Lesson Goal: To quickly internalize the Minor Scale (Natural, Melodic, Harmonic) in all keys… by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle…
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
Basic music reading skills… the LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.
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Minor Scale Wiki
Learn more: Minor Scale (Wikipedia)
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Why Learning the Minor Scales is So Important
- The Minor Scales (Natural, Melodic, Harmonic) are used in a wide variety of music all around the world: classical, folk, pop, rock, bluegrass, country, and modal jazz.
- The Minor Scales (Natural, Melodic, Harmonic) provide a foundation for building a rich network of scale, chord, and chord progression mastery that integrates theory and ear training.
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Natural Minor Scale
- Scale Structure (Scale Degrees): 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7-1.
- Scale Structure (Solfege): Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-Le-Te-Do.
C Natural Minor Theory
Learn to spell the C Natural Minor Scale just as you’d spell a seven-letter word: C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb… and associate each letter to its scale degree and Solfege syllable…
Hint: Me is pronounced “May”, Le as “Tay”, and Te as “Tay”
C Natural Minor Key Signature
So that you need not clutter up the score by writing every flat over and over again, it’s common practice to collect the accidentals (Bb, Eb, Ab) for the C Natural Minor Scale at the beginning of the score in the key signature as follows …
Sidebar: It’s common practice to use the key signature for the natural minor scale for most music written in a minor key.
C Natural Minor Solfege Ear Training
Reading, playing, and singing the Solfege Syllables out loud is an extremely effective way to tune up your ears and to internalize the unique sound-feeling of each note in the scale with respect to the key center Do. Make sure to do this slowly enough for the unique sound-feeling of each Solfege Syllable to make a meaningful impression on your mind’s ear.
C Natural Minor: Linear, Ascending…
C Natural Minor: Linear, Descending…
C Natural Minor: Do-X-Do, Ascending…
C Natural Minor: Do-X-Do, Descending…
Note: We could sing lots more musical patterns, but a more effective and efficient approach (the 80-20 Principle) is to get your ear training material directly from the music that YOU want to play!
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Melodic Minor Scale
- Scale Structure (Scale Degrees): 1-2-b3-4-5-6-7-1 ascending, 1-b7-b6-5-4-b3-2-1 descending.
- Scale Structure (Solfege): Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do ascending, Do-Te-Le-So-Fa-Me-Re-So descending.
C Melodic Minor Theory
The Melodic Minor Scale unique among scales because some of the notes change depending on whether you are going up or down the scale…
The melodic minor scale is no more “melodic” than other minor scales. So, don’t get hung up on the name. What matters is this: In some musical contexts, the melodic line sounds better when you play La and Ti going up and Le and Te going down.
Ascending Melodic Minor in C
Learn to spell the Ascending C Melodic Minor Scale just as you’d spell a seven-letter word: C-D-Eb-F-G-A-B… and associate each letter to its scale degree and Solfege syllable (Notice that 6 (La) and 7 (Ti) are the exact same notes as the C major scale)…
Descending Melodic Minor in C
Learn to spell the Descending C Melodic Minor Scale just as you’d spell a seven-letter word: C-Bb-Ab-G-F-Eb-D… and associate each letter to its scale degree and Solfege syllable (Notice that the descending C Melodic Minor Scale is identical to the C natural minor scale)…
C Melodic Minor & Natural Minor Key Signature
It’s common practice to use the key signature for the Natural minor scale and to use accidentals to identify the notes 6(La) and (7)Ti in the Acending Melodic minor scale as follows…
C Melodic Minor Solfege Ear Training
Reading, playing, and singing the Solfege Syllables out loud is an extremely effective way to tune up your ears and to internalize the unique sound-feeling of each note in the scale with respect to the key center Do. Make sure to do this slowly enough for the unique sound-feeling of each Solfege Syllable to make a meaningful impression on your mind’s ear.
C Melodic Minor: Linear, Ascending…
C Melodic Minor: Linear, Descending…
C Melodic Minor: Do-X-Do, Ascending…
C Melodic Minor: Do-X-Do, Descending…
Note: We could sing lots more musical patterns, but a more effective and efficient approach (the 80-20 Principle) is to get your ear training material directly from the music that YOU want to play!
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Harmonic Minor Scale
- Scale Structure (Scale Degrees): 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-7-1.
- Scale Structure (Solfege): Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-Le-Ti-Do.
C Harmonic Minor Theory
Learn to spell the C Harmonic Minor Scale just as you’d spell a seven-letter word: C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-B… and associate each letter to its scale degree and Solfege syllable (By the way, the Harmonic Minor Scale is one of many existence proofs that scales are not made up of half steps and whole steps)…
Notice that all minor scales use the same [five-note] penta-scale: Do–Re–Me–Fa–So.
The only notes one needs to fuss over are b6(Le), 6(La), b7(Te), and b7(Ti).
Play and sing the Natural Minor Scale and Harmonic Minor Scale side-by-side, slowly enough to hear the melodic-harmonic difference between Ti and Te. Pay special attention to the unique pull each note has toward Do.
Ti has an extremely strong melodic-harmonic pull towards the key center Do. This attraction is so strong that it is called the leading tone because it leads the ear back to the key center Do.
This particular minor scale is called “harmonic” because Ti is the tension-filled tone that defines the dominant (V) chord. The V chord is essential to making the overwhelming majority of European classical music tick. We will learn more about this when we study chord progressions. That said, this does not mean that the “natural” and “melodic” minors are “un-harmonic” or that the harmonic minor is un-melodic or un-natural!
C Harmonic Minor & Natural Minor Key Signature
It’s common practice to use the key signature for the Natural minor scale and to use an accidental to identify the leading tone (7)Ti in the Harmonic minor scale as follows…
C Harmonic Minor Solfege Ear Training
Reading, playing, and singing the Solfege Syllables out loud is an extremely effective way to tune up your ears and to internalize the unique sound-feeling of each note in the scale with respect to the key center Do. Make sure to do this slowly enough for the unique sound-feeling of each Solfege Syllable to make a meaningful impression on your mind’s ear.
C Harmonic Minor: Linear, Ascending…
C Harmonic Minor: Linear, Descending…
C Harmonic Minor: Do-X-Do, Ascending…
C Harmonic Minor: Do-X-Do, Descending…
Note: We could sing lots more musical patterns, but a more effective and efficient approach (the 80-20 Principle) is to get your ear training material directly from the music that YOU want to play!
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Scale Structure Comparison for the Minor Scales
Scale Structure Comparison (Scale Degrees)…
Natural Minor: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
Melodic Minor, Ascending: 1-2-b3-4-5-6-7
Melodic Minor, Descending: 1-b7-b6-5-4-b3-2 (same as Natural Minor)
Harmonic Minor: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-7
Scale Structure Comparison (Solfege)…
Natural Minor: Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-Le-Te
Melodic Minor, Ascending: Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-La-Ti
Melodic Minor, Descending: Do-Te-Le-So-Fa-Me-Re (same as Natural Minor)
Harmonic Minor: Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-Le-Ti
Every minor scale uses the exact same Minor Pentascale: 1-2-b3-4-5 (Do-Re-Me-Fa-So)… Only the “Lx” and “Tx” notes change.
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Minor Scale Solfege, All Keys (Flashcards)
Online flashcards that quickly teach the Natural, Melodic, Harmonic, and Dorian Minor Scale Solfege Syllables in all keys…
How to Use these Flashcards
Given the key and letter name say the Solfege name… or given the key and Solfege name say the letter name. (By the way, you will internalize these important connections much faster if you say them out loud as you go!)
A Minor
D Minor
G Minor
C Minor
F Minor
B Flat Minor
E Flat Minor
G Sharp Minor
C Sharp Minor
F Sharp Minor
B Minor Scale
E Minor Scale
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Minor Scales: Solfege Ear Training (MP3s)
Lesson Goal: To recognize the sound-feeling of each Solfege syllable in the three Minor Scale types: Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic… a skill that will pay enormous dividends in your ability to read, memorize, transpose, improvise, and play by ear.
Format: Downloadable MP3s that allow you to do Solfege ear training for the three Minor Scales almost anytime and anywhere: while doing the dishes, taking a walk, or driving your car!
Study & Practice Notes
- Solfege is relative pitch ear training with respect to a key center (Do).
- Don’t try to listen for intervals. The goal is recognize the unique sound-feeling of each note with respect to the key center.
- Successful ear training is not about trying to hear something. It’s about being receptive to the sound-feeling you are experiencing and then associating that sound-feeling with something you already know– in this case the Solfege names.
- While all these MP3s are in the key of C minor, the Solfege sound-feelings learned in C generalize to all keys because of the phenomenon of relative pitch generalization.
- You still need to do the left-brain work of mapping the Solfege names in each key to the notes in written music or physical keys on the keyboard.
- Don’t get too carried away with this. Do just enough to get a general feel for the unique sound-feeling of each Solfege syllable with respect to the key center Do. Once you start hearing in Solfege (you should start noticing results almost immediately), start getting your ear training directly from the music you want to play.
Download & Usage Instructions
Each mp3 follows the same sequence…
- A G7 to Cm (V7 to i) cadence is played, clearly establishing the key center and tonality as C Minor.
- A random note is presented (from 2 octaves below middle C to 2 octaves above middle C).
- You identify the pitch using its Solfege name: Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-La/Le-Te/Ti.
- After a short pause, Frank gives the answer.
Listen to an example…
Think of these as audio flash cards with a timer that’s not too slow and not too fast. Simply download, unzip, create a playlist, set to random play, and enjoy the results!
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learn more… Scales
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