Nathaniel School of Music

Every Minor Scale on Piano and the Emotion It Unlocks: Natural, Harmonic, Melodic and More

Every minor scale keeps a flat 3 (minor third) with a normal 4 and 5, and the four main minor scales differ only in their 6th and 7th: natural minor has b6 and b7, harmonic minor b6 and major 7, melodic minor major 6 and major 7, and Dorian major 6 and b7.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 26 min

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Key points

This lesson from Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music is a theory tour of the minor scales on piano. It is not about playing scales up and down for speed. Instead it shows how each minor scale is built, what emotion it carries and which chords it gives you, so you can choose the right minor for the mood of your music. All examples are in C.

What makes a scale minor

A minor scale is any scale with a flat 3, also called a minor third (komal Ga in Hindustani music). In C, the major third is E and the minor third is Eb. Flatten the third of the C major five-finger notes (C D E F G) and the sound turns minor at once.

A flat does not always mean a black key. In D major the third is F#; flattened, it becomes the white key F. Flattening simply means moving down one chromatic step. Learn your minor thirds by heart rather than counting: C–Eb, D–F, E–G, F–Ab, G–Bb, A–C, B–D, C#–E, D#–F#, F#–A, G#–B and Bb–Db. The same goes for perfect fifths and fourths, which you can learn from the Circle of Fifths.

The four go-to minor scales

A simple way to remember them: keep the flat 3, leave the 4 and 5 alone, and change the 6th and 7th. There are four combinations, giving four scales.

Natural minor (b6, b7)

C D Eb F G Ab Bb C. This is the relative minor of Eb major: it uses the same notes. Eb major and C minor make a powerful pair for songwriting, for example a minor verse moving to the relative major in the chorus. Mood: melancholic, even despairing, though it can easily turn hopeful.

Harmonic minor (b6, major 7)

C D Eb F G Ab B C. Most scales move in whole and half steps, but the gap from Ab to B is a three-semitone leap (an augmented second), which gives this scale its unique sound. It is not related to any major scale and has its own modes, such as starting the same notes on D. Mood: painful and hopeful at once, with many chord options. It is heard in classical music, salsa and Latin music, Indian classical and film music.

Melodic minor (major 6, major 7)

The jazz melodic minor is simply a major scale with a flat 3: C D Eb F G A B C. The classical version goes up this way but comes down as the natural minor (Bb, Ab on the way down). Its modes are also scales in their own right. Mood: mystical, ambient and dreamy.

Dorian (major 6, b7)

C D Eb F G A Bb C. Usually called a mode rather than a minor, but it shares the minor third, so Jason Zac groups it with the minors. Mood: brave and epic, common in film scores and war themes.

Building chords: i, iv and v

Write your scale in a circle, then build triads on degrees 1, 4 and 5. Invert them so they sit close together in the left hand.

Play the chords in any order: 1-4-1-5, 1-5-1-4 and so on.

Exotic and hybrid minors

For an exotic minor, flatten the 2 or sharpen the 4. A flat 2 gives an Arabic or Spanish, Phrygian flamenco colour; a sharp 4 adds a tritone flavour that also sounds very Indian. You can even combine both.

A hybrid minor mixes ingredients through a piece, as most composers do: a harmonic minor melody might switch its major 7 to a minor 7, or one section might be natural minor, the next harmonic, the next Dorian. The piece stays minor overall while moving between brave, despairing, eerie and exotic colours.

How to practise

  1. Drill minor thirds from every note until you know them instantly.
  2. Play each of the four scales from C, saying which 6th and 7th you are using.
  3. Build the i, iv and v chords for each and play them in different orders in the left hand.
  4. Try flat 2 and sharp 4 versions, and listen to music in each scale to hear the moods.

Questions about this lesson

What is the difference between natural, harmonic and melodic minor?

All three have a flat 3. Natural minor has a flat 6 and flat 7, harmonic minor has a flat 6 with a major 7, and jazz melodic minor has a major 6 and major 7, like a major scale with only the third lowered.

Why does the harmonic minor sound so distinctive?

Between its flat 6 and major 7, such as Ab to B in C harmonic minor, there is a three-semitone gap called an augmented second. This leap and the resulting major V chord give it a sound that is both painful and hopeful.

Is Dorian a minor scale?

It is normally called a mode, but it has a minor third, so it can be treated as a minor scale. In C it is C D Eb F G A Bb C, and it sounds brave and epic, which is why it suits film and war themes.

How do I make a minor scale sound exotic?

Flatten the 2nd for an Arabic, Spanish or Phrygian flamenco colour, or sharpen the 4th for a tritone, Indian-sounding flavour. You can also combine both alterations in one scale.

Practise it

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