Learn-by-doing lessons for quickly internalizing the Natural Minor Scale… by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle…
Table of Contents
Lesson Goals
To quickly internalize the letter names, scale degrees, solfege, notation, sounds, feelings, and visuospatial keyboard layouts for the Natural Minor Scale in all keys.
Prerequisites
Basic music reading skills… the LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.
Why Learning the Natural Minor Scale is So Important
- The Natural Minor Scale is used in a wide variety of music all around the world: classical, folk, pop, rock, bluegrass, country, and modal jazz.
- It’s common practice to use the key signature of the Natural Minor Scale for all tonal minor music.
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About the Name “Natural”
The natural minor scale is no more “natural” than the melodic or harmonic minor scales. So, don’t get hung up on the name. What matters is that you internalized the sound-feelings of the notes using all four musical intelligences.
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Natural Minor Scale Theory
- The Solfege Syllables for the Natural Minor Scale are Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-Le-Te-Do (no matter what key you are in).
- The Scale Degrees for the Natural Minor Scale are 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7-1 (no matter what key you are in).
- The notes for the Natural Minor Scale in the key of C are C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C…
Pronunciation Keys: Me is pronounced “May”, Le is “Tay”, and Te is “Tay”.
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Natural Minor Scale Compared to Other Minor Scale Types
Notice the following commonalities and differences between the various minor scale types:
- The Natural Minor Scale uses the exact same Minor Pentascale as both the Melodic Minor Scale and Harmonic Minor Scale.
- The Natural Minor Scale uses the exact same notes as the descending Melodic Minor Scale.
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Natural Minor Scale 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.
Linear, Ascending…
Linear, Descending…
Do-X-Do, Ascending…
Do-X-Do, Descending…
We could sing a lot more musical patterns, but a more effective and efficient approach (80:20 Rule) is to get your ear training material directly from the music that YOU want to play!
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Natural Minor Scale Theory, All Keys
Showing the notation, key signature, letter names, scale degrees, solfege syllables, and keyboard layouts…arranged chromatically ascending (C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, Bb, B)…
C Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The C Natural Minor Scale is spelled C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C.” (Also sing the scale degrees or solfege syllables out loud… ditto for all the keys below).
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C Sharp Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “C sharp Natural Minor is spelled C#-D#-E-F#-G#-A-B-C#.”
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D Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “D Natural Minor is spelled D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C-D.”
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E Flat Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “E flat Natural Minor is spelled Eb-F-Gb-Ab-Bb-Cb-Db-Eb.”
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E Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “E Natural Minor is spelled E-F#-G-A-B-C-D-E.”
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F Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “F Natural Minor is spelled F-G-Ab-Bb-C-Db-Eb-F.”
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F Sharp Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “F sharp Natural Minor is spelled F#-G#-A-B-C#-D-E-F#.”
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G Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “G Natural Minor is spelled G-A-Bb-C-D-Eb-F-G.”
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G Sharp Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “G sharp Natural Minor is spelled G#-A#-B-C#-D#-E-F#-G#.”
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A Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “A Natural Minor is spelled A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A.”
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B Flat Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “B flat Natural Minor is spelled Bb-C-Db-Eb-F-Gb-Ab-Bb.”
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B Natural Minor
Say this aloud as you read and play: “B Natural Minor is spelled B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A-B.”
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