Melodic Minor Scale
A minor scale that raises both the sixth and seventh degrees when ascending, then reverts to natural minor when descending.
Category
scales
Pronunciation
/məˈlɒdɪk ˈmaɪnə skeɪl/
Origin
English (theoretical term)
Length
221 words · 2 min read
About Melodic Minor Scale
The melodic minor scale was developed to solve a practical problem: the augmented second gap in the harmonic minor scale was considered awkward to sing. By raising both the sixth and seventh degrees on the way up, the melodic minor creates smooth stepwise motion to the tonic whilst retaining the leading note.
More scales terms
Pentatonic Scale
View all scalesterms →A five-note scale found in musical traditions worldwide
Whole-Tone ScaleA six-note scale built entirely from whole tones
Chromatic ScaleA scale comprising all twelve semitones within an octave
Blues ScaleA six-note scale derived from the minor pentatonic with an added flattened fifth, central to blues and rock music.
Octatonic ScaleAn eight-note scale built from alternating whole tones and semitones, widely used in late Romantic and modern music.
Synonyms
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