The formula for a melodic minor scale is whole step – half step – whole step – whole step – whole step – whole step – half step. The notes of the C melodic minor scale descending are: C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C (C natural minor scale). The notes of the C melodic minor scale ascending are: C, D, Eb, F, G, A, B, C. C Melodic Minor Scaleįor the melodic minor scale, 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.
Here’s a diagram of the harmonic C minor scale on piano. Perfect 4th: The 4th note of the scale is F.Minor 3rd: The 3rd note of the scale is Eb.
Major 2nd: The 2nd note of the scale is D.Tonic: The 1st note of the C harmonic minor scale is C.(Whole step – half step – whole step – whole step – half step – whole step and a 1/2 step – half step.) The formula for forming a harmonic minor scale is W-H-W-W-H-W 1/2-H. Harmonic C Minor Scale = C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, B, C Natural C Minor Scale = C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C To play a harmonic minor scale, you simply raise the seventh note of the natural minor scale by a half-step as you go up and down the scale. Let’s now take a look at the C harmonic minor scale. Let’s now take a look at the chords in the key of C minor. Thumb: 1, index finger: 2, middle finger: 3, ring finger: 4 and pinky finger: 5. What are the fingerings for the C minor scale? They are as follows: Lastly, one more whole step returns us to C, one octave higher. To build a C natural minor scale, starting on C, we take a whole step to D. “W” stands for whole step and “H” stands for half step. The formula for forming a natural (or pure) minor scale is W-H-W-W-H-W-W. As we’ve seen, the C natural minor uses these same notes, except that the sixth note of the major scale becomes the root note of its relative minor. The notes of the Eb major scale are E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C, and D. A natural minor scale/key consists of the same notes as its relative major. The relative major key for the key of C minor is Eb major. Here’s the Cm scale on the piano keyboard. Perfect 8th: C (one octave higher) is the 8th note of the C natural minor scale.Minor 7th: Bb is the 7th note of the scale.Minor 6th: Ab is the 6th note of the scale.Perfect 5th: G is the 5th note of the scale.Perfect 4th: F is the 4th note of the scale.Minor 3rd: Eb is the 3rd note of the scale.Major 2nd: D is the 2nd note of the scale.Tonic: C is the 1st note of the C natural minor scale.Its key signature consists of three flats. This scale consists of the pitches, C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, and B♭. Let’s start with the C natural minor scale. They are the natural, melodic and harmonic minor scales. There are three types of minor scales and we shall take a look at all of them here. It makes for a strange scale (especially melodic) and an even stranger lumpy arpeggio, but you won’t be managing 2 octaves at this point, so go with it……… A minor harmonic scale 1.5 oct A minor melodic scale 1.5 oct A minor arpeggio 1.This lesson is all about the C minor scale. ‘harp’peggio, spreading the notes out in a flourish.įor those getting more ambitious and looking for the next challenge, the ABRSM would require you to go up an octave and a half. That’s the arpeggio, -in other words a chord, except flautists can’t play a chord, so they play in the manner of a harp……. By obeying the rules there will be a dissonant collision. The only trouble with this very natural flow comes when writing for several vocal parts, where one ascends at the same moment another descends. The descending notes seem to sound best with flattened 7th and 6th degrees. That’s why the ascending run feels the need for sharpened 6th and 7th degrees. ‘Melodic Scale’ implies that this is the one used for scripting a melody, a tune.
The distinctive sound is the huge gap from F to G#, which sounds like something Arabic.ĭespite the ‘harmonic’ label, you will see this used melodically at times: whatever sounds right for the situation. chords, so it seems almost contradictory to see it in a scale, a melody, but there it is. ‘Harmonic Scale’ implies that these are the notes you’d use for writing harmony, i.e.