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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.
v1 · 10/04/2026Browse all terms →