More On Minors

Ok, now that we've learned the relationship between major and minor scales, let's take a look at the three different types of minor scales: natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor.

In the last post we worked with the natural minor scale. In C major scale the relative minor is A minor - A being the 6th tone of the C major scale.

Let's review:

C major scale:

C    D    E    F    G    A    B    C                                                                                                                
1     2     3    4     5     6     7     8                                                                                                                

A minor scale:

A    B    C    D    E    F    G    A                                                                                                              
1     2     3     4     5     6     7    8                                                                                                              

Notice that the A minor scale has the same key signature as C major - no sharps or flats.

Let's look at F major and it's relative minor, D minor:

F major scale:

F    G    A    Bb    C    D     E    F                                                                                                            
1     2     3     4      5     6      7     8                                                                                                            

D minor scale:

D    E    F    G    A    Bb    C    D            
1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8

Both of these minor scales are natural minor scales using the same key signature as their relative majors.

The next minor scale we will look at is the harmonic minor scale. It is like the natural minor scale except that the 7th tone is raised 1/2 step:

D harmonic minor scale:

D    E    F    G    A    Bb    C#    D
1     2    3     4     5     6       7      8


Now we come to the melodic minor scale. Again, this minor scale is the same it's natural minor scale but, when ascending, the 6th and 7th tones are raised 1/2 step and, when descending, it is played as a natural minor scale:

D melodic minor scale:

Ascending - D    E    F    G    A    B    C#    D
                     1    2     3    4     5     6     7       8

Descending - D    E    F    G    A    Bb    C    D
                      1     2    3     4     5     6       7     8

Choose your favorite major key, finds its relative minor, and play all three minor scales - natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor. For those of you a little more advanced, try finding places, in songs you know, where you can use one or all three of these minor scales.

Have fun!!!!