melodic minor harmony and modes

[email protected] Minor Harmony and Modes

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The Jazz Melodic Minor scale is a minor scale with a major 6th and major 7th.Unlike the melodic minor scale you may already know, the 6th and 7th are not altereddepending on direction. Here is A melodic minor scale with its diatonic 7th chords.We'll then look at its 7 modes and character chords and their use.

A melodic minor (A, B, C, D, E, F#, G#)

2 b3 4 5 6 7

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I

Am(maj7)

IIm7

Bm7

*Chord VII has two possible spellings, we'll see why later

¨IIImaj7(©5)

Cmaj7(©5) D7

IV7 V7

E7

VIm7(¨5)

F©m7(¨5)

VIIm7(¨5)

G©m7(¨5) or G©7alt

VII7alt*

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You'll notice that there are 3 possible dominant chords that emerge from the melodic minor.By extending the chords we can compare them.

Melodies and harmonic progressions based entirely on the melodic minor are quiterare, rather particular modes and chords are borrowed from the melodic minorand used in a variety of contexts.

D7(©11)

IV7(©11) V7(9/¨13)

E7(9/¨13)

V7altG©7alt = G©7(¨5/¨9/©9/¨13)

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˙̇̇˙# ˙̇̇

˙# ˙̇̇˙# ˙̇̇

˙# ˙̇̇˙# ˙̇̇

˙#˙̇̇˙##

˙̇̇˙

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©2011 Milton Mermikides

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The minor (maj 7) is sometimes used in place of a minor chord (usually as the I chord), to create a mysterious quality. Often, but not always it is used as an ending chord tocreate a different colour to the minor triad or minor 7 chord.

The melodic minor scale is used melodically (e.g. Autumn serenade) and improvisationally over a minor chord particularly in a jazz context.

The above shows the minor(maj7) chord and it's common extension minor(maj9).The latter may be constructed with the use of polychord (the superimposition of2 distinct chords) in this case: E/Am. Examples of the min(maj7) and variants maybe found as ending chords in 'spy' and jazz tunes (Eva Cassidy-Autumn Leaves) oras part of the form (1st chords of Solar - Miles Davis (Cm(maj7) and It's Probably Me - Sting (Em(maj9) to Em69))

A‹(Œ„Š7)

Modes and Character Chords of the Melodic Minor.

Mode I: The Melodic Minor

A‹(Œ„Š9) E/Am

A minorE major

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The 2nd mode of melodic minor may be seen as a Dorian scale with a minor 2ndor a Phyrgian scale with a major scale - and is sometimes called 'phrygadorian'.It's rather rare but there are examples when something sufficiently surreal isrequired Everything In Its Right Place - Radiohead has C Dorian b9 moments onits 'chorus'. Pentatonic versions of the mode can also appear in blues e.g. (R,b9,b3,5.b7)

b2

Mode II: Dorian (b9) "Phrygadorian"

b3 4 5 6 b7

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˙ ˙b ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙# w


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The 3rd mode of melodic minor comes out as a Lydian with a raised 5th, quite anear opener of a mode. Its most common application comes from its character chordthe maj7(#5) which is not too unusual particularly in contemporary jazz. It canbe used in place over a maj7 chord as a spicy alternative so long as it doesn't interferewith the melody. Here's the chord, with a common extension and an upper-structure spelling.

2

Mode III: Lydian (#5) "Augmented Lydian"

3 #4 #5 6 7

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CŒ„Š7(#5) Cmaj7(#5/#11) E/C

E major

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Mode IV is perhaps the most used melodic minor mode- The Lydian scale with a flattened 7th (Lydian dominant), it has a very distinctive character - the Simpsons being an excellent example in terms of both melody and harmony. Furthermore thecharacteristic chord of the mode (Dominant7(#11)) is often used when a 'floating'quality is wanted on a dominant chord. This usually happens on the IV7(#11) thebVII7(#11) and on tritone substitutions (eg sub V7(#11)/I etc.)

2

Mode IV: Lydian (b7) "Lydian Dominant"

3 #4 #5 6

˙ ˙ ˙ ˙# ˙# ˙ w

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˙ ˙ ˙ ˙# ˙# ˙


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Mode V has an unusual quality and there are examples of its use in contemporaryjazz, and in a pentatonic and hexatonic form, some music from Africa. It's characterchord - the Dominant9(b13) is quite scrunchy and used compositionally in some jazzstandards and some contemporary players like John Scofield.

2 3

Mode V: Mixolydian (b13)

4 5 b6 b7

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Mode VI the Aeolian b5 or Locrian nat 2 is most often used over min7(b5) in a jazzcontext or in sophisticated metal. Its character min9(b5) is also used in contemporaryjazz.

2 3

Mode VI: Locrian (nat2)

4 5 b6 b7

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Mode VII is an important mode of the melodic minor. Notice that every scale degreeis flattened (R, b2, b3, b4, b5, b6, b7). It is sometimes called the superlocrian, butmost often refered to as 'Altered'. Although it is technically a minor scale (b3) theflattened 4th is enharmonically equivalent to a major 3rd, so this together with the flattened 7th makes it a dominant scale - the most dissonant dominant scale imaginable.It includes all the funky tensions: (b9/#9/b5/b6) while maintaing the root and the 3 and b7of a dominant 7th chord. It is played over a dominant chord (usually in jazz) and it's character chord (7(b9/#9/b5/b13)) is usually abbreviated to alt 7 (or 7 alt).

b2

Mode VII: Altered (Superlocrian)

b3 b4=3 b5 b6 b7

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C7b5(b9/#9/b13) or C7alt.

˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙b wb

˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙# w#

˙ ˙b ˙b ˙b ˙b ˙b wb

wwwwwww#b

bbb


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melodic minor harmony and modes

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