Melodic Minor
Jazz minor. Minor 3rd with a major 6th and 7th on top.
2 fretboard positions in standard tuning, low string on the left. Every dot is a note of the scale and the number inside it is the scale degree, so you can see the shape and the theory at once.
root notescale notenumbers inside the dots are scale degrees
Box 1
Open position
When to use it: It lands in open position for this key, so the open strings carry the low notes — easy to play, but the one shape you cannot slide to another key. Root on the 6th string. Learn this one first — matching the root to a fret is all it takes to move the shape to any key.
Box 2
Frets 7–10
When to use it: Root on the 5th string. Use it when the tonic is easier to find on the A string, or when you want the scale to sit higher.
7 notes, built off E with the formula 1 · 2 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7. Melodic minor smooths out the awkward leap harmonic minor creates by also raising the 6th. In jazz it is used ascending and descending, and it is the parent of the altered scale.
Stack every other note of the scale and you get its seven diatonic chords. These are the chords that sound at home over this scale — a progression made only of these will never leave the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes | Seventh | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Em | E G B | Em(maj7) | tonic — everything resolves here |
| ii | F♯m | F♯ A C♯ | F♯m7 | supertonic — pre-dominant — the usual step toward the dominant |
| III+ | Gaug | G B D♯ | Gmaj7♯5 | mediant — the raised-7th chord; restless, rarely sat on |
| IV | A | A C♯ E | A7 | subdominant — the lift away from home |
| V | B | B D♯ F♯ | B7 | dominant — wants to resolve home |
| vi° | C♯dim | C♯ E G | C♯m7♭5 | submediant — unstable |
| vii° | D♯dim | D♯ F♯ A | D♯m7♭5 | leading tone — a half step below home, maximum tension |
Scales are not islands. Same notes, different home note gives you the relative scale; same home note, different notes gives you the parallel.
Matching key
Key of E MinorThe key page has the full diatonic table, the common progressions, and every chord in the key with diagrams.
The E melodic minor scale has 7 notes: E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D#. The interval formula is 1–2–♭3–4–5–6–7, counted up from E.
The E melodic minor scale builds seven diatonic chords: i Em, ii F#m, III+ Gaug, IV A, V B, vi° C#dim, vii° D#dim.
Start with Position 1 (6th-string root) in open position. It lands in open position for this key, so the open strings carry the low notes — easy to play, but the one shape you cannot slide to another key. Root on the 6th string. Learn this one first — matching the root to a fret is all it takes to move the shape to any key.
The patterns above get your fingers moving. These explain what the notes are actually doing, so you can use the scale instead of just running it.
5 min read
Major and Minor Scales — Built from Intervals, Felt in SongsWhat this changes about natural minor, one raised note at a time.
4 min read
Cadences — The Four Ways a Phrase EndsThe raised seventh exists so the V–i landing sounds final. Here is why.
6 min read
Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One EngineAltering the scale alters the chords built on it. This tracks the fallout.