POINT GREY SECONDARY SCHOOL
MUSIC DEPARTMENT
5350 East Boulevard
Vancouver, B.C. V6M 3V2
Telephone: (604) 713-8220 Fax: (604) 713-8218
www.pointgreymusic.com
Minor Scales Study Guide
Every minor scale is related to a major scale. These related scales share a common key signature. In
order to find the relative minor, you descend three semitones from the first note of the major scale.
Ex. 1:
G major - descend three semitones ( G: F#-F-E )
The relative minor is E minor.
Ex. 2:
B flat major - descend three semitones ( Bb: A-Ab-G )
The relative minor is G minor.
TRY THESE:
1. Find the relative minor of the following:
MAJOR KEY
C
MINOR KEY
F
A
Ab
D
Try doing it backwards: If you know the first note of the minor scale, go up three semitones to find the
relative major scale.
Ex. 1:
G minor - go up three semitones ( G: G#-A-Bb )
The relative major is Bb major.
Ex. 2:
Eb minor - go up three semitones (Eb: E-F-Gb )
The relative major is Gb major.
POINT GREY MUSIC
Minor Scales Study Guide
2. Fill in the following table:
MINOR SCALE
MAJOR SCALE
A
C
F
G#
Bb
THE NATURAL MINOR
If you are going to write a minor scale, you will need to know what key signature to use. If you can
determine the relative major, you can then figure out the key signature.
Problem: Write a minor scale starting on E.
Step1: Determine the relative major.
Go up three semitones from E (E: F-F#-G )
The relative major is G.
Step 2: Determine the key signature.
The key signature for G major is 1 sharp ( F# )
Step 3: Write the key signature and scale.
Write the key signature ( F# ) and then write eight notes from E ascending and
descending.
d
kkkkk
k
k
k
k
kkk
a kkk
kkkkkkk
k
k
k
k
dk k
kk
b
You have just written a natural minor scale.
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POINT GREY MUSIC
Minor Scales Study Guide
TRY THESE:
1. Write a natural minor scale starting on F.
2. Write a natural minor scale starting on G.
3. Write a natural minor scale starting on C#.
4. Write a natural minor scale starting on G#.
THE HARMONIC MINOR
As if life wasn’t complicated enough, there are three kinds of minor scales: natural, harmonic, and
melodic. The scales you have written above are called natural minor scales because they don’t have
any altered notes in them. There are no accidentals; just a key signature. For harmonic minor scales,
you follow the first three steps exactly as you did for writing natural minors. All we do is add a step 4:
Step 4- Harmonic: Raise the seventh note of the scale by one semitone.
We do this by adding an accidental. Lets go back to our E minor scale. The natural minor looks
like this:
d
kkkkk
k
k
k
k
k
kkk
a kk
k
k
kkkkk
k
k
k
k
dk k
kk
b
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POINT GREY MUSIC
Minor Scales Study Guide
We make it a harmonic minor by raising the seventh note by one semitone, in this case changing D to
D#:
d
k
d
k
d
k
k
kkkkkk
k
k
k
a kk
k
d
k
d
k
k
kkkkkk
k
k
k
dk k
b
We now have a harmonic minor scale.
TRY THESE:
1. Write a harmonic minor scale starting on D.
2. Write a harmonic minor scale starting on A.
3. Write a harmonic minor scale starting on B.
4. Write a harmonic minor scale starting on Eb.
THE MELODIC MINOR
The melodic minor is similar to the harmonic minor. Instead of just raising the 7th note, we raise the 6th
and 7th note while we ascend and lower them when we descend. So we need a step to help with this:
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POINT GREY MUSIC
Minor Scales Study Guide
Step 4-Melodic: Raise the sixth and seventh note by one semitone while we ascend and lower
them by one semitone when we descend.
We do this by adding more accidentals. Let’s use our E minor scale again. The natural minor looks like
this:
d
k
k
kkkkkk
k
k
k
k
k
a k
k
k
k
k
k
kkkkkk
k
k
k
dk k
b
When we add the accidentals to raise the sixth and seventh notes on the way up, and lower them on the
way down. It will look like this:
d
k
d
k
e
k
d
k
e
k
k
kkkkk
k
k
k
a k
k ek ek k k k
d
k
d
k
k
k
k
dk k
kk
b
We have just written a melodic minor scale.
TRY THESE:
1. Write a melodic minor scale starting on G.
2. Write a melodic minor scale starting on C.
3. Write a melodic minor scale starting on Bb.
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POINT GREY MUSIC
Minor Scales Study Guide
4. Write a melodic minor scale starting on F#.
MAJOR KEY
C
ANSWERS
MINOR SCALE
MINOR KEY
A
F
D
A
F#
Ab
F
D
B
MAJOR SCALE
A
C
C
Eb
F
Ab
G#
B
Bb
Db
Natural minors
1. Natural minor starting on F
fff
f
a j j j
f
b f ff j
dddd
j j j
dd
b dd j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j j j j j j j j j j
j j j j j j j j j
j
3. Natural minor starting on C#
a
j
j
2. Natural minor starting on G
f j j j
f
a
f
bf j j j
j
j
j
j
j j j j j j j j j j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j j j j j j j j j
j
j j j j j
j
6
j
j
j
j
POINT GREY MUSIC
Minor Scales Study Guide
dddd
a ddd j j j
b ddd j j j
4. Natural minor starting on G#
j
j
j
j
j j j j j j j j j j
j j j j j j j j j j
Harmonic minors
1. Write a harmonic minor scale starting on D.
af
j j j
j j
j
f
b
j j
j j
j dj j dj j j j j j
j dj j dj j j j j j j j
2. Write a harmonic minor scale starting on A.
a
j j j
j j
b
j j j
j j
j dj j dj j j j j j j
j dj j dj j j j j j j
3. Write a harmonic minor scale starting on B.
dd j
a
j
j
j
j
j
dj
j
dj
j
j
j
j
j
j
d
b d j
j
j
j
j
j
dj
j
dj
j
j
j
j
j
j
4. Write a harmonic minor scale starting on Eb.
fffff
f
a j j j
j
j
f
j
f
f
f
b ff
j j
j j
j ej j ej j j j j j
j
j ej j ej j j j j j j
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POINT GREY MUSIC
Minor Scales Study Guide
Melodic minors
1. Write a melodic minor scale starting on G.
f j j j
f
a
f
f
b j j j
j j ej dj j ej fj j j j j j
j j ej dj j ej fj j j j j j
2. Write a melodic minor scale starting on C.
ff j j j
f
a
f
j
j
j
f
f
b
j j ej ej j fj fj j j j j j
j j ej ej j fj fj j j j j j
3. Write a melodic minor scale starting on Bb.
ffff j j j
f
a
j j ej ej j fj fj j j j j j
b fffff j j j
j j ej ej j fj fj j j j j j
4. Write a melodic minor scale starting on F#.
ddd
a j j j
ddd
b j j j
j j dj dj j ej ej j j j j j
j j dj dj j ej ej j j j j j
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