Minor scales provide an invaluable foundation for building chord progressions, not only because their notes matter but because the position of each scale determines its tonality.
Each minor scale pattern features its own combination of whole and half steps, giving each minor scale its own individual character.
Natural Minor
Natural minor is one of the most versatile scales for guitar. It shares all of the intervals from its major counterpart but includes an altered third degree that produces its distinct minor sound. You can use natural minor to modulate into major keys as it has the same key signature – providing an ideal way to learn about scale shapes and key signatures.
The natural minor scale consists of seven notes, from C to D: C-D-E-F-G-A-B. As with other minor scales, it contains a flattened 3rd (B-E) that gives this scale its distinct sound, as well as a minor triad formed by 2nd and 5th scale tones – two other essential characteristics of this scale.
One common way of memorizing and practicing the natural minor scale is using ascending/descending patterns. Start off learning pattern 1 in one key before switching over to pattern 2. As you repeat these patterns over and over, your muscles will develop the necessary memory pathways needed for effortlessly switching keys and fingerings.
Natural minor scales offer more than simple ascending and descending patterns – they also boast a unique chromatic pattern useful for melodic playing. Containing both root notes from major scales as well as minor triads, natural minor scales are ideal for creating melodies with distinctive minor sounds.
While the natural minor scale does not contain a leading tone, its lower sixth and seventh scale degrees make voice-leading melodies easier. Furthermore, this lowered sound forms the basis for many popular chord progressions such as blues music’s popular i-v-vii-iv-v progression.
The melodic minor scale is similar to its natural minor counterpart, but features increased sixth and seventh scale degrees by half steps for an easier voice-leading experience when ascending and descending melodies are performed. Furthermore, this scale acts as the foundation for many popular seventh chords used with major scale triads to produce rich melodic tones.
Harmonic Minor
The harmonic minor scale offers another option for creating modal chords: its tonic note remains identical with that of natural minor but its sixth and seventh notes are raised by one semitone, creating more exotic, chromatic sounds.
Harmonic minor is frequently employed to add depth and spice to minor chord progressions, and works particularly well over i – V chord sequences as its sharper resolution offers greater contrast than natural minor.
Figure 1 provides an excellent starting point. This pattern offers various modal flavours but all share a root-to-5th interval relationship – vital not just for harmonic minor, but also major pentatonic patterns, power chords and other scales. Furthermore, playing this exercise allows you to become familiar with both fretboard intervals as well as fretboard itself.
Harmonic minor can be challenging for beginner guitarists. To ensure success with harmonic minor, practice on each string using various chord shapes until it becomes second nature and start playing over melodies of choice.
Harmonic minor scale’s modal sound blends well with synthetic timbres, making it an appealing option for music producers looking to add an atmospheric or emotional tone to their productions. Furthermore, its sound can set a specific atmosphere or mood within pieces of music.
Musical styles including Flamenco, Spanish, Classical and Celtic all use harmonic minor as it adds mystery and intrigue. Famous artists such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Carlos Santana and Primus all employ harmonic minor in their music.
Harmonic minor offers many of the same advantages of natural minor, yet with more notes shifted up and down for easy chromatic playback. There are a multitude of triad and tetrad chords you can form from its scale degrees – perfect for learning fretboard theory and improvising on top of that! Plus it provides more opportunities to experiment with scale changes. Its chord tones align perfectly with natural minor – another advantage in learning fretboard theory and improvising over time!
Melodic Minor
The melodic minor scale is a variation on the natural minor scale wherein its sixth and seventh tones are raised by half steps, creating an sound similar to harmonic minor, yet more melodic in tone. Although less frequently heard than harmonic minor, melodic minor can still be found in styles such as classical music, jazz music and European folk music – being heavily influenced by Gypsies music!
This scale offers an abundance of chords and scale patterns to use for harmony and melody, particularly useful when used with blues chord progressions that are more complex than major keys. Furthermore, its dark yet haunting quality make it an excellent choice for soloing.
Melodic minor can be played ascending or descending and shares its intervallic structure with natural minor, though with more melodic sound; added is its raised sixth and seventh scale degrees which create an easier sound for creating melodies.
It also has a more dramatic feel than its natural minor counterpart and, when played descending, can create tension through tritones located between fourth and fifth notes and between third and sixth notes of the scale.
Just like its harmonic minor counterpart, melodic minor features many modal variations that can help form unique chords and scale patterns. Most prominent among these variations are modes from harmonic minor scale that offer distinct sounds suitable for jazz improvisation.
The melodic minor scale offers opportunities for innovative chord progressions in minor keys. Johann Sebastian Bach took full advantage of this potential when writing his masterpieces to impart emotional depth that has resonated with generations of listeners ever since. Due to this dual nature, melodic minor is also an indispensable asset for digital music producers looking to add depth and tension into their tracks.
Key Signatures
Those unfamiliar with key signatures will find an effective chart particularly helpful in quickly and accurately identifying whether a piece is written in minor or major key. Such charts often list all major keys along one axis and their relative minor keys on another; additionally they display any sharps or flats associated with each signature and their associated number of sharps or flats – ideal for students as well as professionals to quickly compare key signatures quickly and easily.
The chart also serves to clarify the distinction between natural and harmonic minor by showing their distinctive note patterns. While major scale has an orderly pattern of whole steps and half steps, natural minor raises sixth and seventh notes by half step while harmonic minor raises them slightly at once; both require separate key signatures from major keys they share as a parallel key signature.
All major and minor key signatures can be compared using the Circle of Fifths diagram, wherein each key signature moves up one fifth as you go around counterclockwise around the circle, and down one fifth when going clockwise around it. This makes it easy to spot when sharps outnumber flats compared to others as each key signature moves one fifth higher or lower on this diagram.
As with the circle, using it to identify if a piece is written in either major or minor keys is also straightforward: just count up how many sharps (or flats, in minor keys) there are in its key signature and determine its status accordingly. If in doubt, try listening carefully – typically harmony will settle most comfortably at its tonic, with strong cadences providing additional clues as to its status as major or minor key music.