Jazz minor scale

Ascending melodic minor scale
Modes	I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII
Component pitches
	C, D, E♭, F, G, A, B
Qualities
Number of pitch classes	7
Forte number	7-34
Complement	5-34

Last updated October 17, 2024

The jazz minor scale or ascending melodic minor scale is a derivative of the melodic minor scale, except only the ascending form of the scale is used. As the name implies, it is primarily used in jazz ^{[ citation needed ]}, although it may be found in other types of music as well. It may be derived from the major scale with a minor third,^[1] making it a synthetic scale, and features a dominant seventh chord on the fifth degree (V) like the harmonic minor scale.^[2] It can also be derived from the diatonic Dorian mode with a major seventh.

Jazz theory

The scale may be considered to originate in the use of extensions beginning with the seventh in jazz and thus the necessity to, "chromatically raise the diatonic 7th to create a stable, tonic sound," rather than use a minor seventh chord, associated with ii, for tonic.^[3]

The jazz minor scale contains all of the altered notes of the dominant seventh chord whose root is a semitone below the scale's tonic: "In other words to find the correct jazz minor scale for any dominant 7th chord simply use the scale whose tonic note is a half step higher than the root of the chord."^[1] For example, the G⁷ chord and A♭ jazz minor scale: the A♭ scale contains the root, third, seventh, and the four most common alterations of G⁷. This scale may be used to resolve to C in the progression G⁷–C (over G⁷, which need not be notated G^{7♭5♯5♭9♯9}).^[1]

Jazz minor scale on A♭ with notes related to G⁷ chord alterations. Play

A♭ jazz minor scale over G⁷ resolving to C.^[1] Play

It is used over a minor major seventh chord.^[4] See: chord-scale system. The scale also easily allows diatonic chord progressions, for example a I−vi−ii−V progression:^[4]

|: C-^∆7

A-^7(♭5)

| D-⁷

G^7(♭13)

:|

Play

Chord structure

Triad qualities

The triads built on each scale degree follow a distinct pattern. The roman numeral analysis is shown below.

1st: minor triad (I-)
2nd: minor triad (II-)
3rd: Augmented triad (♭III⁺)
4th: Major triad (IV)
5th: Major triad (V)
6th: diminished triad (VI^o)
7th: diminished triad (VII^o)

Seventh chord qualities

The seventh chords built on each scale degree follow a distinct pattern. The roman numeral analysis is shown below.

1st: minor-major seventh chord (I-^∆7)
2nd: minor seventh chord (II^-7)
3rd: Augmented major seventh chord (♭III^∆7(+))
4th: Dominant seventh chord (IV⁷)
5th: Dominant seventh chord (V⁷)
6th: half-diminished seventh chord (VI^-7(♭5))
7th: half-diminished seventh chord (VII^-7(♭5))

Modes of jazz minor scale

The jazz minor scale, like the diatonic scale, has seven modes. These modes are derived by treating a different note as the tonic.

Name(s)	Tonic relative to jazz minor scale	Interval sequence	Scale with only E♭	Scale on C
Jazz minor	I	W–H–W–W–W–W–H	C–D–E♭–F–G–A–B	C–D–E♭–F–G–A–B
Dorian ♭2 or Phrygian ♮6	II	H–W–W–W–W–H–W	D–E♭–F–G–A–B–C	C–D♭–E♭–F–G–A–B♭
Lydian augmented	♭III	W–W–W–W–H–W–H	E♭–F–G–A–B–C–D	C–D–E–F♯–G♯–A–B
Acoustic scale, Lydian dominant, Mixolydian ♯4, or Overtone	IV	W–W–W–H–W–H–W	F–G–A–B–C–D–E♭	C–D–E–F♯–G–A–B♭
Aeolian dominant, Mixolydian ♭6, Descending melodic major, or Hindu	V	W–W–H–W–H–W–W	G–A–B–C–D–E♭–F	C–D–E–F–G–A♭–B♭
Half-diminished, Locrian ♮2, or Aeolian ♭5	VI	W–H–W–H–W–W–W	A–B–C–D–E♭–F–G	C–D–E♭–F–G♭–A♭–B♭
Altered scale, Super Locrian, or Altered dominant scale	VII	H–W–H–W–W–W–W	B–C–D–E♭–F–G–A	C–D♭–E♭–F♭–G♭–A♭–B♭

The names of these scales are variations of the names used for some of the modes of the diatonic major scale, for example the Phrygian ♯6, the second mode of the melodic minor, is named so because it is the same as the Phrygian mode of the major scale with a major sixth.

Relationship to diatonic modes

Each mode of the jazz minor scale can be considered to be related to two diatonic modes, with one note of the diatonic mode either sharped or flatted according to the table below, which is arranged in fifths.

Mode	Sharped diatonic	Flatted diatonic
Altered	Ionian ♯1	Locrian ♭4
Acoustic	Mixolydian ♯4	Lydian ♭7
Jazz minor	Dorian ♯7	Ionian ♭3
Aeolian dominant	Aeolian ♯3	Mixolydian ♭6
Dorian ♭2	Phrygian ♯6	Dorian ♭2
Half-diminished	Locrian ♯2	Aeolian ♭5
Lydian augmented	Lydian ♯5	Phrygian ♭1

Intervals from tonic

Each mode of the jazz minor scale features different intervals of notes from the tonic according to the table below, which is arranged in order of brightness.

Mode	Intervals with respect to the tonic
Mode	unison	second	third	fourth	fifth	sixth	seventh	octave
Lydian augmented	perfect	major	major	augmented	augmented	major	major	perfect
Acoustic			major	augmented	perfect		minor
Jazz minor			minor	perfect			major
Aeolian dominant			major			minor	minor
Dorian ♭2		minor	minor			major
Half-diminished		major			diminished	minor
Altered		minor		diminished	diminished	minor

Related Research Articles

In music theory, the term mode or modus is used in a number of distinct senses, depending on context.

The major scale is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music. It is one of the diatonic scales. Like many musical scales, it is made up of seven notes: the eighth duplicates the first at double its frequency so that it is called a higher octave of the same note.

In western classical music theory, the minor scale refers to three scale patterns – the natural minor scale, the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale.

In music theory, a leading tone is a note or pitch which resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower, being a lower and upper leading tone, respectively. Typically, the leading tone refers to the seventh scale degree of a major scale, a major seventh above the tonic. In the movable do solfège system, the leading tone is sung as si.

An altered chord is a chord that replaces one or more notes from the diatonic scale with a neighboring pitch from the chromatic scale. By the broadest definition, any chord with a non-diatonic chord tone is an altered chord. The simplest example of altered chords is the use of borrowed chords, chords borrowed from the parallel key, and the most common is the use of secondary dominants. As Alfred Blatter explains, "An altered chord occurs when one of the standard, functional chords is given another quality by the modification of one or more components of the chord."

In jazz, the altered scale, altered dominant scale, or Super Locrian scale is a seven-note scale that is a dominant scale where all non-essential tones have been altered. This means that it comprises the three irreducibly essential tones that define a dominant seventh chord, which are root, major third, and minor seventh and that all other chord tones have been altered. These are:

A jazz scale is any musical scale used in jazz. Many "jazz scales" are common scales drawn from Western European classical music, including the diatonic, whole-tone, octatonic, and the modes of the ascending melodic minor. All of these scales were commonly used by late nineteenth and early twentieth-century composers such as Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky, often in ways that directly anticipate jazz practice. Some jazz scales, such as the eight-note bebop scales, add additional chromatic passing tones to the familiar seven-note diatonic scales.

In music, a chord is a group of two or more notes played simultaneously, typically consisting of a root note, a third, and a fifth. Chords are the building blocks of harmony and form the harmonic foundation of a piece of music. They can be major, minor, diminished, augmented, or extended, depending on the intervals between the notes and their arrangement. Chords provide the harmonic support and coloration that accompany melodies and contribute to the overall sound and mood of a musical composition. For many practical and theoretical purposes, arpeggios and other types of broken chords may also be considered as chords in the right musical context.

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Modulation is the essential part of the art. Without it there is little music, for a piece derives its true beauty not from the large number of fixed modes which it embraces but rather from the subtle fabric of its modulation.

A secondary chord is an analytical label for a specific harmonic device that is prevalent in the tonal idiom of Western music beginning in the common practice period: the use of diatonic functions for tonicization.

In music, the subtonic is the degree of a musical scale which is a whole step below the tonic note. In a major key, it is a lowered, or flattened, seventh scale degree. It appears as the seventh scale degree in the natural minor and descending melodic minor scales but not in the major scale. In major keys, the subtonic sometimes appears in borrowed chords. In the movable do solfège system, the subtonic note is sung as te.

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The harmonic minor scale is a musical scale derived from the natural minor scale, with the minor seventh degree raised by one semitone to a major seventh, creating an augmented second between the sixth and seventh degrees.

In music theory, the half-diminished seventh chord is a seventh chord composed of a root note, together with a minor third, a diminished fifth, and a minor seventh. For example, the half-diminished seventh chord built on B, commonly written as Bm7(♭5), or B^ø⁷, has pitches B-D-F-A:

In music, the major Locrian scale, also called the Locrian major scale, is the scale obtained by sharpening the second and third notes of the diatonic Locrian mode. With a tonic of C, it consists of the notes C D E F G♭ A♭ B♭. It can be described as a whole tone scale extending from G♭ to E, with F introduced within the diminished third interval from E to G♭. The scale therefore shares with the Locrian mode the property of having a diminished fifth above the tonic.

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In music, harmonization is the chordal accompaniment to a line or melody: "Using chords and melodies together, making harmony by stacking scale tones as triads".

References

1 2 3 4 Berle, Arnie (1983). How to Create and Develop a Jazz Sax Solo, p.78. ISBN 978-1-56222-088-4.
↑ Overthrow, David and Ferguson, Tim (2007). The Total Jazz Bassist, p.41. ISBN 978-0-7390-4311-0.
↑ Berg, Shelly (2005). Alfred's Essentials of Jazz Theory, Book 3, p.90. ISBN 978-0-7390-3089-9.
1 2 Arnold, Bruce E. (2001). Music Theory Workbook for Guitar: Scale Construction, p.12. ISBN 978-1-890944-53-7.