Minor Scales

If major scales sound bright and settled, minor scales sound darker, sadder, or more serious. The single change that flips the mood is a lowered 3rd: the third note of the scale sits a half step lower than it would in major. That one interval is the heart of the minor sound.

The natural minor scale

The most basic minor scale is the natural minor. Its step pattern is W-H-W-W-H-W-W (W for a whole step, H for a half step). Starting on A, this gives A B C D E F G, which is all white keys on the piano. That makes A natural minor the easiest minor scale to see and hear.

Relative and parallel minor

A minor and C major use the exact same notes and the same key signature. When two keys share a key signature like this, the minor one is the relative minor of the major (and the major is the relative major of the minor). A minor is the relative minor of C major.

Do not confuse this with the parallel minor, which shares the same root but a different key signature. C major and C minor are parallel keys: same starting note, different set of notes.

Two useful variants

Composers often adjust the natural minor to get a stronger sense of resolution, which produces two more forms:

• Harmonic minor raises the 7th degree. A natural minor becomes A B C D E F G♯. That raised G♯ leans hard into the A above it, giving a stronger pull back to the tonic.
• Melodic minor raises both the 6th and 7th degrees when ascending: A B C D E F♯ G♯. This smooths out the large gap that harmonic minor creates. Traditionally it reverts to natural minor on the way down (G♮, F♮).

The three forms of A minor

Try all three in the scale explorer below. Pick a root, switch between natural, harmonic, and melodic minor, and listen for how the raised notes change the character. The jump from F to G♯ in harmonic minor is especially easy to hear.

Every minor key starts from the natural minor. Harmonic and melodic minor are just small tweaks to the 6th and 7th degrees, made to give melodies and harmonies a stronger pull home.