Melodic Minor Scale from Music Theory Essentials: Chords, Scales and Modes with Tomas George | CreativeLive (2024)

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Melodic Minor Scale

OK, let's now have a look at the melodic minor scale. So previously, we had a look at the harmonic minor scale. So let's just play this back quickly. So this actually has this leading note here, this B to ac. So when we play this B, it adds tension and then it resolves into the C and we know that C is the tonic. There is one problem though with this harmonic minor scale and that's the gap between this a flat and the B. So the gap between the sixth and the seventh is actually a tone and a half, it's three semitones. So this is where this big jump that can create a kind of strange sound comes from is the difference between the sixth and the seventh. So what we do for a melodic minus scale is we just raise the six up a semitone. So in this case, we raise this a flat up to an A and now we still get the leading note from the seven to the one and we don't really get such a big jump. And if we actually look at this scale, the second half of it is actually a major scale. So we've flattened the...

sixth and the seventh, the notes that changed it from a major scale to a minor scale. We've changed this back to a major scale. Cos if you remember, we turned a major scale to a minor scale by flattening the third, flattening the sixth and flattening the seventh, we've actually sharpened the 6th and 7th back to a major scale. So we've kind of got this hybrid half, minor, half major scale at the moment. But this is one way we can still have that leading note in a minor scale and also get rid of that large jump, get rid of that 1.5 tones to try and make it sound a little less unusual. So we want this when we're ascending when we're going up from the seventh to the first. So this part here, but when we're going down though, when we're descending or going down the scale, we don't necessarily need that leading note anymore. So traditionally, what you do in the melodic minor scale is you go back to the natural minor scale when you're descending. So when you're going down the scale, you go back to the natural minor scale. So when we go down the scale or descend, you can see here that I go back to a natural minor scale, we flatten the seventh again, we flatten the sixth and we still have this flattened third note. So up the scale we sharpen the sixth, sharpen the seventh and down the scale, we flatten the sixth and flatten the seventh. So ascending, it's kind of a hybrid half minor, half major scale, which is why we have this leading note. And we also get rid of that large jump that we created in the harmonic minor scale and descending. We go back to the natural minor scale because we don't need that leading tone. We don't need to lead up because we're going down the scale. So let's just hear this melodic minor scale ascending and then descending. So the melodic minor scale as the name suggests, can be useful for creating melodies. But you can also swap between the harmonic minor, melodic minor and the natural minor scale. It really does depend on what you want to happen in your track. However, if you do want to write chords with this melodic minor scale, the chords are slightly different because we do have this sharpened six note as well. So let's just uh write out some of these chords. So if you do want to know what cords to use for the melodic minor scale, we're going to work them out here. The melodic minor scale is less used than the other ones. However, this is still good to know. So the first chord we have CD E, so we have uh a minor third and then FG. So the first chord, if we work it out ce flat G 123412345. There's a minor cord. The first one's C minor. OK. The next one, D so we have 123, we have an F and then G A normally in a minor scale, this would be a diminished. However, because we've sharpened this sixth note, it creates another minor. So D 123412345, remember four and five is minor. So we have another minor and the third chord we have an E flat and then we count up 1 to 3. We have a G, let me count them again. 45. We have a B natural. Remember not to be flat, a sharpened seventh because we're in this melodic minor scale. So we have a E flat A G and A B. So this is a different chord than what we're used to in the major or natural minor scale. So if we count up 1234512345, we have five and five, which is an augmented chord. So we have E flat augmented. So we've got a strange chord here and the next one we have an F and we count up 3123. We have this major third here because we flatten this six. Remember and then 45, the C so we have an F major chord. 123451234. OK. Next we have a G. So remember the third here is A B so we have a major third and then 45, we have ad here. So we have five and 4123451234. We have a G major. So we have an F before and now a G remember if there's no M sign or diminished or augmented, it just means it's a major chord. OK. Next is this eight and then we count up. So we have a to C. So it's 123. So we have a minor 3rd, 45 to this E flat. And here we have a diminished chord. So the difference between here, 123412344 and four, which is a diminished chords who have a, a dim a diminished. And then the last one here is B, let's just count up. So BC and D minor third there, then 45 to an F. So we have a B ad and F. So if we count up 12341234, another diminished chord. So we have a B diminished. OK. So for chords for ascending in a melodic minor scale, the pattern is minor, minor, augmented, major, major diminished diminished. So that's kind of a strange one, minor minor augmented, major, major diminished diminished. And of course, we go back to the natural minor scale when we're ascending. So let's just work this out quickly. I'm just gonna type in C minor. OK. So the first one's obviously ac, so I'm just sitting around a bit C and then we have a, then you flat, which is here, then we have a G. So the descending, which is the same as the natural minor scale. First one will be C major. The second one, B CD ef So we have a B flat ad and F so 123451234, the B flat major chord. Third one, we have a, a flat. We got up to ac so I'm just stacking this in thirds. So if we look at this here, a flat 123, if we count up 123 and then 45, we have an E flat. So here, let's count up 1234512345 and four. Remember five and four is a major. So we have an A flat and next we have a G. So let's just count at 123. There's B flat here and then 45 to this day. So let's count on here. So we have a G 1234 to this B flat. 12345. Remember form five is a minor. So we have a G minor. And then after this, we have an F, let's just count it 123, this a flat and then 452 C. So here we have a F minor. If we count here, 123412345. So we have four and five, which is a minor. So here we have a F minor. Ok. Next is E flats and let's count up 123 to a G and then 45 to a B flat. So we have an E flat A G and A B flat. So if we count up 1234512345 and four shows a major. So we have a E flats. OK? Then we have ad so if we get 123, we have an F. So we have a minor third there. 450, we have this a flat here. So in my day F and a flat. So you can hear now you should hear that this is not a usual chord, this is a diminished. So if we go 123412344 and four is a diminished. I hope you can hear the difference between this and a minor chord, for example. So we have ad diminished then of course, we end on the C minor. So descending, it's the same as a natural minor scale. But if we just write out the chord types descending now for a melodic minor scale, it goes minor, major, major, minor, minor, major diminished. So for ascending, it's minor minor, augmented, major, major diminished, diminished and descending for a melodic minor scale, the cause will be a minor, a major, major, minor, minor major diminished. So in a melodic minor scale, you would sharpen the 6th and 7th, ascending and then flatten the 6th and 7th descending. That's because ascending, you want that leading note from the seventh to the tonic, that semi to movement, to create that tension, that suspension and then that release, that solidifies the tonic. But when you're descending, you don't need this leading note because you're going down the scale, which is why we revert back to the natural minor scale. So that's the melodic minor scale. It's the least common of the three. However, it still can be quite useful. So, thank you for watching this lecture and I'll see you in the next one.