A Melodic Minor scale
A Melodic Minor scale for guitar.
The A Melodic Minor is a seven-note scale. Colored circles mark the tones in the fingerboard diagram, with darker color highlighting the root notes. In the two-octave pattern, the first root note is on the 6th string, 5th fret.
Am
2 octaves
Notes: A - B - C - D - E - F# - G#
Intervals: 2 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 1
Type: Septonic
The scale displayed with its numeric formula, intervals and scale degrees.
| Formula | Notes | Intervals | Degrees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Unison | Tonic |
| 2 | B | Major second | Supertonic |
| b3 | C | Minor third | Mediant |
| 4 | D | Perfect fourth | Subdominant |
| 5 | E | Perfect fifth | Dominant |
| 6 | F# | Minor sixth | Submediant |
| 7 | G# | Minor seventh | Subtonic |
The main three-note and four-note chords that are related to this scale are the following:
| Am | X02210 | Am6 | X02212 |
| Bm | X24432 | Bm7 | X20202 |
| Caug | X32110 | CM7#5 | X32100 |
| D | XX0232 | D7 | XX0212 |
| E | 022100 | E7 | 020100 |
| F#dim | XX4575 | F#m7b5 | XX4555 |
| G#dim | XX6797 | G#m7b5 | XX6777 |
The tones in these chords correspond to the tones of the A Melodic Minor scale.
The second and fourth columns include short notations for the chords in the first and third columns respectively. These are based on common ways to play the chord, but there are other alternatives. “M” is used as an abbreviation instead for “maj” in the third column.
The A Melodic Minor scale consists of seven notes. These can be described as intervals, as semi-notes or steps on the guitar fingerboard, written as 2 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 1 from the first note to the next octave.
The A Melodic Minor is one of three A Minor scales, the other two are A Natural Minor and A Harmonic Minor.
The scale is identical with the Major scale apart from the minor third. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to as Ionian b3 scale.