Learning Harmonic Minor Scale | Introduction to Harmonic Minor Scale, Building Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales

An introduction to Harmonic minor scale and learn to build Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scale

In this hub you will learn how to create Harmonic and Melodic minor scales and how to use them. But before that it is necessary to have an understanding of Major and Minor scales.

Learning scales is very important for a musician to improve his playing skills, knowing the notes well, increasing the finger memory and it gives a better understanding of the notes on the instrument in different octaves and also the playing speed. Be it a guitarist or a pianist or any other musician.

In conventional western music, there are two scales that are critical. They are Major and Minor scales. Major scales when played will give a very happy tone where as Minor scale gives a 'Sad' mood when rendered. Where as Diminished Scales give a more tensed feeling. And that is the main reason why Minor scales are more popular than Major scales.

The Minor scales were always improved by the musicians to give different and pleasing scales to the audience. There are two Minor scales that are very popular with guitarists, they are Harmonic Minor and Melodic Minor scales.

Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scale Formulae

Building Harmonic Minor scale

It is necessary to understand how a Major scale is built to learn how to build a Harmonic Minor scale.

Let's take the example of C major scale where the notes are C D E F G A B C and then we will apply the harmonic minor scale formula to it:

C major: C D E F G A B C

Intervals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

C Harmonic Minor: C D Eb F G Ab B C

Intervals: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 1

This above formula can be applied to all the Major scales.

The Harmonic Minor scale has a high proximity to a Minor scale, but the only difference is that Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th note or Major 7th.

Building Melodic Minor scale

Melodic Minor scale is very similar to a Major scale but with the difference of a Flatted 3rd degree or 3rd Note.

C major: C D E F G A B C
Intervals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

C Melodic Minor: C D Eb F G A B C
Intervals: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 1

This above formula can be applied to all the Major scales.

Learning Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales

Harmonic Minor Scale on Guitar

Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scale Formulae

Building Harmonic Minor scale

Building Melodic Minor scale