Melodies in minor keys often use this particular pattern of accidentals, so instrumentalists find it useful to practice melodic minor scales. (Please see Beginning Harmonic Analysis for more about this.) In the melodic minor scale, the sixth and seventh notes of the scale are each raised by one half step when going up the scale, but return to the natural minor when going down the scale. Harmonies in minor keys often use this raised seventh tone in order to make the music feel more strongly centered on the tonic. The harmonic minor scale raises the seventh note of the scale by one half step, whether you are going up or down the scale. There are two other kinds of minor scales that are commonly used, both of which include notes that are not in the key signature. They contain only the notes in the minor key signature. To hear some simple examples in both major and minor keys, see Major Keys and Scales.ĭo key signatures make music more complicated than it needs to be? Is there an easier way? Join the discussion at Opening Measures.Īll of the scales above are natural minor scales. Music that is in a minor key is sometimes described as sounding more solemn, sad, mysterious, or ominous than music that is in a major key. So you can't, for example, transpose a piece from C major to D minor (or even to C minor) without changing it a great deal. Music in minor keys has a different sound and emotional feel, and develops differently harmonically. But music that is in D minor will have a different quality, because the notes in the minor scale follow a different pattern and so have different relationships with each other. (See Beginning Harmonic Analysis for more on this.) So music that is in, for example, C major, will not sound significantly different from music that is in, say, D major. In each major scale, however, the notes are arranged in the same major scale pattern and build the same types of chords that have the same relationships with each other. The simplest method is to remember the following mantra: A melodic minor scale starts minor, turns major, and ends minor again.Each major key uses a different set of notes (its major scale). I've put it here in treble notation and a piano diagram. Play the following notes on an instrument and listen to it. The melodic minor, however, continues on and finishes on C, which means the final three notes are still dark and minor in tonality. This means it actually sounds like the relative major for a little while (in this case, Eb major is the relative major) because the two scales share that key signature. This is to ensure the second half of the ascent sounds bright and major.īut the descent, does not feature these accidentals. On the way up (which is what this image depicts), you'll see the Ab and Bb are cancelled out by natural signs. In terms of intervals, this changes the minor 2nd interval between 5th and 6th notes to a major 2nd interval. The way down is exactly the same as the natural minor scale. Look at the key signature here - it's got 3 flat notes. The melodic minor scale is the same as the natural minor, except for a raised 6th and 7th degree by a semitone (half step) on the way up. Instead of just following the same pattern it used on the way up, it changes completely. On the way back down, the melodic minor scale takes a bit of a wander out of what you'd possibly expect to happen. First half sounds dark and minor, and second half sounds bright and major. It sounds minor because C-D-Eb is the same as the start of the Harmonic Minor.īut then do you notice the rest of the way up it continues just the same as if it was the C major scale? Do you see the E flat here? Play this scale at an instrument if you can.
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