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Melodic Minor Scale – Definition
The melodic minor scale is a minominor scale that raises the sixth and seventh scale degrees when ascending. In jazz theory, the same form is typically used in both ascending and descending directions.
What is the Melodic Minor Scale?
The melodic minor scale contains the intervals: root, major second, minor third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major sixth, and major seventh. In classical music, the descending form usually returns to the natural minor scale, while jazz musicians commonly use the ascending form in both directions.
The melodic minor scale is an important source of harmony and improvisation in jazz and contemporary music, and several other commonly used scales are derived from it.
How is the Melodic Minor Scale used in piano playing?
Pianists use the melodic minor scale for improvisation, scale practice, and harmonic study. It appears frequently in jazz and fusion and is commonly used over specific chord types and progressions.
Learning the melodic minor scale expands a pianist’s understanding of harmony, modal playing, and advanced improvisational vocabulary.