| Lesson 8 - Minor Scales; Natural Minor | |||||
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Terms:
Minor scales represent the tonal material used in compositions written in minor keys. There are three types of minor scales: natural minor (sometimes called “pure” minor), melodic minor, and harmonic minor. The melodic and harmonic minor scales are actually altered forms of the natural minor. Like the major scale, a natural minor scale consists of eight scale degrees comprising a series of seven intervals—five whole-steps and two diatonic half-steps. However, in the natural minor scale, the intervals are arranged in a different pattern (a rotation, or mode, of the major interval pattern), WHWWHWW. On the keyboard, this minor interval pattern is formed by the white keys from A to A, but like the major interval pattern, it can be transposed to begin on any of fifteen tonics. Click the arrow keys in Example 8-1 to see the different natural minor scales illustrated on the keyboard; note the location of the half-steps between the second and third and fifth and sixth scale degrees. Example 8-1
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