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Notes, Pitch & Melody

Minor Scale

The short version

The darker, more serious ladder.

A little more

Same idea as major, but the third, sixth and seventh notes sit a semitone lower. A minor is all white keys from A to A.

Hear it
Try it
Scales, up and down

Sing along with the ascending version if you can.

C majorBright and settled.
A minorSame notes as C major, different home.
C major pentatonicFive notes, hard to go wrong.
A minor pentatonicThe blues and rock solo scale.
ChromaticEvery note — the full box.
Why you'd careSwap major for minor over the same beat and the mood flips instantly — that's one edit, huge result.
Go deeper

There are three common minors: natural, harmonic (raised 7th, exotic pull to the tonic) and melodic (raised 6th and 7th going up).

Learn next

88 words and counting in The Music Guide. Back to the guide