C melodic minor
Built to close a gap.
Harmonic minor gives a key a strong ending, but its three-fret jump sounds awkward in a melody. Raise the sixth as well and the gap closes. Every step is one or two frets again.
- How it sounds
- The flat third keeps it minor, but everything above the fifth is the same as major, so lines lift instead of sinking. It’s smoother than harmonic minor and lighter than natural.
- Where it lives
- Jazz above all, classical melodies climbing toward a cadence, and film scoring when a minor line needs to rise.
On the neck
- High E string: F at fret 1, G at fret 3
- B string: B at fret 0, C at fret 1, D at fret 3, E♭ at fret 4
- G string: G at fret 0, A at fret 2, B at fret 4
- D string: D at fret 0, E♭ at fret 1, F at fret 3
- A string: A at fret 0, B at fret 2, C at fret 3
- Low E string: F at fret 1, G at fret 3
The notes
In order, with the frets between them: C2D1E♭2F2G2A2B1C
The gap is gone. Two notes carry the character now. E♭ keeps it minor, and B, one fret below C, keeps the pull toward home that harmonic minor added.
Home. B sits one fret below.
C
Perfect unison
Two frets up from C: whole step.
D
Major second
One fret up from D: half step.
E♭
Minor third
Two frets up from E♭: whole step.
F
Perfect fourth
Two frets up from F: whole step.
G
Perfect fifth
Two frets up from G: whole step.
A
Major sixth
Two frets up from A: whole step.
B
Major seventh
The chords
Same method, different results again. With A natural in the scale, D–F–A comes out minor and F–A–C comes out major, so ii and IV are brighter here than in natural or harmonic minor. E♭–G–B is still four frets and four frets. Still augmented.
i, ii, III+, IV, V, vi°, vii°. Count the uppercase: IV and V are both major, which is why this scale can sound almost like a major key with a darker home chord. In C melodic minor, i–IV–V is Cm–F–G.
- High E string: G at fret 3
- B string: E♭ at fret 4
- G string: C at fret 5
- D string: G at fret 5
- A string: C at fret 3
- Low E string: not played
The three functions
The three jobs still apply, but melodic minor is used more for lines than for progressions. The chords here mostly show what sits underneath a melody.
Tonic
home
- Cmi
Pre-dominant
moving
- Dmii
- FIV
Dominant
tension
- GV
- Bdimvii°rare
resolves back to Cm
Dm is D–F–A and F is F–A–C. They share F and A, and they’re the same two pre-dominant chords C major uses. Only the home chord is different.
Which is how melodic minor manages to sound like major with the lights dimmed.
Progressions
| Name | Numerals | In C |
|---|---|---|
| Minor with a bright fourcommon | i–IV | Cm – F |
| Jazz minor two-five-one | ii7–V7–i | Dm7 – G7 – CmMaj7 |
Writing with this
Putting chords under a melody
The note that makes minor sound bright.
Hold an A, the raised sixth, and the chords that contain it are F, Dm and Adim. Two of those sound warm, not dark.
So you get a minor home with a middle that sounds major. Lean on A in a melody and it sounds hopeful, even though the key is still minor.
The family
- C MajorC D E F G A B
From C major: remove 4 and 7
C Major PentatonicC D E G AFrom C major: flatten 3, 6 and 7
C Natural MinorC D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ ♭3 ♭6 ♭7From C natural minor: remove 2 and ♭6
C Minor PentatonicC E♭ F G B♭ ♭3 ♭7From C natural minor: raise the 7 back
C Harmonic MinorC D E♭ F G A♭ B ♭3 ♭6From C harmonic minor: raise the 6 back
C Melodic MinorC D E♭ F G A B ♭3