (or scale… Note the I chord, is a minor chord with a Major 7th, quite a dissonant one, usually a passing chord. The Solution below shows the Fb melodic minor scale notes, intervals and scale degrees on the piano, treble clef and bass clef.. Welcome to episode 86 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about the modes of the melodic minor scale and how you can use them to improvise over 7 different chords. In … And here is the harmonic and natural minor again for comparison: Ascending and Descending: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7: A B C D E F G#. Scales are always compared to the Major Scale to find the intervals used. Previously, we learned about the musical alphabet and the major scale.The quality of the scale (major) is determined by the notes in it and their relationship to the tonic A word describing the tonal center of a piece of music, with other tones resolving to this note. For most rock and popular music, you won’t switch keys or scales that frequently, but even in more accessible styles of music, a little bit of derivation can go a long way. We want to get to a point where we are able to switch scales just as easily and smoothly as we can switch chords. One thing that has helped me is to think of scales like we think of chords: often and almost always changing. Descending: b7 b6 5 4 b3 2 1: G F E D C B A. It is derived from the Major scale with a flattened 3rd but can also be thought of as a Natural Minor Scale with a raised 6th and 7th degree. The formula describes the interval distances between each note of the scale. Study the first one starting on Bb. A melodic minor scale. How to Use The Pentatonics of Melodic Minor: Major b6 Pentatonic. The formula for the melodic minor scale is played with the 6th and 7th notes each going up an additional half-step as the notes ascend. The melodic minor is used when ascending the scale, the natural minor is used when descending the scale. Also, most of the time when we refer to a ‘minor' scale we're generally referring to the natural minor.