{"id":14445,"date":"2016-09-12T00:00:52","date_gmt":"2016-09-12T08:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hearandplay.com\/main\/?p=14445"},"modified":"2024-10-07T17:24:33","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T01:24:33","slug":"chords-of-the-melodic-minor-scale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hearplaymain.wpenginepowered.com\/chords-of-the-melodic-minor-scale\/","title":{"rendered":"A Lesson On The Scale Degree Seventh Chords Of The Melodic Minor Scale"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re interested in learning the scale degree seventh chords of the melodic minor scale, this lesson is for you.<\/p>\n

Scale degree seventh chords of the melodic minor scale adds a variety of other chord qualities that are not in the natural major<\/a> and harmonic minor<\/a> scales that we’ve covered in the past.<\/p>\n

This lesson is written with experienced players in mind, however, beginners and pre-advanced players also have something to learn.<\/p>\n

Without further ado, let’s get into the lesson by doing a brief study on the melodic minor scale.<\/p>\n

“What Is A Melodic Minor Scale?”<\/em><\/h2>\n

The melodic minor scale is a chromatic<\/a> variant of the natural minor scale<\/a>. The natural minor scale is the traditional scale<\/a> of the minor key<\/a> and can be seen as an outline of the notes in the minor key.<\/p>\n

In the key of A minor, the A natural minor scale can be formed by playing all the white notes on the keyboard from A:
\n
\n…to A:<\/p>\n

Take a look at the A natural minor scale:
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\n…with all eight scale degree.<\/p>\n

The natural minor scale lacks what music scholars call the leading note feeling<\/em>. A scale is said to have the leading note feeling<\/a> if the distance between the seventh and eight (or first) tones is a half step.<\/p>\n

In-between the seventh (G):
\n
\n…and eighth (A):
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\n…degree of the natural minor scale is a whole step, versus in the major key, (for example, in the A major scale):
\n
\n…where the distance between the seventh (G#):
\n
\n…and eighth (A):
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\n…degrees is a half step.<\/p>\n

In a bid to give a leading note feeling to the natural minor scale (like the A natural minor scale):
\n
\n…its seventh degree (G):
\n
\n…can be raised (by a half step) to G#:<\/p>\n

…to form the harmonic minor scale:
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\n“Let’s Keep Going…”<\/em><\/p>\n

Due to the modification of the seventh tone of the natural minor scale to form the harmonic minor scale, the harmonic minor scale is said to be chromatic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The modification that solved the leading note problem created a melodic problem.<\/p>\n

In the A harmonic minor scale:
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\n…the gap between the sixth and seventh degrees which are F:
\n
\n…and G#:
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\n…respectively is an augmented second interval, which was difficult to approach melodically because of its dissonance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Raising the sixth degree of the harmonic minor scale (the A harmonic minor scale in this case):
\n
\n…which is F:
\n
\n…by a half step (to F#):
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\n…forms the A melodic minor scale:
\n<\/p>\n

In a nutshell, the melodic minor scale can be defined as a natural minor scale whose sixth and seventh degrees are raised. The melodic minor scale is also a chromatic variant of the natural minor scale because of the raised sixth and seventh tones.<\/p>\n

For your reference, here’s the melodic minor scale<\/a> in all twelve keys…<\/p>\n

C melodic minor scale:
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\nC# melodic minor scale:
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\nD melodic minor scale:
\n
\nEb melodic minor scale:
\n
\nE melodic minor scale:
\n
\nF melodic minor scale:
\n
\nF# melodic minor scale:
\n
\nG melodic minor scale:
\n
\nAb melodic minor scale:
\n
\nA melodic minor scale:
\n
\nBb melodic minor scale:
\n
\nB melodic minor scale:
\n
\nTo take you to the next level in this lesson, we’ll be exploring the formation of seventh chords using the melodic minor scale. Right before we do that, let’s talk about seventh chords.<\/p>\n

“What Are Seventh Chords?”<\/em><\/h2>\n

According to Jermaine Griggs, “…a chord is a collection of related<\/strong> notes that can be played [or heard] simultaneously or separately.<\/em>” For a collection of pitches to be considered as a chord, they must be related by these two factors:<\/p>\n