Learn how to play piano chords, notes, scales, proper finger techniques, improvisation, and more. After i give you the fundamentals, ill give you a continue reading scales made easy psh. As you can see in the scale above, each note of the major scale is given a number a scale degree which represents its placement or order within the scale. We are already familiar with the modes of the major scale, but we can create modes from any preexisting scale.
Cs relative minor pentatonic scale, a minor pentatonic, begins on the 6 th scale degree of the major pentatonic scale shown above. Learning your scales will help you play piano pieces. The main scales of western music are major and minor scales. Unlike major and minor scales, the pentatonic has no semitones. With a goal of reducing this distance, it was added an intermediate note to approximate the sixth degree from the seventh. This great scale to use for iivi progressions or while holding minor chord in the left hand. The melodic minor scale differs from the natural minor scale by the sixth and seventh notes, which are raised a semistep. How to play piano chords playing a c chord chapter 2. As we have already learned, a mode is a scale created by establishing a new root note within a preexisting scale. In other lessons on piano scales we took a look at the harmonic minor scale. A scale is a stepwise arrangement of notespitches contained within an octave. C minor is a minor scale based on c, consisting of the pitches c, d, e.
The idea behind doing this was basically that i couldnt find any chord diagrams that werent either being charged for or. List of all natural minor scales piano music theory. We call scales relative if they share the same key signature. Listen to and download harmonised minor scale piano mp3s interactive harmonic scale. Single octave melodic minor scales with fingerings for piano. We provide downloads for common scales including major, the three minor scales natural, harmonic, and melodic, the blues scale, and others.
I iv v chords in a minor key, you need to work with the harmonic minor scale and not the natural minor scale. In jazz, the modes of the melodic minor scale are very widely used. Pdf alfreds basic piano library the complete book of. Natural, harmonic, and melodic minor are simply various forms of the minor scale. In other words, they are all versions of a minor scale, with slight but significant differences among each. I know the beginning of the video is a little dry, but its important. Learning how to play all the scales on the piano is a good way to improve your piano playing. Minor scales cheat sheet harmonic minor raise the 7 th scale degree melodic minor raise the 6 th and 7 th scale degree ascending, revert to. Printable piano music scales in all major and harmonic minor keys. The natural minor scale is often referred to simply as the minor scale. I prefer to teach natural minor scales first, however, so that students will understand the theory behind all minor scales more thoroughly. Melodic minor scales sheet music for piano download free. Melodic minor scales in 1 octave with up to 2 sharps, including note names, fingering and a musicscores theory sheet how to make up a melodic minor scale.
In this video lesson well be going over how to learn and drill in scales in the fastest way possible. Download our free pdf versions of each scale with fingering. Bellingham music teachers association scale and arpeggio fingering chart for piano major and minor scales and arpeggios two octaves chromatic scale. Each scale has a different use and application in jazz piano. The a minor scale include exactly the same notes as the c major scale which makes them relative keys read. A minor pentatonic contains scale degrees 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. Examples of heptatonic scales are the major scale and the minor scale.
My interactive pentatonic scales chart for piano shows fingering diagrams for both pentatonic major and pentatonic minor scales. Every scale determines a key,that is an harmonic combunation of tones based on that scale. The modes of the melodic minor also known as the jazz minor scale, these modes are exotic sounding scales that can be substituted in place of less interesting harmonies. Alfreds basic piano library the complete book of scales chords arpeggios cadences 1. Melodic minor modes and altered scale the jazz piano site. The scale in all keys can be downloaded as a pdffile.
Major and minor scales contain seven notes or scale degrees. Learn how to construct the three different types of minor scales. Each scale is provided as a separate pdf download with finger numbers above each note. We use the scales to improvise jazz over the iivi chord progression. Learn how to play piano chords, notes, scales, proper. Primary chords in major and minor keys i iv v chords piano. There are 3 groups and its easier to learn a particular finger pattern and apply it to the group rather than learn each scale. Minor scales are built on the 6th scale degree of a major scale. How to explain harmonic minor scales to piano students harmonic minor scales are the first minor scales required in exams here, so theyre usually taught once students understand the majors.
Watch the video, then download the free printable pdf sheet music to use at your piano. Natural, harmonic, and melodic minor music theory online. We saw that the 7th note of the harmonic minor scale is raised by a half step. Each minor scale has a different use and application in jazz piano and so learning how to construct and apply each one is a vital skill. Learning the melodic minor scale simplifying theory.
Welcome to this lesson on strategies to learn scales the easy way. Natural, harmonic and melodic forms about minor scales. Primary chords in major and minor keys i iv v chords. Chords for piano compiled by simon creedy please distribute freely the contents of this pdf file can be distributed freely and are available to everyone. All the scales here are in one octave, but you can of course practice each piano scale in as many octaves and in any tempo you like. I have said that it is one of the most important scales to learn, because it is a parent scale to many modes, such as the super locrian scale. Melodic minor scales piano pdf i will survive dedalunion. We provide downloads for common scales including major, the three minor scales natural, harmonic, and melodic, the blues scale.
Melodic minor harmony tom lippincott r traditionally, in classical music, the melodic minor scale is performed one way ascending. Of the two piano concertos that mozart wrote in a minor key, one of them no. Learn how to play the c minor melodic piano scale piano. Natural, harmonic, and melodic forms margaret denton, piano minor scales. Of the two piano concertos that mozart wrote in a minor key, one of them is in d minor. The solution below shows the e melodic minor scale notes, intervals and scale degrees on the piano, treble clef and bass clef the lesson steps then describe how to identify the e melodic minor scale note interval positions, choose the note names and scale degree names for a quick summary of this topic, have a look at melodic minor scale. In music theory, the term minor scale refers to three scale patterns the natural minor scale or.
Contrary to the major scale, there are not one but three minor scales, which all will be presented here. Learn the melodic minor scale for piano in every key. This type of scale has five notes per octave unlike a heptatonic scale which has seven notes. Print and download in pdf or midi melodic minor scales. Select landscape mode to get best results printing it out. D minor is a minor scale based on d, consisting of the pitches d, e, f, g, a, b. Melodic minor scale on the piano sean wilson piano. All minor scales illustrated with pictures including notes and fingerings. You can printout the pdf below which is all major scale for practise at the piano. These make great handouts for piano teachers to use with students.
How to explain harmonic minor scales to piano students. Learn how to play the c minor melodic scale on the piano in this piano lesson. Melodic minor scale is really similar to the harmonic minor scale we already studied the harmonic minor scale and we saw that it has a long distance between 6 and 7 degrees one and a half tone. The natural minor scale, also known as the aeolian mode is one of the most used guitar scales in rock and popular music. We make great jazzy sound with the melodic minor modes. This scale is also some kind of peculiar since it is sometimes played differently ascending and descending. Here ive organised them in groups of fingering rather than keys. Your scale fingering charts are easier to understand than the sheet music with. The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented around the year 1700 the exact year is uncertain, in which the strings are struck by hammers. The pentatonics are fun 5 note scales that are essential to blues and country music. The solution below shows the a melodic minor scale notes, intervals and scale degrees on the piano, treble clef and bass clef the lesson steps then describe how to identify the a melodic minor scale note interval positions, choose the note names and scale degree names for a quick summary of this topic, have a look at melodic minor scale. How to play all 12 major scales on the piano with fingering. We locate and order all the 7 modes in a simple circular system.