Lesson 4
Minor scales

Practice Drills
IDmiKeySig
WriteMiKeySig
minor scales

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Assignments

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9

Sample exercises

Procedures for completing various exercises related to Lesson 4 follow. Click on the exercise of your choice, or go through each, one after another.

• Construct a relative minor scale

• Construct a minor scale

• Construct a parallel minor scale

• Given a pitch and scale degree, construct a melodic minor scale

• Given a minor key and scale degree, write the correct pitch



Procedure for constructing a relative minor scale

Problem: Construct the relative natural minor scale of D major in the treble clef using a key signature
     
1. Determine the key signature for D major (the relative minor will have the same key signature).
 

2. Go down two letter names (or scale degrees) to find the relative minor tonic.  (Hint:  If the major tonic is on a line, the relative minor tonic will also be on a line; if the major tonic is in a space, the relative minor tonic will also be in a space.)
 

3. Write the scale beginning with B as tonic, using the same key signature as D major.
 

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Procedure for constructing a harmonic minor scale

Problem: Construct an f harmonic minor scale in the bass clef using a key signature
    Because the minor key signature is unknown until the relative major key is determined, an extra step is necessary in the process of writing a minor scale (unless, of course, you have all the minor key signatures memorized cold--not a bad idea).
     
1. Write a scale from tonic to tonic (F to F).
 

2. Go up two letter names (scale steps) from the minor tonic to locate the name of the relative major tonic.
 

3. On the keyboard, go up three half steps from the minor tonic of f.  Because the third half step landed on a black key AND this key must be named as some version of A (see step 2), the relative major tonic is A flat (not G sharp or A natural!).
 
4. At this point in the course, you should know the major key signatures and know the key signature for A flat major (which we have determined is the relative major of f minor).
 

5. Now you can write the appropriate key signature and natural minor scale for f minor.
 

6. Add the necessary accidental(s) to construct the harmonic version of the f minor scale.
 

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Procedure for constructing a parallel melodic minor scale

Problem: Construct the parallel melodic minor scale of Bb major in the bass clef using a key signature
     
1. Determine the parallel minor tonic of Bb major.
 
2. Determine the key signature of b flat minor. Remember, b flat minor will have the same key signature as its relative major, so you need to determine its relative major key.
 

3. Write a b flat natural minor scale using a key signature.
 

4. Add the necessary accidentals to the natural minor scale to build the melodic form.  Remember to include both the ascending and descending versions.
 

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Procedure for constructing a minor scale
given a pitch and scale degree

Problem: Construct an ascending melodic minor scale given the following pitch and scale degree:
   

     
1. In this case, "E#" is the raised sixth scale degree of a minor scale (because of the melodic form).  What would be the correct tonic? (Begin by considering what the "natural" 6th scale degree would be)
 

2. Determine the key signature for g# minor
 

3. Write the natural form of the g# minor scale.
 

4. Add the appropriate accidentals to construct the melodic form (ascending only).
 

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Procedure for finding the correct pitch
given a key and scale degree

Problem: Given the following minor key and scale degree, write the correct pitch:
 

     
1. Determine the relative major key of e flat minor and its key signature.
 

2. Write the e flat natural minor scale.
 

3. Add the appropriate accidentals to construct the harmonic form.
 

4. Write the 7th scale degree of e flat harmonic minor.
 

Perhaps you have discovered a much simpler method to arrive at this solution.

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