Other Minor Scales

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The natural or pure minor scale discussed earlier is one of three forms of the minor scale used in Western harmony. The other forms are the harmonic minor and the melodic minor. These are covered in this section.

In the section on seventh chords, it was observed that a dominant seventh chord built on the fifth degree of a major scale tends to resolve to the major chord built on the first degree of that scale. For example, here is a G7 chord resolving to a C major chord, which are the fifth and first degrees respectively of the C major scale:

[EXAMPLE]

In the pure minor scale, the chord built on the fifth degree is not a dominant seventh chord but a minor seventh chord. For example, in the key of C minor, the fifth degree is G, but if we take every other scale tone, we end up with a Gm7 rather than G7, because the C minor scale contains a Bb rather than a B:

[EXAMPLE]

The resolution of Gm7 to Cm sounds like this:

[EXAMPLE]

While there is nothing wrong with this sound, the sound of a dominant seventh resolving to the tonic is stronger to Western ears; it has more of a sense of finality to it. For example, here is a G7 chord resolving to Cm:

[EXAMPLE]

In order to have a G7 chord in the key of C minor, we need to alter the scale to include a B rather than a Bb. The resulting scale is thus:

[EXAMPLE]

This scale is called the harmonic minor because it yields more satisfactory harmonies than the natural minor scale in that it has a dominant seventh chord on its fifth degree.

This scale does contain an awkward melodic interval, however - the augmented second between the sixth and seventh degrees. In order to produce more satisfactory melodies, the sixth degree may be raised a half step as well. For example, in the key of C minor, the Ab may be raised to A:

[EXAMPLE]

The resulting scale is called the melodic minor.

In classical harmony, a distinction is made between the ascending melodic minor and the descending melodic minor. The scale shown above is used when ascending, but when descending, the natural minor scale is used:

[EXAMPLE]

In jazz the term melodic minor is applied to the ascending form of the classical melodic minor, whether the scale is played up or down. In both classical and jazz music, however, a piece in a minor key indeed will tend to use the raised sixth and seventh degrees most often when the melodic line is ascending. This is because the reason for raising the seventh to begin with is to create a dominant seventh chord on the fifth degree to resolve to the minor chord on the first degree, and when doing this, the seventh degree of the scale - which is the third of the dominant seventh chord - tends to resolve upward to the root of the following chord:

[EXAMPLE]

The raised seventh degree of these minor scales is referred to as the leading tone, just as the seventh degree of the major scale is. And to avoid the augmented second, the sixth is often raised when it immediately precedes the leading tone. Thus the melodic minor scale is often used in ascending melodies over a dominant seventh to tonic resolution.

In other situations, even when the melody is ascending or descending, there is less of a need to raise the seventh, so the sixth is not raised either. For example, here is an ascending melody in C minor that uses the sixth and seventh degrees, but does not involve a G7 resolving to Cm, so the sixth and seventh degrees are left in their natural state:

[EXAMPLE]

Descending melodies that involve the sixth or seventh are rarely involved in a dominant to tonic resolution because, as observed above, the seventh would then tend to resolve upwards. Therefore, descending melodies normally use the natural minor scale:

[EXAMPLE]

It is worth noting at this point that theory of this nature is not arbitrary; it is intended to explain what ears accustomed to major scale harmony will expect of minor scales. In improvisation, one rarely needs to think about this aspect of music theory. What is more important - as with most aspects of theory, for that matter - is to be able to hear and play the sounds these scales represent.

Copyright 2000 Outside Shore Music
Authored by Marc Sabatella

Other Minor Scales