The Complete Guide to Piano Scales

Minor scales have three forms:

• Natural Minor
• Harmonic Minor
• Melodic Minor

The Natural Minor scale retains the notes of the key signature. This version is mostly used for theory purposes and you will rarely see it used in actual music. This is because it lacks a leading tone (half-step below the root) making it lack a sense of direction and resolution.

The Harmonic Minor scale has a sharped (#) or raised 7th scale degree to achieve the leading tone that is absent in the natural minor form. This form of minor scale is much more commonly found in practice.

The Melodic Minor scale is unique and a bit tricky to grasp at first. This is because it is played differently depending on if you are ascending or descending through the notes. In the melodic minor, both the 6th and 7th scale degrees are sharped (#) if you’re going up the scale, but on the way down, the scale reverts back to the natural minor form. 

In each scale lesson, you’ll find detailed instructions for playing and understanding each of the three versions of minor scales. But for simplicity, the following list will show the natural minor version.