The Melodic Minor Scale

Lesson 5/209 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Complete Guitar

The Melodic Minor Scale

In Classical music, a melodic minor scale has the 6th and 7th notes sharpened when ascending and returned to natural when descending. However, in Jazz and other more modern styles, the melodic minor descends the same way it ascends. An easy way to think of the ascending melodic minor is as a major scale with a flattened third degree.

Here is the full fingering for the A melodic minor scale in the open position, up to the high A.

Fingerpicking Pattern 3

Melodies in minor keys often contain notes from more than one type of minor scale. The key signature for the key of A minor is the same as C major i.e., it contains no sharps or flats. If there are any extra sharps (i.e., raised 6th or 7th degrees) they are written in before the note to which they apply, rather than being in the key signature. The melody of this English folk song contains an F# in bar 8 which comes from the melodic minor scale. All the other notes come from the natural minor. The abbreviation rit. above bar 18 tells you to gradually slow down.

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Gary Turner and Peter Gelling

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1- INTRODUCTION 2- LESSON ONE 3- Playing Single Notes (Picking) 4- The C Major Chord 5- Notes on the 1st String 6- The Eighth Note 7- Eighth Note Strumming Rhythms 8- A Major Chord 9- Notes on the 4th String 10- Notes on the 5th string 11- Fingerpicking 12- The Major Scale 13- The Three Four Time Signature 14- Bass Note Rhythm Patterns 15- Sharp Signs 16- Silent Strums And Continuous 17- Flat Signs 18- Learning All The Notes 19- More About Major Scales 20- More on Keys And Key Signatures 21- How to Learn a New Key 22- Transposing 23- Minor Keys And Scales 24- Simple And Compound Time 25- Relative Keys 26- Intervals 27- Understanding Chords 28- Chord Construction—Triads 29- Scale Tone Chords 30- Bass Runs 31- Minor Key Scale Tone Triads 32- Right Thumb and Fingers Together 33- Suspended Chords 34- New Topic 35- Strumming Two Strings Together 36- Dominant 7th Chords 37- Seventh Chord Types 38- Bar Chords 39- Learning the Whole Fretboard 40- Adding Chromatic Notes to Keys 41- The Minor Pentatonic Scale 42- The Triplet 43- More About 12 Bar Blues 44- Sixteenth Notes 45- Slurs 46- Identifying Rhythms 47- The Slide 48- Movable Chord Shapes in Five Forms 49- Bending Notes 50- Vibrato 51- Moving to Different Keys 52- Analyzing What You Play 53- Five Forms of The Pentatonic Scale 54- The Blues Scale 55- Twelve Eight Time ( + ) 56- Glossary of Musical Terms 57- Acoustic Guitars 58- The G Major Chord 59- Notes on the 3rd String 60- The Pivot 61- Alternate Picking 62- 12 Bar Blues 63- Minor Chords 64- Ledger Lines 65- Picking With Your Thumb 66- The Octave 67- ^ Time Rhythm Patterns 68- Playing Notes Together Fingerstyle 69- The F Sharp Note (F#) 70- Rhythms 71- The Note B Flat (Bb ) 72- Tones And Semitones 73- The Key Cycle 74- The Natural Minor Scale 75- Learning Minor Scales in All Keys 76- Interval Qualities 77- Fingering Variations 78- Augmented And Diminished Chords 79- The Major Key Triad Pattern 80- Slash Chords 81- Clawhammer Style 82- Add Nine Chords 83- Power Chords 84- The Half Bar 85- Major Seventh Chords (Maj7) 86- Left Hand Technique 87- Notes on the Guitar Fretboard 88- Riffs 89- Swing Rhythms 90- Chords I IV and V in all Keys 91- Using 16th Notes With Chords 92- The Hammer-on 93- The 9th Chord 94- Pattern 1 Extension 95- Movable 7th Chord Forms 96- Licks Using Bends 97- Pick Tremolo 98- Identifying Scale Patterns 99- New Techniques - The Rake And The 100- 16th Notes in + Time 101- Electric Guitars 102- Chord Diagrams 103- Notes on the 2nd String 104- Rests 105- Tablature Size And Style 106- Turnaround Progressions 107- Notes on the 6th String 108- Fingerpicking Pattern 1 109- C Major Scale in Open Position 110- Fingerpicking Patterns in ^ Time 111- Bass Note Rhythm Patterns in * Time 112- The G Major Scale 113- Silent Strum Symbols 114- Left Hand Fingering Numbers 115- Sharps 116- Major Scales in All Keys 117- The Harmonic Minor Scale 118- Table of Minor Scales 119- Interval Distances 120- Rhythm Notation 121- Primary Chords 122- Chords in Other Minor Keys 123- Adding Scale Tones to Chords 124- Movable Power Chords 125- Minor Seventh Chords (m7) 126- Root 6 Bar Chords 127- Notes in More than one Place 128- The Shuffle 129- Pentatonic Blues Solo 130- Common 16th Note Figures 131- The Pull-off 132- Developing Rhythmic Control 133- The Quick Slide 134- Voicings 135- The Release Bend 136- Double Notes 137- Blues Scale Forms 138- A Final Solo 139- Strings 140- The Seventh Chord 141- Rhythm Patterns 142- The Lead-In 143- Alternating Bass Notes 144- Sequences 145- Key Signatures 146- Syncopation 147- The F Major Scale 148- The Chromatic Scale 149- The Melodic Minor Scale 150- Finding Intervals on The Fretboard 151- Arpeggios 152- Harmonizing Melodies 153- Harmonic Minor Scale Tone Chords 154- Right Hand Damping 155- Minor Seven Flat Five Chords (m7 b5) 156- Notes on The Sixth String 157- Position Playing, Position Indicators 158- Slurs Using Open Strings 159- Twelve Note Positions For Triplets 160- Licks Using The Slide 161- Superimposing Chord Forms 162- Licks Using Release Bends 163- Playing With Other Musicians 164- Tuning Your Guitar 165- Slide Finger 166- Fingerpicking Pattern 2 167- The Key of C Major 168- Fingerpicking Pattern 5 169- Syncopated Bass Note Rhythms 170- Flats 171- Identifying Intervals by Ear 172- Playing Arpeggios 173- Common Progressions 174- Fingering Numbers in Traditional Notation 175- Rock n Roll Chords 176- Diminished 7th Chords (dim, dim7 or o7) 177- Bar Chord Indicators 178- Unison Notes, String Markings ( ) 179- The Quarter Note Triplet 180- Swinging 16th Notes 181- Movable Minor Chords 182- The Quick Bend 183- Jam Along Progressions 184- How to Read Music 185- Chord Progressions 186- Fingerpicking Accompaniment 187- Bass Note Rhythm Variations 188- Enharmonic Notes 189- Chord Shapes 190- Melodic Minor Scale Tone Chords 191- A Rock Chord Shapes 192- Percussive Strumming 193- Higher And Lower Octaves of Notes 194- 16 Positions For Sixteenth Notes 195- Sliding Chords 196- Listening 197- Music Notation 198- D Rock Chord Shapes 199- Root 5 Bar Chords 200- Supplementary Pieces 201- How to Hold the Guitar 202- E Rock Chord Shapes 203- Notes on The Fifth String 204- Movable Chord Shapes 205- Right Hand Position 206- Changing Between Shapes 207- Chord Formula Chart 208- Left Hand Position 209- Left Hand Placement

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The Melodic Minor Scale