Intermediate Lesson1

Different types of scales

Scales are building blocks of music that we learn in basic lesson 3.You saw two types of scales (major scales and natural minor scales )which beginners have to learn.By learning major and natural minor scales you got a idea about scales. Now you are going to learn mainly some different scales.Any song or music was created by these scales.

Minor scales :

Natural minor scales
Hormonic minor scales
Melodic minor scales

Note:- Natural minor scales are we learn in basic lesson 3.

Harmonic Minor Scales

The Harmonic Minor Scale is one of three minor scales.It is some what different from natural minor scale means the seventh note of natural minor scale was raised to front note to form a hormonic scale.

There are 12 hormonic minor scales

C hormonic minor scale: Notes: C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, B, C
Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

D hormonic minor scale: Notes: D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C#, D
Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

E hormonic minor scale: Notes: E, F#, G, A, B, C, D#, E
Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

F hormonic minor scale: Notes: F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, E, F
Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4

G hormonic minor scale: Notes: G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F#, G
Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

A hormonic minor scale: Notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, G#, A
Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

B hormonic minor scale: Notes: B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A#, B
Fingering (LH): 4, 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

C# hormonic minor scale: Notes: C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A, C, C#
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3
Fingering (RH): 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3

D# hormonic minor scale: Notes: D#, F, F#, G#, A#, B, D, D#
Fingering (LH): 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2
Fingering (RH): 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3

F# hormonic minor scale: Notes: F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, F, F#
Fingering (LH): 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 4
Fingering (RH): 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3

G# hormonic minor scale: Notes: G#, A#, B, C#, D#, E, G, G#
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 4, 3
Fingering (RH): 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3

A# hormonic minor scale: Notes: A#, C, C#, D#, F, F#, A, A#
Fingering (LH): 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2
Fingering (RH): 2, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4

How to play hormonic scale? While you seeing above scales you got a doubt that how these scales created. To play a harmonic minor scale, you simply raise the seventh note of the natural minor scale by a half-step as you go up and down the scale. For example: Natural C Minor Scale = C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C Harmonic C Minor Scale = C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, B, C The formula for forming a harmonic minor scale is W - H - W - W - H - W+H - H. (Whole step – half step – whole step – whole step – half step – whole step and half step – half step.) Melodic minor scale: The melodic minor Scale is one of three minor scales.It was played in few cases only than other two minor scales. There are 12 melodic minor scales.

C melodic minor scale: Notes (ascending): C, D, Eb, F, G, A, B, C
Notes (descending): C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C

D melodic minor scale: Notes (ascending): D, E, F, G, A, B, C#, D
Notes (descending): D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C, D

E melodic minor scale: Notes (ascending): E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D#, E
Notes (descending): E, F#, G, A, B, C, D, E

F melodic minor scale: Notes (ascending): F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, E, F
Notes (descending): F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F

G melodic minor scale: Notes (ascending): G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F#, G
Notes (descending): G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G

A melodic minor scale: Notes (ascending): A, B, C, D, E, F#, G#, A
Notes (descending): A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A

B melodic minor scale Notes (ascending): B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A#, B
Notes (descending): B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A, B

C# melodic minor scale Notes (ascending): C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, C, C#
Notes (descending): C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A, B, C#

D# melodic minor scale Notes (ascending): D#, F, F#, G#, A#, C, D, D#
Notes (descending): D#, F, F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D#

F# melodic minor scale Notes (ascending): F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#, F, F#
Notes (descending): F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E, F#

G# melodic minor scale Notes (ascending): G#, A#, B, C#, D#, F, G, G#
Notes (descending): G#, A#, B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#

A# melodic minor scale Notes (ascending): Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, G, A, Bb
Notes (descending): Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb

How to play a melodic minor scale?

To play a melodic minor scale, you raise the sixth and seventh notes of a scale by a half step as you go up the scale and then return to the natural minor as you go down the scale.

Example: The notes of the C melodic minor scale ascending are: C, D, Eb, F, G, A, B, C. The notes of the C melodic minor scale descending are: C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C (C natural minor scale).

The formula for a melodic minor scale is whole step – half step – whole step – whole step – whole step – whole step – half step. (W-H-W-W-W-W-H) The descending formula is the natural minor scale formula backwards.

Petatonic scale

The pentatonic scales are very commonly used to play music. These are create a different music style. Pentatonic scales are two types.

major pentatonic scales
minor pentatonic scales

Major pentatonic scales

This scale was 5 notes scale which contains only 5 notes. This scale is similar to the Major Scale, but it not have the 4th and 7th notes of major scales. Major Pentatonic scales are especially common in traditional folk music,etc.Below are pictures and notes of the Major Pentatonic scale.

C major pentatonic scale: Notes: C, D, E, G, A, C
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3

D major pentatonic scale: Notes: D, E, F#, A, B, D
Fingering (LH): 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 2
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 4

E major pentatonic scale: Notes: E, F#, G#, B, C#, E
Fingering (LH): 4, 3, 2, 1, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3

F major pentatonic scale: Notes: F, G, A, C, D, F
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 4

G major pentatonic scale: Notes: G, A, B, D, E, G
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 4

A major pentatonic scale: Notes: A, B, C#, E, F#, A
Fingering (LH): 2, 1, 2, 1, 3, 2
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 1

B major pentatonic scale: Notes: B, C#, D#, F#, G#,B
Fingering (LH): 1, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1

C# major pentatonic scale: Notes: C#, D#, F, G#, A#, C#
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2
Fingering (RH): 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4

D# major pentatonic scale: Notes: D#, F, G, A#, C, D#
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3
Fingering (RH): 2, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2

F# major pentatonic scale: Notes: F#, G#, A#, C#, D#, F#
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3

G# major pentatonic scale: Notes: G#, A#, C, D#, F, G#
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3
Fingering (RH): 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3

A# major pentatonic scale: Notes: A#, C, D, F, G, A#
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3
Fingering (RH): 3, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3

Minor pentatonic scales

Below pictures and notes of the Minor Pentatonic scales are presented. These scales are very common in many styles. These scales create different music.