A minor scale is a sequence of musical notes in which the third scale degree is a minor third above the tonic. The notes A–B–C–D–E–F–G form a prototypical minor scale.
There are three common types of minor scales: the natural minor scale, the melodic minor scale, and the harmonic minor scale. The Aeolian, Phrygian, and Dorian modes are also examples of minor scales.
Natural minor
The natural minor scale is the diatonic Aeolian mode. It can be played on the white keys of the piano as A–B–C–D–E–F–G.Drabkin, William. "Scale", Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press, 2001. Because this A minor scale shares a key signature with the C major scale, the two are considered relatives. The major scale sits a third above its relative minor.Kostka, Stefan M. and Dorothy Payne. Tonal Harmony. McGraw-Hill Education, 2013. 11ff.
The major and natural minor scales have the same collection of intervals: two semitones and five whole tones. Beginning in the 17th century, they were the two dominant modes of tonal music."Klangfarbenmelodie", The New Harvard Dictionary of Music. Edited by Don Randel. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1986. 728f.
The resulting harmonies are quite different from the major scale. The tonic chord (A–C–E) is minor, as are the subdominant (D–F–A) and dominant chords (E–G–B). The absence of the leading tone made composing a satisfactory cadence difficult. This problem gave rise to the two common variations of the natural minor scale.Prout, Ebenezer. Harmony: Its Theory and Practice. London: Augener, 1903.
The term "natural minor" was not in common use until the twentieth century.Taddie, Daniel L. Scale: An Historical Study Of Musical Terminology And Concepts. The University of Iowa, 1984. 291f.
Harmonic minor
The first solution to the minor scale's missing leading tone was to simply restore it. This modification became known as the harmonic minor scale. The configuration creates an augmented second between the sixth and seventh scale degrees. Because of the melodic awkwardness of this interval, the harmonic minor scale prompted further refinement.
Harmonic minor scales are common in classical music. They can be found in works like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16.Irving, John. Mozart's Piano Sonatas: Contexts, Sources, Style. Cambridge University Press, 1997. 85. Ludwig van Beethoven often relied on the upper tetrachord of the harmonic minor scale to create tonal ambiguity and maximize chromaticism in later works like the Grosse Fuge.Caplin, William E. "The Genesis of the Countersubjects for the Grosse Fuge", The String Quartets of Beethoven. Edited by William Kinderman. University of Illinois Press, 2006. 235f. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov considered the harmonic minor scale as part of the "basis of harmony". He also introduced the term "harmonic major scale" for a major scale with a lowered sixth.Taruskin, Richard. "Rimsky-Korsakov Catches Up", Musical Lives and Times Examined: Keynotes and Clippings, 2006–2019. University of California Press, 2023. 222.
Worcester Cathedral rings its "Harmonic Minor 10" on solemn occasions like Good Friday and Armistice Day. The church bells are half-muffled and play a pattern based on a descending minor scale.Hackett, Rosalind I.J. "Aural Media", The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Materiality. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2020. 495.Kipping, Chris. "Worcester Cathedral’s harmonic minor ten – a musical analysis", Worcesterbells.org.uk. Accessed February 6, 2026.
Spirituals like "Go Down Moses" and "Soon I Will Be Done" employ the harmonic minor scale.Houlahan, Micheal and Philip Tacka. Kodály in the Fifth Grade Classroom: Developing the Creative Brain in the 21st Century. Oxford University Press, 2015. 73, 165. In popular music, shredders like Yngwie Malmsteen made liberal use of harmonic minor scales as they expanded the vernacular of the guitar solo beyond the blues scale.Guitar World Presents the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Edited by Jeff Kitts. Bloomsbury Academic, 2002. 45. Heavy metal guitarists often orient their use of the harmonic minor scale around the dominant, which introduces a Phrygian flavor to their melodies.The Routledge Companion to Popular Music Analysis: Expanding Approaches. Taylor & Francis, 2018. 243.
The Hungarian minor scale is a harmonic minor scale with a raised 4th degree.Cleland, Kent D. and Mary Dobrea-Grindahl. Developing Musicianship Through Aural Skills: A Holistic Approach to Sight Singing and Ear Training. Taylor & Francis, 2013. 495. The Neapolitan minor scale is a harmonic minor scale with a lowered second scale degree.Pescatore, Pablo. Extreme Rock Guitar Soloing: Advanced Professional Techniques. Mel Bay Publications, 2024. 57.
Melodic minor
Given the awkwardness of the harmonic minor's augmented second, composers developed another version of the scale known as the melodic minor. When played upwards, both the sixth and seventh scale degrees appear as they do in the major scale. The only lowered scale degree is the third, which ameliorates voice leading. During a descent, the sixth and seventh scale degrees are lowered to their positions in the natural minor scale.
Consistently raising and lowering the sixth and seventh scale degrees requires copious accidentals. The primary minor key signature prevails, and the note alterations are so commonplace that they are viewed as diatonic.
The ascending melodic minor scale is sometimes referred to as a "jazz minor scale".Berle, Arnie. How to Create and Develop a Jazz Sax Solo. Mel Bay Publications, 2017. 55, 78.
Elton John uses a melodic minor scale in "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word".Stephenson, Ken. What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis. Yale University Press, 2002. 41.
Other scales Scales with a minor third or a minor tonic triad are often referred to as minor.Terefenko, Dariusz. Jazz Theory: From Basic to Advanced Study. Second edition. Taylor and Francis, 2017. 79.Lester, Joel. "The Recognition of Major and Minor Keys in German Theory: 1680-1730", Journal of Music Theory, vol. 22, no. 1, 1978. 65ff. The Dorian mode is the most common example. The Phrygian mode is also considered minor.de Clercq, Trevor. The Practice of Popular Music: Understanding Harmony, Rhythm, Melody, and Form in Commercial Songwriting. Taylor & Francis, 2024. 334.
Gapped scales can also be considered incomplete major or minor scales. The pentatonic scale can appear in a minor guise.Benward, Bruce and Marilyn Nadine Saker. Music: In Theory and Practice, vol. I. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2003. 40f.
See also Diatonic functionality Jazz minor scale Jazz scale#Modes of the melodic minor scale Major scale
References
Further reading Hewitt, Michael. 2013. Musical Scales of the World. The Note Tree. . Yamaguchi, Masaya. 2006. The Complete Thesaurus of Musical Scales, revised edition. New York: Masaya Music Services. .
External links Harmonised minor scale recordings. Natural Minor Scales diagrammed on a virtual piano