Jazz minor scale
Ascending form of the melodic minor scale
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The jazz minor scale also known as the ascending melodic minor scale or the Ionian ♭3 scale is a derivative of the melodic minor scale, except only the ascending form of the scale is used. As the name implies, it is primarily used in jazz[citation needed], although it may be found in other types of music as well. It may be derived from the major scale with a minor third,[1] making it a synthetic scale, and features a dominant seventh chord on the fifth degree (V) like the harmonic minor scale.[2] It can also be derived from the diatonic Dorian mode with a major seventh
Thus, the jazz minor scale can be represented by the following notation:
- 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, 6, 7, (1)
The intervals between the notes of the jazz minor scale follow the sequence below:
- whole, half, whole, whole, whole, whole, half
Or in short:
WHWWWWH
Jazz theory
The scale may be considered to originate in the use of extensions beginning with the seventh in jazz and thus the necessity to, "chromatically raise the diatonic 7th to create a stable, tonic sound," rather than use a minor seventh chord, associated with ii, for tonic.[3]
The jazz minor scale contains all of the altered notes of the dominant seventh chord whose root is a semitone below the scale's tonic: "In other words to find the correct jazz minor scale for any dominant 7th chord simply use the scale whose tonic note is a half step higher than the root of the chord."[1] For example, the G7 chord and A♭ jazz minor scale: the A♭ scale contains the root, third, seventh, and the four most common alterations of G7. This scale may be used to resolve to C in the progression G7–C (over G7, which need not be notated G7♭5♯5♭9♯9).[1]
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It is used over a minor major seventh chord.[4] See: chord-scale system. The scale also easily allows diatonic chord progressions, for example a I−vi−ii−V progression:[4]
Chord structure
Triad qualities
The triads built on each scale degree follow a distinct pattern. The roman numeral analysis is shown below.
- 1st: minor triad (I-)
- 2nd: minor triad (II-)
- 3rd: Augmented triad (♭III+)
- 4th: Major triad (IV)
- 5th: Major triad (V)
- 6th: diminished triad (VIo)
- 7th: diminished triad (VIIo)
Seventh chord qualities
The seventh chords built on each scale degree follow a distinct pattern. The roman numeral analysis is shown below.
- 1st: minor-major seventh chord (I-∆7)
- 2nd: minor seventh chord (II−7)
- 3rd: Augmented major seventh chord (♭III∆7(+))
- 4th: Dominant seventh chord (IV7)
- 5th: Dominant seventh chord (V7)
- 6th: half-diminished seventh chord (VI-7(♭5))
- 7th: half-diminished seventh chord (VII-7(♭5))
Modes of jazz minor scale
The jazz minor scale, like the diatonic scale, has seven modes. These modes are derived by treating a different note as the tonic.
| Name(s) | Tonic relative to jazz minor scale |
Interval sequence | Scale with only E♭ | Scale on C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jazz minor (or Ionian ♭3) | I | W–H–W–W–W–W–H | C–D–E♭–F–G–A–B | C–D–E♭–F–G–A–B |
| Dorian ♭2, Phrygian ♮6, Cappadocian, or Javanese (Indonesian Pelog) | II | H–W–W–W–W–H–W | D–E♭–F–G–A–B–C | C–D♭–E♭–F–G–A–B♭ |
| Lydian augmented (Lydian ♯5) | ♭III | W–W–W–W–H–W–H | E♭–F–G–A–B–C–D | C–D–E–F♯–G♯–A–B |
| Acoustic scale, Lydian dominant, Lydian flat 7, Mixolydian ♯4, or Overtone | IV | W–W–W–H–W–H–W | F–G–A–B–C–D–E♭ | C–D–E–F♯–G–A–B♭ |
| Aeolian dominant, Aeolian ♮3, Mixolydian ♭6, Descending melodic major, or Hindu | V | W–W–H–W–H–W–W | G–A–B–C–D–E♭–F | C–D–E–F–G–A♭–B♭ |
| Half-diminished, Locrian ♮2, or Aeolian ♭5 | VI | W–H–W–H–W–W–W | A–B–C–D–E♭–F–G | C–D–E♭–F–G♭–A♭–B♭ |
| Altered scale, Super Locrian, or Altered dominant scale | VII | H–W–H–W–W–W–W | B–C–D–E♭–F–G–A | C–D♭–E♭–F♭–G♭–A♭–B♭ |
The names of these scales are variations of the names used for some of the modes of the diatonic major scale, for example the Phrygian ♮6, the second mode of the melodic minor, is named so because it is the same as the Phrygian mode of the major scale with a major sixth.
Relationship to diatonic modes
Each mode of the jazz minor scale can be considered to be related to two diatonic modes, with one note of the diatonic mode either sharped or flatted according to the table below, which is arranged in fifths.
| Mode | Sharped diatonic | Flatted diatonic |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz minor | Dorian ♯7 | Ionian ♭3 |
| Dorian ♭2 | Phrygian ♯6 | Dorian ♭2 |
| Lydian augmented | Lydian ♯5 | Phrygian ♭1 |
| Acoustic | Mixolydian ♯4 | Lydian ♭7 |
| Aeolian dominant | Aeolian ♯3 | Mixolydian ♭6 |
| Half-diminished | Locrian ♯2 | Aeolian ♭5 |
| Altered | Ionian ♯1 | Locrian ♭4 |
Intervals from tonic
Each mode of the jazz minor scale features different intervals of notes from the tonic according to the table below, which is arranged in order of brightness.
| Mode | Intervals with respect to the tonic | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unison | second | third | fourth | fifth | sixth | seventh | octave | |
| Lydian augmented | perfect | major | major | augmented | augmented | major | major | perfect |
| Acoustic | perfect | minor | ||||||
| Jazz minor | minor | perfect | major | |||||
| Aeolian dominant | major | minor | minor | |||||
| Dorian ♭2 | minor | minor | major | |||||
| Half-diminished | major | diminished | minor | |||||
| Altered | minor | diminished | ||||||