Saxophone Players Guide

  • Home
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Contact

Minor Scales

Minor Scales, in all various permutations, are one of the crucial components of Western music. Unlike their major counterparts, there are multiple scales for each Minor key, each with different interval spacing.

While the minor is more complicated than Major Scales, they are considerably less complex than more exotic scales like the Ragas or Hejaz scales, which contain intervals that can sound alien to those accustomed to Western music. As such, learning a minor key is typically considered a crucial part in a musician’s development.

The most basic form of a minor key is known as natural minor. In a natural minor scale, all of the notes within a minor key signature are played in a sequence. For instance, the A minor natural scale consists of A, B, C, D, E, F and G. In traditional music theory, this is known as an Aeolian mode.

Harmonic minors, notable for producing a slightly “Arabesque” sound, are created by simply raising the seventh note in the corresponding natural minor by one half step. As such, the A minor harmonic scale contains A, B, C, D, E, F sharp and G.

To play a melodic minor scale, one must raise the six and seventh notes of a natural minor by one half step while ascending, then revert to the natural minor as one goes back down. This means that the first half of an A minor melodic scale consists of A, B, C, D, E sharp, F sharp and G, while the second half is identical to a natural minor.

There are a number of other scales in a minor key that exist, but most Western musicians never familiarize themselves with them. However, some complex and experimental forms of jazz have been known to make use of more unconventional scales.

Various composers have expressed a preference for one type of minor key over the other. For instance, Mozart found the melodic minors helpful in crafting music, while some vocal composers saw the scale as incompatible with writing smooth melodies. For a sizeable proportion of musicians, knowing the theory behind the different types of minor key’s and the notes they incorporate is largely unnecessary. However, a working knowledge of each type of scale ensures that one has no trouble adopting to new key signatures or following rapid key changes in a jazz tune.

Unlike with Major scales, finding a song written completely within a single minor key can be difficult. However, songs in minor keys that utilize notes within such scales are commonplace. Examples of such include Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and Thelonius Monk’s “Round Midnight.”


Return from Minor Scales to Famous Saxophone Players

Return from Minor Scales to Saxophone Players Guide


Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Invention

  • Who Invented the Saxophone
  • Sax History
  • Adolphe Sax

Saxophone Family

  • Family
  • Soprillo Saxophone
  • Sopranino Saxophone
  • Soprano Saxophone
  • Alto Saxophone
  • Tenor Saxophone
  • The Baritone Saxophone
  • Contrabass Saxophone
  • Bass Saxophone
  • EWI

Famous Sax Players

  • Famous Players
  • John Coltrane
  • Lester Young
  • Sonny Rollins
  • Jan Garbarek
  • David Sanborn
  • Clarence Clemons
  • Kenny G
  • Stan Getz
  • Oliver Nelson
  • Albert Ayler
  • John Gilmore
  • Ben Webster
  • Wayne Shorter
  • Charlie Parker
  • Candy Dulfer
  • Grover Washington Jr.
  • Dave Koz
  • Mindi Abair
  • Bob Mintzer
  • Bill Clinton
  • Julian Cannonball
  • Eric Dolphy
  • Rahsaan Roland Kirk
  • Romy Bylin
  • Ornette Coleman

Jazz Music Info

  • Jazz Music
  • Jazz History
  • Jazz Clubs
  • Jazz Festivals
  • Smooth Jazz
  • Jazz Music Examples

Learn the Saxophone

  • Play Saxophone
  • How long to learn Sax
  • Saxophone Lessons
  • Saxophone Techniques
  • Saxophone Tone

Learn to read Music

  • Learn to Read Music Today
  • Major Scales
  • Minor Scales

Saxohone Teachers

  • Teachers
  • Berklee College of Music
  • Local Saxophone
right-box-img1

Buy Saxophone

  • How to Buy a Saxophone

Saxophone Brands

  • Brands
  • Yamaha
  • Yanagisawa
  • Martin
  • Cannonball
  • Jupiter
  • Selmer
  • Keilwerth
  • Conn
  • King
  • Vito

Saxophone Accessories

  • Essential Accessories
  • Case
  • Neck
  • Mute
  • Mic
  • Stand

Saxophone Parts

  • Parts
  • Reeds
  • Mouthpiece
  • Neck
  • Ligature

Saxophone Repair

  • Saxophone Repair

Wind Instruments

  • Instruments
  • The Trumpet
  • Trombone

Copyright © 2008 - 2023· Saxophone Players Guide · All Rights Reserved

designed by BDhire.com

Copyright © 2023 · MTJPress Niche on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in