C melodic minor scale
C melodic minor scale is C – D – E♭ – F – G – A – B, with E♭. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7. Press play and follow the keys.
C melodic minor scale, note by note
From C upward the gaps are W H W W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between D–E♭ and B–C.
| Degree | Note | Interval from C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | root | |
| 2 | D | major second | |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | F | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | G | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | A | major sixth | |
| 7 | B | major seventh |
How the melodic minor scale sounds
With the 6th and 7th raised, C melodic minor is only one note away from C major: the minor 3rd. It climbs smoothly to the top without harmonic minor's big gap.
Its chords include F and G, both with major thirds, so a melody in C melodic minor can sit over a major IV and V while the tonic stays Cm.
Compared with C natural minor scale, C melodic minor scale has A and B where the other has A♭ and B♭; the other five notes are shared. Hear C natural minor scale and compare.
Where your hands go
On the piano it uses one black key (E♭) and six white.
18 notes fit in the box between frets 6 and 12, with C at the 8th fret of the low E string.
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 C melodic minor scale; the ones that differ from the major set are what give the scale its color. Tap to hear each one.
Finding C melodic minor on the neck
Anchor points for C: low E string fret 8, A string fret 3 and 15. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10. 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, C melodic minor scale uses 1 black key (E♭) and 6 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: C–E♭, D–F, E♭–G, F–A, G–B, A–C, B–D, then back down.
Practice patterns for C melodic minor scale
Running a scale straight up and down only teaches the order. These patterns use the same 7 notes and train your ear and fingers to jump around inside C melodic minor scale.
- Three-note runs: C D E♭ · D E♭ F · E♭ F G · F G A · G A B · A B C.
- Target A: C A C A C: the raised 6th and 7th make the top half sound major.
Scales to compare with C melodic minor
Melodic minor scale in every key
C melodic minor scale: questions
What are the notes of the C melodic minor scale?
C, D, E♭, F, G, A, B, C. As degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.
How many sharps or flats are in the C melodic minor scale?
One: E♭.
What chords are in the C melodic minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Cm (i), Dm (ii), E♭aug (III+), F (IV), G (V), Adim (vi°) and Bdim (vii°).
What's the difference between C melodic minor scale and C natural minor scale?
A and B in C melodic minor; A♭ and B♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Generated from the step pattern 2-1-2-2-2-2-1 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.