A♭ melodic minor scale
A♭ melodic minor is A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F G. Melodic minor: the ascending form raises the sixth and seventh of natural minor, giving a major upper half under a minor lower half.
- Formula
- 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
- Steps
- W H W W W W H
- Notes
- 7
- Also written
- G♯ melodic minor
Notes and degrees
The A♭ melodic minor scale has seven notes: A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F G. Each degree is named by its distance from the tonic, A♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval above A♭ | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P1 | tonic | |
| 2 | M2 | supertonic | |
| 3 | m3 | mediant | |
| 4 | P4 | subdominant | |
| 5 | P5 | dominant | |
| 6 | M6 | submediant | |
| 7 | M7 | leading tone |
On the piano
Every key of the scale is lit in its own colour. Click one to hear it.
On the guitar
Every A♭ scale tone on the first twelve frets in standard tuning. The tonic is ringed. Click a dot to hear the note.
Chords in A♭ melodic minor
Stacking thirds on each degree gives a triad and a seventh chord. The numerals are measured from the tonic against the major scale, so a ♭ means that chord root is lower than in major.
| Numeral | Triad | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| i | A♭m | A♭m(maj7) |
| ii | B♭m | B♭m7 |
| ♭III+ | C♭aug | C♭ E♭ G B♭ |
| IV | D♭ | D♭7 |
| V | E♭ | E♭7 |
| vi° | Fdim | Fm7♭5 |
| vii° | Gdim | Gm7♭5 |
What it sounds like
Melodic minor, in its ascending form, follows the pattern whole, half, whole, whole, whole, whole, half. Raising the sixth and seventh of natural minor gives the upper part of the scale a major sound, with whole steps from degree 4 to degree 7 and a half step into the octave. The minor third stays in the lower part, so the scale keeps its minor color at the bottom. Because the augmented second of harmonic minor is removed, the line moves in smooth whole steps, which suits lyrical and scalar melody.
Where you hear it
Melodic minor is central to modern jazz, where its ascending form serves as a single scale over minor-major seventh chords. Jazz pedagogy also derives several modes from it, including the scales used over dominant and altered chords. Classical theory describes the raised sixth and seventh as a feature of ascending melodic lines, which is how the name is usually explained. Rock and film writers use its smooth upper half for lines that sound major over minor harmony. Many improvisers play the scale the same way in both directions.
How it is built
Melodic minor is natural minor with the sixth and seventh raised, or put another way, major with only the third lowered. Its modes include lydian dominant, the fourth mode, and altered, the seventh mode. On C, the diatonic triads are C minor, D minor, E♭ augmented, F major, G major, A diminished, and B diminished. The tonic chord is minor with a major seventh, and the fourth and fifth degrees take dominant sevenths, F7 and G7.
Scales with the same notes
These scales use the same seven pitches as A♭ melodic minor, starting from a different note.
Other A♭ scales
- A♭ major
- A♭ natural minor
- A♭ harmonic minor
- A♭ Dorian
- A♭ Phrygian
- A♭ Lydian
- A♭ Mixolydian
- A♭ major pentatonic
- A♭ minor pentatonic
- A♭ blues
- A♭ whole-tone
- A♭ diminished (whole–half)
- A♭ diminished (half–whole)
- A♭ Phrygian dominant
- A♭ Lydian dominant
- A♭ double harmonic major
- A♭ Hungarian minor
- A♭ bebop dominant
How to practise it
Play C melodic minor ascending and descending, keeping the raised sixth and seventh in both directions, then compare it with natural minor on the way down. Sing degrees 6 and 7 against a drone on C to hear the major color in the upper part. Over a Cm(maj7) chord, play the scale in eighth notes and land on the major seventh, B, on strong beats.
Enharmonic spelling
A♭ and G♯ are the same pitch, so this scale can also be written as G♯ melodic minor: G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E♯ F×. The spelling that needs fewer accidentals is the one you will usually meet.
Further reading
- Natural, Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales ComparedFundamentals · 6 min
- Chord-Scale Theory Explained: Which Scale Fits Which ChordJazz & Popular Harmony · 7 min
Questions
What are the notes of the A♭ melodic minor scale?
The A♭ melodic minor scale is A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F, G. Written ascending it returns to A♭ an octave higher.
What is the formula for the A♭ melodic minor scale?
The formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 measured from the major scale. As steps that is W, H, W, W, W, W, H (W is a whole step, H a half step).
Which chords belong to A♭ melodic minor?
Stacking thirds on each degree gives the triads A♭m, B♭m, C♭aug, D♭, E♭, Fdim, Gdim.
What is the difference between melodic minor and harmonic minor?
Harmonic minor raises only the seventh degree, which leaves an augmented second between the sixth and seventh. Melodic minor raises both the sixth and seventh, removing that gap. On C, harmonic minor is C D E♭ F G A♭ B and melodic minor is C D E♭ F G A B.
Why do melodic minor scales go up and down differently?
In traditional practice the raised sixth and seventh were used when ascending, and the line returned to natural minor when descending. That convention gave a leading tone upward and a smooth minor descent. Many modern jazz and pop musicians use the raised form in both directions, which is an accepted practice rather than a rule built into the scale.
What chords work over melodic minor?
On C, the tonic is C minor with a major seventh, and the fourth and fifth degrees are F7 and G7. Jazz players use the scale over minor-major chords, and its modes supply lydian dominant and altered colors over dominant chords. The minor-major chord is the scale's most distinctive sound.