Ok, so how many of you hate scales? find them the lowest scoring section of your grade or just plain don’t understand them?
Scales are nothing but patterns, and once you have the pattern in your memory then you should be able to work out the rest for your self. This post is about helping you realise the connection between major and minor scales and what process you need to go through to make them more logical.
When I started playing as a youngster, I couldn’t understand why, when you played a harmonic minor scale, you had to play the key signature but also raise the 7th? Why wasn’t the 7th put into the key signature, then you would only have that to think about. I didn’t understand why we were altering a scale. It was as if we were missing a step in the process of going from major to minor.
Well, I eventually discovered natural (or pure) minor scales and it started to make sense. These scales only have the key signature and no raised notes. These were the missing link between major and harmonic minors.
So I have put together a document explaining the step by step process for getting from the major to the natural, harmonic and melodic minors one step at a time.
Assuming you can play C major scale, all you need to do is count up to the 6th note (A) and play C major again starting and finishing on the A. That’s the natural minor scale conquered, easy isn’t it. What you have actually played is the 6th mode of C Major (aeolian mode).
Once you can do that comfortably then find the 7th note of the new scale (A minor) and raise that a semitone. In this case the G becomes a G#. Then put that G# into the key signature, rather than trying to count to 7 every time you play it and then raising it when you get there. This then becomes easier because you retain the G# right from the beginning. This is the harmonic minor scale.
To make it a melodic scale, you raise the 6th aswell as the 7th, and add that to the key signature (F# & G#) and play that on the way up the scale, but on the way down the raised notes are dropped back to their original pitch (F & G natural). Wait a minute isn’t that the natural minor on the way down?? yes it is.
So really, once you can play a major scale you can then play the natural minor, and then by changing one note at a time you can play the Harmonic and Melodic minor scales too.
I would suggest that you pick major scale of the week and go through that process every day and by the end of the week, you should be playing the minors as well.
Here is a link to a document that you are very welcome to print or pass on explaining exactly what this post is about.
Let me know how you are getting on with your scales and any suggestions for new articles.
Good luck
Dave
Dave Plummer Saxophonist 
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