Melodic minor scale: formula, sound and use

The melodic minor scale is a minor scale with a raised sixth and seventh. It was designed for melodies: raising both notes removes the big gap of harmonic minor and lets a tune glide smoothly up to the tonic. In A minor, going up, it reads A B C D E F♯ G♯ A.

The melodic minor formula

Going up, the pattern of steps is whole, half, whole, whole, whole, whole, half, or W-H-W-W-W-W-H. Notice that only the first four notes are minor: after that, the scale looks like the top half of a major scale. In numbers, the ascending form is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.

That is why many teachers describe melodic minor going up as a major scale with a lowered third. Only that one note separates it from the major scale of the same name.

Up and down: the classical rule

In classical practice, the raised notes are used going up and canceled going down. The reasoning is about direction: a raised seventh pulls up toward the tonic, and on the way down the pull is not needed, so the notes go back to natural minor. Coming down, A melodic minor reads A G F E D C B A, the same as natural minor.

Real music does not always follow the rule. A composer may use the raised sixth and seventh going down, or the natural notes going up, depending on where the melody is heading. The scale is a guide to the tendencies, not a law.

Jazz melodic minor

Jazz musicians use the raised form in both directions, and treat it as one scale: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 up and down. They also call it the jazz minor scale. Its notes work over minor chords with a major seventh and over several other chords, and the scale is the source of its own family of modes that jazz players use in improvising.

Building it in other keys

Write the natural minor scale first, then raise the sixth and seventh. In D minor, the natural scale is D E F G A B♭ C, so raising B♭ and C gives B and C♯. The ascending scale is D E F G A B C♯ D.

How it compares with harmonic minor

Both harmonic and melodic minor have a leading tone. The difference is that melodic minor avoids the step and a half. For that reason it is the one used most in melodies, while harmonic minor is more common in chords. See the harmonic minor page for that side.

Practicing melodic minor

• Play it up and down in the classical form and notice what changes on the way down.
• Compare it with the major scale on the same tonic and find the one different note.
• Practice the scales together: natural, harmonic, melodic, one after the other, in one key.
• Name each raised note aloud as you play it.

Why raise two notes?

Raising only the seventh would leave an awkward gap of a step and a half between the sixth and the seventh, which is hard to sing and sounds angular in a smooth tune. Raising the sixth as well closes that gap, so the melody moves by whole steps and half steps only. The name melodic comes from this: it is the form designed for the melody line.

On the way down, the leading tone is no longer needed. A melody heading down toward the tonic does not need a half step pulling it up, so the notes relax back to natural minor. That is the classical reasoning, and it is why the two directions differ.

One more thing to try

Play the ascending form and the natural minor scale back to back in the same key, and say aloud which two notes differ. Then play a short tune, such as a simple rising line from the tonic to the fifth and back, and decide which form of the scale it needs. This habit of listening for the raised notes trains your ear faster than any chart can.

Melodic minor is one part of a bigger picture: see the minor scales overview for how it fits with natural minor and harmonic minor, and the major scales page to compare.

Melodic minor (ascending) scale in every key

Check yourself

Related pages

• Minor scales: natural, harmonic and melodic
• Harmonic minor scale: formula and sound
• Major scales: how they work in all 12 keys
• Relative minor and relative major keys
• Key signatures: how to read every key
• A minor scale