Minor Scales: Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic

A musical scale consists of eight notes beginning and ending on the same note. Western music consists of  major scales and minor scales. The Ionian scale, a major scale, is among the most frequently used in Western music.

The key difference between major and minor scaes is that notes on a major scale sound bright and cheerful, while notes on a minor scale sound solemn and sad. There are three types of minor scales: natural, harmonic, and melodic.

Basic Music Terms

• #: Translating to sharp, when the note needs to be raised by one semitone
• B: Meaning flat, the symbol for when the note should be diminished by a single semitone
• Chord: Three to four notes that are played at the same time in harmony
• Clef: The symbol at the start of the staff that defines the pitch of notes
• Major: Music that is described with a positive affirming character
• Minor: Defined by its dark and melancholic mood

Natural Minor Scale

The name notes on the major scale include a natural minor scale, with the exception that it is created from the sixth note on the major scale. When you play all the notes in a minor key signature, you are playing the minor scale. To guide you, here are the minor scales in every key:

C = C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C
D = D - E - F - G - A - Bb - C - D
E = E - F# - G - A - B - C - D - E
F = F - G - Ab - Bb - C - Db - Eb - F
G = G - A - Bb - C - D - Eb - F - G
A = A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A
B = B - C# - D - E - F# - G - A - B
C# = C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A - B - C#
Eb = Eb - F - Gb - Ab - Bb - Cb - Db - Eb
F# = F# - G# - A - B - C# - D - E - F#
G# = G# - A# - B - C# - D# - E - F# - G#
Bb = Bb - C - Db - Eb - F - Gb - Ab - Bb

To simplify, you can memorize this formula to form a minor scale:
whole step - half step - whole step - whole step - half step - whole step - whole step (or)
w - h - w - w - h - w - w

Harmonic Minor Scale

To play a harmonic minor scale, you simply raise the seventh note of the scale by a half-step as you go up and down the scale.

For example:

• Natural C Minor Scale: C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C
• Harmonic C Minor Scale: C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - B - C

Melodic Minor Scale

A melodic minor scale occurs when you raise the sixth and seventh notes of a scale by a half step, as you go up the scale, and then return to the natural minor, as you go down the scale.

For example:

• Melodic C Minor Scale: C - D - Eb - F - G - A - B - C (as you go up the scale)
• Natural C Minor Scale: C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C (as you go down the scale)