C melodic minor scale
- Notes
- C D Eb F G A B
- Formula
- 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7
- Steps
- W H W W W W H (W tone, H semitone)
- Also called
- C jazz minor, C ascending melodic minor
Seven notes from C up to the next C. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
C melodic minor on the piano
From C4 to C5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from C
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | root | 0 |
| D | 2 | major second | 2 |
| Eb | b3 | minor third | 3 |
| F | 4 | perfect fourth | 5 |
| G | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| A | 6 | major sixth | 9 |
| B | 7 | major seventh | 11 |
C melodic minor on the guitar
Standard tuning, high e on top as in tablature, open strings to fret 12. Every dot is a note of the scale; the pattern repeats from fret 12 up.
The seven chords of C melodic minor
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on C, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | C Eb G | |
| ii | Dm | D F A | |
| bIII+ | Ebaug | Eb G B | |
| IV | F | F A C | |
| V | G | G B D | |
| vi° | Adim | A C Eb | |
| vii° | Bdim | B D F |
Seventh chords
This scale is where the V chord of C minor comes from; the key page lists it with the other chords of the key.
How C melodic minor is built
The natural minor with both its 6th and 7th raised (Ab becomes A and Bb becomes B), which removes the awkward three-semitone gap of the harmonic minor. It is the same as C major with only the 3rd lowered: E becomes Eb.
In classical teaching this is the ascending form only: coming down, the melody falls back to the C natural minor (Bb Ab G F Eb D C). Jazz players use the raised form in both directions and call it the jazz minor; the diagrams here show that form.
Played some notes and not sure which scale they come from? The scale finder listens to the piano, a MIDI keyboard or the microphone and ranks all 180 scales.
What this page cannot do
- One spelling per scale. the root is spelled the way that needs the fewest sharps and flats.
- Equal temperament only. Blues and many folk traditions bend notes between these pitches, and Arabic and Turkish maqam scales use quarter tones that a piano cannot play.
- The guitar diagram shows standard tuning only and does not suggest fingerings; any note can be played in several places.
- The sound is a simple synthesised tone made in your browser, not a recorded instrument.