Why Should I Care About The Melodic Minor Scale

In this episode, Adam and Peter dive into the Melodic Minor Scale and what we can do with it. Join us for some helpful tips on this invaluable scale and how to use it in your playing.
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[@russellmills6436]

What is theory for? ... One way to put it is to tell you what to practice for the purpose of getting a new or particular sound in your ears and in in you fingers. People say not to think theory but to 'play what you are hearing' while you solo live. So if you practice theory intentionally, 'theoretically' you will eventually "hear" this particular sound in a live setting and your fingers will be able to execute in the moment... ideally. But it wouldn't be important that you knew it was mel minor on stage but that your fingers could produce what you were hearing. ... But I also find the theory so useful for reharmonizing, whether reharmonizing jazz standards or popular tunes. The modes of melodic or harmonic minor can produce new chords to recolor the standard iii vi ii V harmonies giving you more options to pull from under whatever existing melody you are trying to spice up. ... Love the show. Watching from Cambodia

[@maloneycraig]

Another take: Peter is so good that he doesn’t need to think about the “theory” that the Lydian Dominant and altered scales are “Just modes of the melodic minor”. For the rest of us with underdeveloped ears and hands, theory is a useful crutch.

[@grenciamars4876]

Well said!

[@EliaGaitau]

Ahh the “Cry me a river” lick at the end. Love the counsel at the very end re “theory.” “None of it matters.” ❤ “It can be prescriptive but it’s much better descriptive.” Great words. It’s all made up and we do whatever we like with it. Life is too short to prove one way is more correct over another. Another fun episode and you men knocked this one out of the park.

[@holm81]

Love these episodes devoted to a single concept, a single scale or whatever, and how you guys relate to it. It's so refreshing to hear you play around with stuff as you think of them.

[@DojoOfCool]

To me Melodic Minor scale is the Swiss Army Knife of scales it can be used over all types of chords. When I was getting into it I would take a standard and then practice improv using only Melodic Minor or one of it's modes on every chord. Challenging and learned a lot about articualting notes so make them work.

[@BobMazzo]

Swiss Army knife.😁

[@future62]

I like to think of scales in shapes.... melodic minor is 2 whole tones, half step, 5 whole tones. Then the modes are where you start in that. Same with major scale, 3 whole tones, half step, 4 whole tones. Helps to really visualize everything. My favorite description of the altered scale is the major scale with everything flattened but the root.

[@mdreid]

I also like to think in terms of shapes but I’m not sure I understand your take on this. Aren’t the intervals of the melodic minor (ascending) starting from the root: W H W W W W H? And the major scale is: W W H W W W H?

[@edzielinski]

Great stuff. These dives into scales and how to utilize them is really helpful. The more I learn about music theory, the more I am beginning to understand that it's just a way to organize musical objects, whether that is scales, harmony, etc. And once you have those structures in place in your mind, hands and especially in your ears, you can move through those spaces in a purposeful way, a way that makes sense. This is a great example where the theory is combined with practical examples and insight from years of experience using the melodic minor scale, with a dash of fun, which is always welcome!

[@BobMazzo]

It really is amazing that, regardless of the scale or mode, we always refer back to the intervals within the major scale. i.e The ascending mel minor has the minor 3rd. This really helps...

[@GizzyDillespee]

Lots of tension and good release towards the end. Good episode for eclipse day, too. I didn't follow every single step of the way, but I did hear it.

[@karlvanbeckum9029]

Great episode! I'm glad you used "Beautiful Love" as an example. That's one of our "go to" standards at our weekly Jazz gig. That tune plays itself. Cheers!

[@BobMazzo]

Where is ur gig?

[@justie1220]

GALA adhered to! I listen to these religiously and have learned so much about jazz (which admittedly is not my first genre to play as a piano player). These videos are a must watch for any pianist who has an interest in learning jazz theory and performance!

[@brycel.williams8624]

I’ve been in Open Studio for the last 4 years and it’s videos like this that reminds me why I joined. Pure gold! THIS is music education…without the all the pretentiousness and fluff of traditional music school (no disrespect to those that went that route 💪🏾)

[@doncleary5531]

I always heard we dont use the descending version of melodic minor in jazz. Glad to see you guys are bringing it back.

[@kierenmoore3236]

Yeah - I understood the different ascending/descending versions was ‘a Classical thing’ … and ‘Jazz Minor’ meant you were playing it the same in both directions … 🤔🤷🏻‍♂️

[@jackgalloway8314]

​​​​​​​@@kierenmoore3236 Yes, my player! Maybe in the advanced give it a look but ftw do not until you plateau.

[@BrazenNL]

I like the new screens for your SM 7 B's. On brand!

[@Intense011]

great video. V7-I cadence in major key already has the 5 chord as dominant. if you build the v-i in minor the v chord ends up being minor. changing it to dominant by raising the 3rd of the v gives you the V7-i cadence. that 3rd of the V is the same as the 7th of the root, so raising it gives us aeolian with a raised 7th, or harmonic minor. melodic minor builds on this by raising the 6th to avoid that 3-half-step interval. so following the logic from making the v in minor dominant, how that makes it harmonic minor, how melodic minor is derived from that, now it completely makes sense why it has all those uses in a 2-5-1 or secondary dominant resolving to a minor chord. it was funny when Peter said "locrian, aka the useless mode" then uses it to play that scorching lick. (I know it was #9 I think but still!)

[@ChocloManx]

Something nice at 17:44 Peter plays a c minor melodic scale over the "big c major", and it works great: It's not that a chord "allows" you to play a certain scale over it by virtue of the scale having "the right notes", it's just that a given chord presents particular relationships of tension and consonance with the scales you choose to play over it. We usually think of the scales which contain all of the notes of the chord, but that -and the other one with the ascending melodic minor working fine over the "natural" iimb7- are great counterexamples

[@geocosmicvalentine]

This...was...ROCKY ROAD ICE CREAM with HARD DRIED DATES!! But, my imaginary little brother, who doesn't like Rocky Road Ice Cream with Hard Dried Dates, licked all the ice cream off thereby leaving me no choice but to to pour strong Irish Coffee over the remaining candied rocks and bits of road bricks and the Hard Dried Dates that are doing they're best to break my teeth as I chew but I don't care because is so frickin' DELICIOUS as I sit here in the chaotic Mississippi Mud with the dark chocolate and marshmallow sauce! And THAT'S why I'm still up past midnight on a weeknight because after watching this about 6 times...I'm buzzed and wide awake but I now know the modes of the Ascending Melodic Minor and all the miracles it possesses! GALA ADHESIVE NOW FIRMLY APPLIED!!!! (But I won't tell you where-ouch!) 🤣🤣🤣

[@giampierogirolamo7134]

Nice point of view thank you guys

[@dangfd551]

Great ep!

[@giampierogirolamo7134]

Adam the g7 flat 13 natural nine is amazing as B7 altered great notes of g triad on downbeats it is also amazing in backdoor minormajor moll dur situazions , imagine to use it on top of cmmaj7 or f7 backdoor resolving to Gmaj7 Bergonzi lines volume

[@billr.2210]

I love your channel and will sign up to study with you soon

[@yahnferral9163]

I’ve been explaining this to people for years. But yeah theory is a post action analysis.

[@dave_manley]

Nice lesson, thanks. (I guess the orange pop filters are to match your logo color scheme but I find them visually distracting.)

[@ScottMeloney]

Man, Adam is FIRED UP! Loved this video and the nerdiness of the theory. Maybe less coffee for Adam haha! I’m gonna start using this scale more. Keep it coming guys 😎🤘🎹

[@BrendaBoykin-qz5dj]

Thank you, Brothers ⭐🌹⭐🌹

[@ml-ei3nz]

The confusion is that melodic minor should remain what it was traditionally. „Melodic minor ascending“ should actually be called „minor-major“ scale. That is a better name for that scale.

[@jackgalloway8314]

Read in Brian Waite's Modern Jazz Piano, we really want to concern ourselves in the practice of the displacement of one note of the natural minor. With the harmonic minor scale the sixth and seventh notes of the scale are a minor third apart, also the sixth interval and makes it a semi tone between the seventh note (lead note) and the tonic. Of course this is before any concept of modes and stays the same, contrary. It is the harmonic minor we are interested in therefore not to mention the melodic per se.

[@tylerpark4]

Wow! So playing the F melodic minor on the Bb7#11 on Beautiful Love is already making my day better! Thanks guys. The things that we don’t see when they are staring in the face 😂

[@davidsheriff9274]

Lydian dominant, fourth mode of the melodic minor scale.

[@nihilatak]

Hello, thanks for having us, what keyboard you use, can you make some comments about keyboards, should we buy Nord or something cheaper would work?

[@yahnferral9163]

The first step though is, in early bebop like Barry Harris, play a minor 6 chord a half step above the tonic of the dominant chord. It’s only one note different than the usual diminished chord and that is why it’s a good place to start with for alt 7 chords. Bring that down a minor third for the half diminished 2 chord.

[@richardrodseth]

Nice example with the jazz arpeggio. I think it's worth pointing out that any lick or voicing on the ii can be moved up a minor third for the V, and then up a major third for the i.

[@simonmccenright1]

Also really useful when outlining a iv minor, where iv melodic minor is closer to the key than iv Dorian!

[@antoniomontemuro9751]

Highlights dos guri 16:40 ii (melodic minor up a minor third) V (melodic minor up a minor second) i (its own melodic minor scale) 17:28 lemme try this

[@mingweih6972]

Anyone know what the Openstudios opening theme at 0:20 is called? Want to find a full version of it

[@Chemical1Objectivity]

For those of us taking notes, could we get some clarity on what is the B7 altered chord? Every other chord stated has been specific to their alteration, this one was the exception during the discussion.

[@richardrodseth]

Wikipedia puts it this way: Altered 5 and 9. No unaltered 5,9,11 or 13. The altered scale is the 7th mode of melodic minor.

[@Chemical1Objectivity]

@@richardrodseth any clarity on the direction of these alterations? b or #? I could probably figure it out, but would at least like validation.

[@richardrodseth]

@@Chemical1Objectivity I think Wikipedia is suggesting either/both. If I see Alt on a lead sheet, I would probably most often play 3, #5=b13, 7 and #9.

[@yahnferral9163]

They meant that one way to think when improvising on an altered 7 is to play a melodic minor up a half step.

[@kierenmoore3236]

About halfway through is always where I get lost, lol …

[@guitarfumar]

Please do harmonic minor! 😁

[@tabor503]

great

[@tcmuze1835]

NONE OF THIS MATTERS; ITS ALL MADE UP!!! Love it😁

[@bobbachelor5930]

Most convoluted explanation of the melodic minor I've ever heard.

[@canastraroyal]

Guys, you're sleeping on Daniel Hayn and his gang!

[@mfurman]

I bought some Open Studio courses and considered subscribing to it but this video finally convinced me not to. I am not ready yet to be so flexible. Michael

[@davidsheriff9274]

5:10

[@olivern7220]

6:50

[@thekeyoflifepiano]

This video is more natural in reverse 😂😂😂😂😂

[@BoWadeOnDrums]

Musplaining?

[@normalizedaudio2481]

Harmonic is the new version of melodic minor.

[@fdddsdfgfgrgf1]

Facts

[@JamesOKlippel]

Take the A train II chord just play the F#m melodic for example... I'm kinda skimming through this so maybe u covered it but also yeh

[@JohnAmatulli]

It's all a Minor 6th Diminished. Why are you complexifying everything with that classical theory mumbo-jumbo? As BH said, "6th on the 5th". One scale, all the harmonic and melodic concepts already there. The Minor 6th on the 5th degree of the chord. This is what people stuck in the 19th century call the Lydian Dominant but with the addition of the flat third, also known as the major "blue note". The Major 6th Diminished on the 5th degree of a chord is the Lydian with that same major "blue note" flat third. Of course this is just the beginning of what can be done with just these two scales of chords not to mention the Dominant Diminished and the Dominant Flat 5 Diminished scales, which most people seem to ignore completely. Couple of examples: 2nd mode of the Jazz Melodic Minor = Dorian b9 2nd mode of the Minor 6th Diminished adds the blue note, flat 5, as a passing tone 6th mode of the Jazz Melodic Minor = Locrian #9 6th mode of the Minor 6th Diminished adds the natural 7 as a passing tone. This doesn't even get into the substitutions of chords and scales based on the various diminished chord derivations Etc and so on. One scale, both Harmonic and Melodic Minor covered. Major 6th Diminished, Major & Minor 7th, Melodic Minor Descending covered. These two scales with the Dom 6th Diminished and Dom Flat 5 Diminished, Diminished Scale and Whole Tone and you cover all of what Classical theory brings to Jazz theory with 6 scales.

[@JohnAmatulli]

And of course I am being sarcastic. I love what you guys bring and this is all good. Personally, I studied classical, chord/scale and bunch of other theory for decades before hearing Dr. Barry Harris and his was the most enlightening of all and the most relevant to Jazz and modern music in general. Only then did I have a framework that seemingly encapsulated every possibility with relative simplicity. Not to say it is simple, but it is unlike other concepts that are limited in scope or seem to just add different ideas without cohesion.

[@MrRossharrell]

not the greatest episode to halfway pay attention to while working out and making breakfast- or was it?

[@Ehliax]

Casual conversation about complexity ❤️ 🎹 subscribe