The Minor Scale

There are three different minor scales - the natural or relative minor scale. the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale.

Each of these has an individual step pattern, but they all share one element that differentiates them from the major scale. The first and third notes in the scale is always a tone and a half (one whole tone plus a semi-tone). This is called a minor third , and it is a contrast to the major third interval characteristic of the major scale. The minor scales differ from each other in terms of whether the 6th and 7th steps of the scale are raised (made sharp) or not.

The foundation of minor scales is easier to understand if we start by looking at how the natural minor scale is related to the major scale, and then go on to see how it is altered to produce the harmonic and melodic minor scales.

The Natural Minor Scale

As the "Ionian Mode" is the predecessor of the major scale, the natural minor scale is derived from what was called the "Aeolian Mode" Both of these modes were diatonic scales - played on the white notes of a keyboard. But, the difference is the Aeolian starts on the A, versus the Ionian starting on the C.

What this means is that the notes of the two scales are the same. But, because the natural minor scale has a different starting position, it has it's own step-pattern: tone (1st note to 2nd), semi-tone (2nd to 3rd), tone (3rd to 4th), tone (4th to 5th), semi-tone (5th to 6th), tone (6th to 7th), tone (7th to 8th). The 8th, of course being the octave.

When you compare the C major and the A minor scales, you will see that the 3rd note of the minor scale is the 1st note of the major scale (C), and the 6th note of the major scale is the 1st of the minor scale (A). This relationship is the key in understanding the connection between major and minor scales. Every major scale has a relative natural minor scale, and each minor scale a relative major scale.

Finding the relative scales is pretty easy. It is 3 semi-tones down from the major to the minor, and three semi-tones up from the minor to the major.

The major scale and it's relative natural minor scale share the same "key signature," therefore, they share the same notes. But, because the start at a different place, they have different step patterns and a different sound.

The Harmonic Minor Scale

The harmonic minor scale was developed as a result of the principles of harmony applied to the construction of chords.

A chord can be built on each note of the scale and the most important are those built on the 1st note (the "tonic" or I chord) and on the 5th note (the "dominant" or V chord). One of the three notes that goes to make up the dominant chord is the 7th note of the scale. In the major scale, the 7th note is one semi-tone below the tonic. But, in the minor scale, the 7th note is a whole-tone below the tonic. This translates to mean the dominant chords built on the 5th notes of major and natural minor scales do not have the same effect. In order to overcome this problem the 7th note of the natural minor scale is raised (made sharp) by a semi-tone. The new scale is called the "harmonic minor" scale.

The Melodic Minor Scale

The problem with the harmonic minor scale is that when you reduce the interval between the 7th and 8th notes to a semi-tone, the interval between the 6th and 7th is increased to three-semi tones (a minor third). If this were a melody line, it would be an unacceptably big jump. The solution is to raise the 6th note of the scale by a semi-tone. In A minor, it would be an F to an F#, and it would reduce the interval between the 6th and 7th notes to a tone. The result is a smoother melodic "flow." This method is effective when going up in pitch (ascending) and the scale that is produced is called the melodic minor for it's improved melodic potential. When playing a descending melody, it is not so important to have the semi-tone interval between the 7th and 8th notes, because the melodic flow is naturally smooth. Because of this, the ordinary minor scale is used.

I found a cool video by Justin Sandercoe that explains the difference between the minor scales and talks a bit about cadence, which we will cover later.



I hope this helps!

Happy playing!

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Scales and Modes - A Brief Lesson in Theory

The earliest forms of scales have roots that go back to the ancient Greeks, named after their most important tribes - the Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, and Mixolydian. Each of them contained eight notes (from the root to the octave). These notes were the equivalent to the notes on the white keys of the piano keyboard, written in descending order.

The Dorian scale descended from E, the Phrygian from D, the Lydian from C, and the Mixolydian from B.

Musicians from the Christian Church adopted these scales in the Middle Ages. But for some reason, they decided to introduce various changes. First, they reversed the order, to make them ascending. Second, they changed the root notes. Third, they changed the term from "scale" to "mode." This made the formerly known Greek Dorian scale the Dorian Mode and made it from D to D, the Phrygian Mode went from E to E, Lydian Mode from F to F, and the Mixolydian Mode went from G to G. And the Greek Lydian scale, originally descending from C, now ascended from C and was renamed the Ionian Mode. Also, the Greek Mixolydian Scale, which descended from B, now ascended from B and was renamed the Locrian Mode. The scale that began on the A was called the Aeolian Mode.

This now meant that there were 7 modes - one for each of the white keys. We have already seen that the characteristic sound of any scale or series of notes is determined by its step-pattern of tone or semi-tone intervals. Since each mode has its own step-pattern, each mode has it's own sound.

In the Middle Ages, the modal system was the source of melody. By the 16th Century, the increasing complexities of "polyphony" (music which contains 2 or more harmonized melody lines) were leading to the breakdown of the modal system.

There was a new harmonic language being developed as the 17th Century began. The concept of "tonality" was expanded to include the key system (which is another lesson). All music had a "key signature" which identified the tonic (or first) note of the scale as the "key-center" or "home key." The intervals between notes were fixed by their distance from the tonic note or key center.

The heart of the key system was the concept of diatonic major and minor scales. A "diatonic" scale comprises the notes proper to the key. The diatonic major scale has the same pattern of tones and semi-tones as the medieval Ionian Mode (started on C), and the diatonic natural minor scale has the same pattern as the Aeolian Mode (which started on A). The resemblance, however, is one of structure, not usage.

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