A melodic minor scale
A melodic minor scale is A – B – C – D – E – F♯ – G♯, with F♯ and G♯. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7. Hit play and watch it light up on both instruments.
A melodic minor scale, note by note
From A upward the gaps are W H W W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between B–C and G♯–A.
| Degree | Note | Interval from A | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | root | |
| 2 | B | major second | |
| ♭3 | C | minor third | |
| 4 | D | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | E | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | F♯ | major sixth | |
| 7 | G♯ | major seventh |
What A melodic minor sounds like
Its top half is the same as A major and its bottom half is minor, which gives it a dark start and a bright finish; jazz uses it for altered and lydian-dominant sounds.
Its chords include D and E, both with major thirds, so a melody in A melodic minor can sit over a major IV and V while the tonic stays Am.
Compared with A natural minor scale, A melodic minor scale has F♯ and G♯ where the other has F and G; the other five notes are shared. Hear A natural minor scale and compare.
Playing A melodic minor
On the piano it uses two black keys (F♯ and G♯) and five white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 5th fret of the low E string and spans frets 3–9: 18 notes, low string to high.
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords that fit A melodic minor scale; the ones that differ from the major set are what give the scale its color. Tap to hear each one.
Finding A melodic minor on the neck
The root, A, sits at fret 5 on the low E string and 0 and 12 on the A string (0 = open). Work up the neck in five positions (low E string frets 2, 5, 7, 10 and 12) and you'll have it everywhere. Classical teaching plays it with the raised notes going up and natural minor coming down; jazz players keep it the same both ways.
On the piano, A melodic minor scale uses 2 black keys (F♯ and G♯) and 5 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: A–C, B–D, C–E, D–F♯, E–G♯, F♯–A, G♯–B, then back down.
Drills for A melodic minor
Once A melodic minor is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Up in threes: A B C · B C D · C D E · D E F♯ · E F♯ G♯ · F♯ G♯ A.
- Target F♯: A F♯ A F♯ A: the raised 6th and 7th make the top half sound major.
Scales to compare with A melodic minor
Melodic minor scale in every key
A melodic minor scale: questions
What are the notes of the A melodic minor scale?
A, B, C, D, E, F♯ and G♯, then A again at the octave. Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.
How many sharps or flats are in the A melodic minor scale?
Two: F♯ and G♯.
What chords are in the A melodic minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Am (i), Bm (ii), Caug (III+), D (IV), E (V), F♯dim (vi°) and G♯dim (vii°).
What's the difference between A melodic minor scale and A natural minor scale?
F♯ and G♯ in A melodic minor; F and G in the other. Everything else is the same.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 and tested. Updated September 2026.