A♭ Melodic Minor
The classical melodic minor — raised 6th and 7th ascending, reverts to natural minor descending. Two distinct half-step patterns in one scale.
Audio source: tonejs-instruments by Nick Brosowsky (MIT)
What notes are in the A♭ Melodic Minor scale?
The A♭ Melodic Minor scale uses the notes A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F, G (one octave; the pattern repeats at higher registers).
What's the Melodic Minor scale formula?
The Melodic Minor scale follows the interval pattern W H W W W W H, where W = whole step (2 semitones) and H = half step (1 semitone). Apply that pattern starting on A♭ to get the A♭ Melodic Minor scale.
What chords work over A♭ Melodic Minor?
Jazz minor's modes include the altered scale over V7alt and Lydian dominant over V7. Works well over m-maj7, m6, and the modern jazz minor sound.
How do I finger A♭ Melodic Minor on Piano?
On piano, scales typically use a 1-2-3 / 1-2-3-4 thumb-under pattern for white-key scales. Black-key scales (F♯, G♭, etc.) shift the thumb-under positions onto white keys for ergonomic clearance. Hanon Exercise No. 1 and Czerny Op. 599 No. 1 work through the canonical pattern.
When would I use the Melodic Minor scale?
The classical melodic minor — raised 6th and 7th ascending, reverts to natural minor descending. Two distinct half-step patterns in one scale.