What makes minor scale

Now our sequence looks like this:. This combination of notes is called the minor scale. The minor scale is created with a formula, just like the major scale. The formula for the minor scale is whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole.

This formula is the same sequence as the major scale formula, but it begins on a different note. In our numbering scheme before, we had the notes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. This reflects the new notes of the scale as compared to the original major scale, which is always our point of reference—in any situation. C major and C minor are parallel to each other, like two trains running on separate tracks. Many composers write music that pulls notes from the parallel minor into a major key, or vice versa.

All we did was drag the brackets over so that the minor scale would start on C. Back Free versions Previous versions. Back Forum Join our street team. Back Ear training. Back What is ear training? Music theory. Back Understanding basic music theory What is sight-singing? Music Technology. Music memos. Back What are intervals in music? What are chords in music?

What are chord progressions? What are scales in music? What is Swing? Music in a Minor Key. Minor Scales. Figure 4.

Natural Minor Scale Intervals. Go to Solution For each note below, write a natural minor scale, one octave, ascending going up beginning on that note. Relative Minor and Major Keys. Comparing Major and Minor Scale Patterns. The interval patterns for major and natural minor scales are basically the same pattern starting at different points.

Relative Minor. The C major and C minor scales start on the same note, but have different key signatures. C minor and E flat major start on different notes, but have the same key signature. C minor is the relative minor of E flat major. Go to Solution What are the relative majors of the minor keys in Figure 4. Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales. Note Do key signatures make music more complicated than it needs to be?

Comparing Types of Minor Scales. Go to Solution Rewrite each scale from Figure 4. Jazz and "Dorian Minor". Dorian Minor. The "dorian minor" can be written as a scale of natural notes starting on d. Similarly, most chords and arpeggios usually contain 3 or 4 different notes like a Root, 3rd, and 5th triads , or a Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th seventh chords.

All of these scales and chords contain that important note the 3rd in them. Compared to major scales and chords, minor scales and chords have different 3rds. A minor 3rd is one note lower than a major 3rd.

Here is an example of a major 3rd C to E and a minor 3rd C to Eb [Click the play button on the diagrams to hear them. All major-sounding scales and chords contain major 3rds while all minor-sounding scales and chords contain minor 3rds. To flat a note means to lower it by one note. Since the minor third is always one note lower than the major third, we often describe the minor third as a flatted 3rd.

That does not mean the minor 3rd must be spelled with a flat letter name. A flat third can be spelled with any letter of the musical alphabet whether its a natural note name, flat note name, or sharp note name.

Please review intervals if you are still confused on this. Intervals are essential to understanding scale and chord construction.