Minor Scales: Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic
Abigail Young
9 min read
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Study Guide Overview
This AP Music Theory study guide covers minor scales, including natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor. It explains how to construct each scale, their characteristic intervals, and their relative relationships to major keys. The guide also discusses scale degrees and chord construction within minor keys, provides practice exercises and ear training challenges, and offers exam tips and common mistake warnings.
#AP Music Theory: Minor Scales - Your Ultimate Review 🎶
Hey there, future music maestro! Let's dive into the world of minor scales and make sure you're totally prepped for the AP exam. This guide is designed to be your go-to resource, especially the night before the test. Let's get started!
#Minor Scales: An Overview
Just like major scales, minor scales are built from the notes of their corresponding major scales. Remember from Unit 1.4 that a parallel key is a major and minor key that share the same tonic. But there's more to it than that! There are three types of minor scales, each with its own unique flavor:
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Natural Minor Scale
Think of the natural minor scale as the 'sad' or 'melancholy' scale. It's the most basic form of the minor scale.
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Pattern: Whole step-half step-whole step-whole step-half step-whole step-whole step
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To get the parallel natural minor of a major scale, simply flatten the 3rd, 6th, and 7th scale degrees.
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Relative Minor: You can also build a natural minor by starting on the 6th degree of a major scale using the same notes. For example, A natural minor is the same as C major, starting on A: A B C D E F G A
- C Major and a minor are relative keys.
- Remember: C Major (capitalized) vs. a minor (lowercase) is the standard notation. Use both lowercase and the word "minor" on the AP exam (e.g., d minor).
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Harmonic Minor Scale
Think of the harmonic minor as the 'dramatic' minor scale. It adds a leading tone to create tension.
- Take the natural minor and raise (sharp) the 7th scale degree.
- This creates a strong leading tone, which our ears love because it creates a half-step resolution to the tonic.
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Melodic Minor Scale
Think of the melodic minor as the 'smooth' minor scale. It changes depending on whether you're ascending or descending.
- Ascending: Raise (sharp) both the 6th and 7th scale degrees of the natural minor.
- Descending: Use the natural minor scale (cancel the sharps).
- This is called melodic minor because it makes melodies easier to write and perform, avoiding the awkward augmented 2nd interval in the harmonic minor.
#When to Use Which Minor? 🤷
Remember, you don't write in natural, harmonic, or melodic minor. You'll just see "d minor," for example. The key signature is always that of the natural m...
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