The same goes for F♯ major and G♭ major and their relative minors, as well as C♯ major and D♭ major, and their relative minors. Since B major and C♭ major are enharmonic scales (same notes, different names) their relative minor scales will also be enharmonic. Here’s a list of all the relative major and minor scales: You could memorize that pattern if it’s easier, or you can build the natural minor scale by remembering it’s relative major scale. Another WayĪnother way to find the notes of any natural minor scale is to memorize the pattern of whole and half-steps used to build natural minor scales. The difference is a C major scale starts and ends on C, while an A natural minor scale starts and ends on A.Įven though we’re using the same notes as the C major scale, A natural minor won’t sound the same as C major, because we’re starting and ending on “A” instead of starting and ending on “C”. Since the sixth note of a C major scale is A, an A natural minor scale contains all the same notes as a C major scale.

Here’s how it works: natural minor scales are built off the sixth notes of their relative major scales, and they contain the same notes as their relative major scales. Natural minor scales are really neat, because they each have a twin on the piano – a major scale with the exact same notes! The notes in the A minor scale are also the notes used to write songs in the key of A minor. The first note of the scale is called the “keynote”, and this is also the note the scale is named after (an “A minor” scale starts on an “A”). Major scales are often used for happier-sounding and more upbeat songs, while minor scales work well for reflective and somber songs. Scales are groups of notes used to write songs. What Is a Scale?Ī scale is a group of eight notes, played in alphabetical order, starting and ending on the same note (if a scale starts on C, it will end on the next C).

So let’s learn how to build minor scales on the piano. They lend themselves quite naturally to reverence and introspection. There’s nothing quite like minor keys to communicate the message or mood of a song.

Piano melodic minor scales pdf