Measuring the Distance between Pitches with Intervals, Understanding Simple and Compound Time Signatures. Holly Day's work has appeared in Guitar One Magazine, Music Alive!, culturefront Magazine, and Brutarian Magazine. But the truth is that the arrangements and tones (or note sounds) available in the minor scales — divided, according to composition, into the natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales — can be much more flexible for a composer to use than the major scales alone. However, keep in mind that they return to the natural minor when going down the scale.
In order to build an A Harmonic Minor Scale we simply play the natural minor scale, but raise the 7th note. The pattern above includes a fret number. You just position the pattern shown below over the root (tonic) position that you want to play in. The minor scale is the scale which sounds negative – it is used by composers to depict sad, melancholic or even angry/dramatic moods. Let’s have a look at a couple of examples: Have a look at the sheet music for the A Melodic Minor Scale: To play the scale for A harmonic minor on the piano, you put the scale together as shown below. The harmonic minor scale (or Aeolian ♯7 scale) has the same notes as the natural minor scale except that the seventh degree is raised by one semitone, creating an augmented second between the sixth and seventh degrees. It occurs when the 7th note of the natural minor scale is raised by a half step. Look at a keyboard and play a scale (of all the white notes) starting on A and going up until you reach the A above it (I have highlighted these notes in red on the keyboard above). On the way up you need to raise each of the 6th and the 7th notes by a semitone (half tone). It is the same pattern of notes when going up the scale as when going down the scale. This will mean that you can easily check whether you are playing the scales correctly. It occurs when the 7th note of the natural minor scale is raised by a half step. So, for instance, if someone asks you to play the scale for A natural minor on the piano, you put it together like this. So the third is always lowered in comparison to the major scale. The minor scale is the scale which sounds negative – it is used by composers to depict sad, melancholic or even angry/dramatic moods. However, there are in fact 3 minor scales which you will come across and can use: Each scale sounds similarly “minor-like”, but they each also have their own unique flavour. The melodic minor scale is derived from the natural minor scale. Just as with major scales, to play natural minor scales on the guitar, you simply move the pattern along the neck of the guitar to build whatever minor scale you’d like. WHWWHWW. When you hear the term minor scales, you may be led to believe that this set of scales is much less important than the grand collection of major scales. In piano scales, two main scales are the major and minor scales. When writing music in the melodic minor scale, composers write out the song using the natural minor pattern, and then they add the accidentals that modify any ascending 6th and 7th notes afterward. Let’s have a listen to how it sounds: Remember, the melodic minor is only used on the ascending scale. Here are all the minor scales (natural, harmonic and melodic) for you to have a go at. Please check your email inbox for a confirmation email to access the FREE resources.. we respect your privacy and will never share your email address with 3rd parties. Click on the image to download the PDF file.
However, there are in fact 3 minor scales which you will come across and can use:. So, in order to play a D Natural Minor Scale we play all the white notes starting on D except for B (which we replace with a B Flat): Have a look/listen to the D Natural Minor Scale: The harmonic minor scale has a slightly more intense feel to it than the natural minor scale. It follows a set pattern of note intervals. The natural minor scale is the most basic form of the minor scale. Natural minor scales follow the interval pattern of WHWWHWW, which translates into Whole step Half step Whole step Whole step Half step Whole step Whole step. Here is a Harmonic Minor scale starting on F: Melodic Minor. Your first note is indicated by the 1 shown on the first E string. I have added piano fingering marks for the right hand to the sheet music to help you. As always, the key is determined by the first and last notes of the scale, so if someone asks you to play an A harmonic minor scale on the guitar, you play this. Scales in which the 6th and 7th degrees are flat in natural minor require naturals to raise those two degrees. The same pattern also applies for each note up and down the guitar neck. And, of course, for the descending notes on both the piano and guitar you revert to A natural minor. Let’s have a look at each minor scale in turn. Try to remember this pattern. Thank you for subscribing. It’s easy to work out any harmonic minor scale. Now raise the 7th note by another semitone so the pattern becomes: The natural minor scale follows the notes set out in the key signature for the scale without any changes. To play an A melodic minor scale ascending on the guitar, you play it like this. The Minor Scale can be thought of as whole step - half step - whole step - whole step - half step - whole step - whole step. You can see from the sheet music below how the 7th note of the scale (G) has been raised a semitone (half tone) to become G sharp: Move it around to a different root to play the scale for that note. Minor scales are an important part of music theory. Natural minor scales on the guitar follow the pattern shown below. Simply work out the natural minor using the set minor scale intervals outlined above (Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone). Major and minor scales are variations of the diatonic scale, which is a musical scale built with intervals of 5 whole steps and 2 half steps.The diatonic pattern is as follows: Share this post:
This set pattern of note intervals beginning on D leads us to a scale with all white notes except for a B Flat instead of a B natural: Another way to think of the notes is in numbers - the first note C=1 and the second note D=2 and the third note in the scale Eb=3 and so on. When coming down the scale you use the natural minor. As a young kid I underestimated the knowledge of music theory.
The Melodic Minor scale is different because when we go up the scale we use one pattern and when we go down the scale we use another. on Google+, Ben Dunnett LRSM is the founder of Music Theory Academy. Having fun with harmonic minor scales on piano and guitar.
Come back down again and you have just played the descending A Natural Minor Scale. You have just played an ascending A Natural Minor Scale. ). The Harmonic Minor scale has the following pattern of half-steps, whole-steps and one augmented second (A2): W-H-W-W-H-A2-H. In the melodic minor scale, the 6th degree is called the submediant. Once I learned how to build chords of a major or minor scale, the logic of chord progressions made much more sense. If someone asks you to play an A minor scale on the guitar, for example, you play the pattern below. The natural minor scale is the most basic form of the minor scale. He is a music teacher, examiner, composer and pianist with over twenty years experience in music education. The first note (and last) in the scale determines the scale name. The ascending pattern is: W-H-W-W-W-W-H. Each of the eight notes in a minor scale has a name: In the harmonic and melodic minor scales, the 7th degree is called the leading tone. This tells you at which fret you should position your hand in order to play a specific scale (in this case an F pentatonic minor). The harmonic minor scale is a variation of the natural minor scale. Subscribe to our mailing list and get FREE music resources to your email inbox. The natural minor scale follows the notes set out in the key signature for the scale without any changes. Notice how the piano scale changes when you add a half step to both the 6th and 7th degrees. It follows a set pattern of note intervals. The harmonic minor scale is a variation of the natural minor scale. The wonderful thing about the guitar is that you have to memorize only one pattern for each type of scale and you’re set. Play the notes in the number order shown. Not all scale patterns provide a fret number. All minor scales have a half step between the 2nd and the 3rd of that scale/key - that is the pattern and what you feel/hear as "minor" when you play a 3 note simple chord with the root/third/fifth. If someone asks you to play an A minor scale on the guitar, for example, you play the pattern below. To play an A melodic minor scale ascending (going up) the piano, you play what’s shown below. Hopefully this lesson has helped you understand the 3 different minor scales. The audio examples play all 3 minor scales in turn – the natural is 1st, then the harmonic and finally the melodic. Let’s have a look at two examples of natural minor scales: The key signature of A minor tells us that there are no sharps or flats (in other words, you play all the white notes on a keyboard and none of the black notes). Or you may think the minor scales are only for sad, sappy songs.