Three Minor Scales

4. Scale Selection

Now, where this knowledge becomes crucial in practical situations is when using the III chord that has been majorized through “Quality Change“, the III₇ chord introduced through the principle of “Secondary Dominants” or any similar chords of that kind. As it already has a sharp on so, playing it as it is would result in a performance of the harmonic minor, and adding a sharp to fa would make it the melodic minor.

Both adding and not adding the sharp are realistic choices. It depends on whether you want to leverage the distinctive feature of the original fa as a strongly tendency tone or if you want to smooth out the steps. The decision will be made based on the desired melody line and musical concept. Let’s examine the sound differences in each practical example.

Example of Melodic Minor

The charm of the melodic minor lies in its smoothness. It is a choice when you want to naturally incorporate the note so♯ into the melody line.

The Beatles’ “Yesterday” is a famous piece often referenced as “the epitome of melodic minor.” The ascending line in the beginning “All my troubles seemed so” goes like “mi–fa♯-so♯-la–ti–do“. Without the melodic minor, you wouldn’t get this balanced steps of ascending line.

Examples of Harmonic Minor

On the other hand, the charm of the harmonic minor lies in the strong emotional fluctuation created by the “large gap” between fa and so♯. In ballads with sadness or melancholy, choosing this scale is also a consideration.

“Fly Me To The Moon” uses a descending step line “so♯-fa–mi–re–do” at the lyrics “Jupiter and Mars”. In this case, since the melody descends, the option of using the melodic minor is virtually nonexistent.

The background music from the Japanese horror game Alices’ Warped Wonderland starts with a chord progression repeating II_mIII. The melody repeats “re–mi–fa–mi” twice and then expands the phrase with “re–mi–fa–so♯-fa–mi“. The unique emotions created by the large gaps are effectively utilized to create a eerie and unsettling atmosphere, required for the horror genre.

In this case, it is notable that the melodic contour is the folding motion of “fa–so♯-fa“. Opting for fa♯ in the ascent and fa in the descent in such situations can lead to the rapid appearance of two different notes, possibly feeling unnatural. Therefore, choosing the scale while considering the context is essential.

Each of the scales has its charm and finds its place in different scenarios.

5. Scale Selection for VI_m

In classical music, not only for III but also for VI_m, the minor scales discussed earlier are used. While this is less common in pop music, implementing it can easily create a classical atmosphere.

First, this is the melodic minor. The very starting melody is “mi–fa♯-so♯-la” on VIm. It has an incredibly profound and somewhat noble resonance. Really beautiful!

On the other hand, here is the harmonic minor. The starting melody and the bassline in the ending is different. Again, regardless of the chords, the large gap accentuates an eerie atmosphere.

Finally, for reference, this is the natural minor. In classical piano compositions like this one, using the natural minor scale introduces a slightly too wild and untamed quality, causing a sense of discomfort. In creating an elegant minor key atmosphere, understanding the variations of this minor scale is truly essential.

6. Scales and Chords

You probably already understand this empirically, but the chords and scales used in composition are closely intertwined — When deciding to use III₇ as a chord, the natural minor scale becomes less convenient for melodies. Conversely, if you choose to use the melodic minor scale in the melody, the II_m chord, which involves the note fa♮, is generally excluded from the basic choices.

Now, when adopting harmonic minor or melodic minor as scales, what chords become the basic options? Let’s check that at the end.

Here are the seventh chords created along the harmonic minor scale. These chords become the basic options when using the harmonic minor scale. Although it’s just a sharp added to so on each chord, the chord symbols have become quite complex. I’ve introduced all the symbols for reference, but there are advanced chords that are introduced in Chord Chapter III. However, as emphasized before, memorizing chord names is not essential in composition. Just stack notes according to the scale and it works well.

Next, let’s consider the case of melodic minor.

With the addition of fa♯, there are no more familiar chords…

How Far to Use Advanced Chords?

As you may already know from the familiar III₇ in “Quality Change”, just adding one accidental changes the taste of the chord significantly. Therefore, the chords listed above play a crucial role in creating unusual moods that cannot be created with a simple natural minor.

Usefulness of so♯-related Chords

Especially the “VImΔ7” created by stacking 7^th on the leader VIm has an iconic sound. Although it has intense muddiness, it excels in clearly presenting itself as not natural minor. It is an excellent presence that creates a murky atmosphere, I used this chord frequently in the comparison tracks above. The chord “I+Δ7” created by stacking notes do, mi, so♯ and ti also has a characteristically strong dissonance. Just repeating these two chords can evoke a considerably eerie atmosphere.

VI_mΔ7I_+Δ7VI_mΔ7I_+Δ7

The dark sound that is absolutely unattainable in natural minor is quite captivating.

Using Simple Chords

However, the original purpose of modifying the minor scale is to adjust the tonal gravitation and the step structure of the melodic line, and the murkiness of the chords is merely a byproduct. Depending on the situation, there are moments where you want to keep the appearance of accidentals subtle and not complicate things with chords unnecessarily. In such cases, for example, for VIm, you can simply use the triad without adding the seventh, and for a risky chord like do–mi–so♯-ti, you can substitute it with do–mi–la (VIm/I). There are many ways to avoid incorporating accidentals into chords.

VI_mI_m/IVI_mVI_m/I

This is reminiscent of the discussion on “Power Chords” in Chord Chapter II, emphasizing the importance of choosing chords ranging from complex to simple.

The Difficulty of fa♯-related Chords

Chords that include fa♯ derived from the melodic minor scale pose challenges in terms of usability. As mentioned earlier, the melodic minor scale structurally resembles the major scale, often deviating from the basic mood of minor key. Especially, II and II₇ can be very challenging to naturally integrate into the music.

VI_mΔ7II₇VI_m/IIIIII₇VI_m

Here is an example where II₇ is inserted between VI_m, tyring to keep the minor key atmosphere. However, even with this setup, the overall taste seems disrupted by the funky brightness inherent in II₇. It feels uncommon to use this chord in classical minor-key compositions. Just as care was needed to avoid fa♯ in melody making during the descent, similar considerations are required when thinking about chords.

Therefore, when using re as the bass, it is recommended to avoid the melodic minor and stick to the usual II_m for the chord, achieving a balanced tonality. Note that for other fa♯-based chords, with careful preparation in the surrounding context, there is some room to naturally incorporate them.

When composing based on Melodic Minor or Harmonic Minor, it’s crucial to delicately navigate and interchange between the three minor scales in different situations. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

• When IIIm undergoes a quality change, turning into III, both harmonic minor and melodic minor become possible choices. If seeking smooth melody, the latter is preferable, while the former is suitable when intentionally utilizing the “large gap” sound.
• Playing harmonic minor or melodic minor on the VIm chord creates a classical tonality.
• On the melody, in principle, raising fa♯ is used only for an ascending motion. In the context of a descending flow, consider choosing fa♮, as it might sound more natural.

Start by applying various minor scales on III-related chords and then on VI_m-related chords. I hope this practical approach enhances your understanding of each scale.

Summary

• There are three main types of minor scales.
• When using harmonic/melodic minor scales, attention must be paid to chord progressions.
• On III’s chord, both harmonic and melodic minor scales are options.
• In classical minor keys, not only on III’s chord but also on other chords like VIm, harmonic/melodic minor scales are used to create beautiful melodic lines with the tonic and the leading tone.

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