Minor Scales

Introduction

• There are five whole steps and two half steps in a minor scale 

  • W H W W H W W 

Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales 

Harmonic Minor Scale 

• To create, start with a natural minor scale and raise scale degree 7 by a half step 

• Interval of one-and-a-half steps is known as an augmented second 

The Melodic Minor Scale 

• To create, start with a natural minor scale and raise scale degrees 6 and 7 by a half step 

Building Minor Scales 

• 15 Minor Keys: No sharps (A minor), seven with sharps, seven with flats 

• Seven Sharp Minor Keys 

  • A Minor: 0 sharps 

  • E Minor: 1 sharp 

  • B minor: 2 sharps 

  • E-sharp minor: 3 sharps 

  • C-sharp Minor: 4 sharps 

  • G-sharp minor: 5 sharps 

  • D-sharp minor: 6 Sharps 

  • A-sharp Minor: 7 sharps 

• Seven Flat Minor Keys 

  • A minor: 0 flats 

  • D minor: 1 flat 

  • G minor: 2 flats 

  • C Minor: 3 flats 

  • F minor: 4 flats 

  • B-flat minor: 5 flats 

  • E-flat minor: 6 flats 

  • A-flat minor: 7 flats 

Relative Keys 

• Relative keys: Two keys that have the same key signature and pitch content 

• Have different tonic 

Fifteen minor keys and their rleative majors 

• A minor scale = C major Scale 

• E minor scale = G major sclae 

• B minor scale = D major scale 

• F-sharp minor scale = A major scale 

• C-sharp minor scale = E major sclae 

• G-sharp minor scale = B major scale 

• A-flat minor scale = C-flat major scale 

• D-sharp minor scale = F sharp major scale 

• E-flat minor scale = G flat major scale 

• A-sharp minor scale = c sharp major scale 

• B-flat minor scale = D flat major scale 

• F minor scale = A flat major scale 

• C minor scale = E flat major scale 

• G minor scale = B-flat major scale 

• D minor scale = F major scale 

• Relative major keys always start on the mediant of their relative minor 

• Relative minor keys always start on the submediant of their relative major 

• Relative minor keys always start a minor third below their relative major 

• Relative major keys always start a minor third (three semitones) above their relative minor 

Parallel Keys 

• Parallel keys are two keys that share the same tonic, dominant, subdominant, and super tonic 

  • Only three that differ are 3, 6, 7

Solfege in minor 

• Use a darker vowel that indicates these scale degrees have been lowered 

• Mode change: A mode switch between major and minor without changing the tonic 

Building parallel major and minor scales 

• To change a major scale into its parallel minor scale, lower 3, 6 and 7 by a semitone 

• To change a minor scale into its parallel major scale, raise 3, 6 and 7 by a semitone 

• lowering a scale degree does not always mean you should use flats 

• Raising a scale degree does not always mean that you should use sharp 

Parallel Keys and key signatures 

• The key signature of a minor scale will always have more flats or three less sharps than its corresponding parallel major key 

Determining Minor key signatires 

• To determine the key signature of a minor key

  • Think of the key signature of the parallel minor 

  • Add three flats or subtract 3 sharps from the key signature 

• If the relative major key has less than 3 sharps (Gmaj example) 

  • Think of the key signature of G major (one sharp) 

  • subtract one from three 

  • add that number of flats