Have you ever wondered how sad or mysterious music feels? It's all thanks to minor scales! Let's explore three types: natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales. Think of a scale like a ladder. Each step is a note. Minor scales have a special sound different from "happy" major scales.
W-H-W-W-H-W-W
Imagine playing the white keys on a piano from A to A. That's a natural minor scale! It sounds sad or calm.
The pattern is: W-H-W-W-H-W-H
This small change gives the scale a dramatic and slightly mysterious feel.
Going up:
1. Natural Minor Scale
This is the simplest minor scale. It follows a pattern of whole steps (W) and half steps (H) like this:W-H-W-W-H-W-W
Imagine playing the white keys on a piano from A to A. That's a natural minor scale! It sounds sad or calm.
2. Harmonic Minor Scale
This scale has a little twist. It raises the 7th note by a half step, creating a leading tone that pulls strongly to the tonic (the first note).The pattern is: W-H-W-W-H-W-H
This small change gives the scale a dramatic and slightly mysterious feel.
3. Melodic Minor Scale
This scale is a bit trickier. It changes when going up and down.Going up:
- It raises the 6th and 7th notes by a half step. This makes it sound smoother. The pattern is: W-H-W-W-W-W-H
- It's the same as the natural minor scale. The pattern is: W-H-W-W-H-W-W