How to build Minor scales

TGSuzanne
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Fri Nov 06, 2009 7:00 pm

I'm going to try to coordinate my theory lessons with Neil's Video lessons (if I have time to keep up with him...) so every one has visual and material content to work with on the same subject We'll get to chords later. ;)


Minor Scales:

There are actually 3 minor scales, but for now I'll introduce you to two of them.

First you need to find the key signature for your minor key. To find the relative minor of a major key is easy. Find and play your Major scale of choice, let's take C (review the formula for finding major scales in this section), go to the 6th step of that C scale and you have an A. "A" is the starting note of your A minor scale! That also means the key of A minor and the key of C Major have the same key signature, no sharps or flats. A minor is called the relative minor to C Major. They are related through their keys signatures! Now you can start to form your new minor scale from that note and key you have found.

Harmonic Minor Scale
This very exotic sounding scale has many uses in jazz.

Here's the pattern:
Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step, Whole+Half Step, Half Step.

So this scale would be:

A-B-C-D-E-F-G#-A

Try this pattern from other scales: Here's the formula:
1.) Find the Major scale and the key signature
2.) Find the 6th step of that key
3.) Build a scale from the pattern for the Harmonic minor scale

Melodic Minor Scale

This scale is used most often because of it's more "pleasing" qualities. If you are improvising jazz and pop, however, you would only use the ascending form of this scale, which is sometimes called a "Jazz Minor"

Here's the form for the Melodic Minor (it is different ascending from descending!)

Ascending:
Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step

Descending: (from the top going down)

Whole Step,Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step,Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step

So if we were to build this scale from the starting note of A, the relative minor of C Major, then we would have:

A-B-C-D-E-F#-G#-A ascending, then: A-G-F-E-D-C-B-A descending.

Try this pattern from other scales: Here's the formula:

1.) Find the Major scale and the key signature
2.) Find the 6th step of that key
3.) Build a scale from the pattern for the Melodic minor scale


These scales may be tricky at first, so write a few of them out, learn them, add more until you've learned them all. Once your ear becomes "tuned in" to the sound of each scale, you will be able to play them faster since your ear will become used to the new intervals of these scales.


rcsnydley
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Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:12 pm

I'm curious why the Harmonic & Melodic minor scales and not the Natural minor scale?

Ric


rcsnydley
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Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:49 pm

The Natural minor key is based off of the major key keeping the same "steps" between notes starting at the 6th degree of the major scale.

Major Scale: W-W-H-W-W-W-H
Natural Minor: W-H-W-W-H-W-W

You'll notice it starts at the 6th of the major scale and wraps around to 1 and continues. It is the easiest minor scale to learn and probably the most used.

Example:
C major: C-D-E-F-G-A-B
A natural minor: A-B-C-D-E-F-G

C major chords: C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim
A minor chords: Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F, G

Chords also start at the 6th degree and wrap around to 1 and continue. This is true for all natural minor keys.

Ric


TGSuzanne
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Sat Nov 07, 2009 4:57 pm

rcsnydley wrote:
I'm curious why the Harmonic & Melodic minor scales and not the Natural minor scale?

Ric

Neil will be introducing the Natural minor at a later time... stay tuned....


TGSuzanne
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Sat Nov 07, 2009 4:58 pm

Good Job, Ric.....

I won't have to do this scale when it comes around....
I'm currently trying to stay in step with Neil's lectures to keep confusion to a minimum.


jayswett
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Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:35 pm

I actually understood much of this. Awesome.


rcsnydley
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Sat Nov 07, 2009 11:15 pm

tgsuzanne wrote:
rcsnydley wrote:
I'm curious why the Harmonic & Melodic minor scales and not the Natural minor scale?

Ric

Neil will be introducing the Natural minor at a later time... stay tuned....
So are you saying Neil is going to deal with the Harmonic & Melodic minor scales before the Natural or you got these two out of the way and you'll the cover the Natural when he does?

If the later then that makes perfect sense and I look forward to it.

Ric


TGSuzanne
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Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:08 pm

Ric:

Neil will be addressing the Harmonic and Melodic minors first, then Natural. Natural minor is a mode and modes will be coming much later. I'm trying to keep my posts as close to what he is teaching as possible to keep confusion to an minimum.

Suzanne


dtaylor
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Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:14 pm

This video lesson of Neil's in the Intermediate section seems to cover the 3 minor scales pretty well -- its been around since at least May. One, I guess, might consider this thread the lesson notes that some of the comments ask for... :)

http://www.totallyguitars.com/target-ho ... nor-scales


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