F# melodic minor scale
- Notes
- F# G# A B C# D# E#
- Formula
- 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7
- Steps
- W H W W W W H (W tone, H semitone)
- Also called
- F# jazz minor, F# ascending melodic minor
Seven notes from F# up to the next F#. Each note is written with the letter its degree names, one letter each, so the spelling follows the formula.
F# melodic minor on the piano
From F#4 to F#5, the root in blue-green.
Intervals from F#
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| F# | 1 | root | 0 |
| G# | 2 | major second | 2 |
| A | b3 | minor third | 3 |
| B | 4 | perfect fourth | 5 |
| C# | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| D# | 6 | major sixth | 9 |
| E# | 7 | major seventh | 11 |
F# 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 F# melodic minor
Every other note of the scale stacked on each note. Numerals are measured against the major scale on F#, so a b marks a chord root a semitone lower than in major.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | F# A C# | |
| ii | G#m | G# B D# | |
| bIII+ | Aaug | A C# E# | |
| IV | B | B D# F# | |
| V | C# (same notes, spelled Db on its chord page) | C# E# G# | |
| vi° | D#dim | D# F# A | |
| vii° | E#dim (same notes, spelled Fdim on its chord page) | E# G# B |
Seventh chords
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i(maj7) | F#m(maj7) | F# A C# E# | |
| ii7 | G#m7 | G# B D# F# | |
| bIII+maj7 | Amaj7#5 (no chord page; semicord's chord namer reads these notes as Db/A) | A C# E# G# | |
| IV7 | B7 | B D# F# A | |
| V7 | C#7 (same notes, spelled Db7 on its chord page) | C# E# G# B | |
| viø7 | D#m7b5 | D# F# A C# | |
| viiø7 | E#m7b5 (same notes, spelled Fm7b5 on its chord page) | E# G# B D# |
This scale is where the V chord of F# minor comes from; the key page lists it with the other chords of the key.
How F# melodic minor is built
The natural minor with both its 6th and 7th raised (D becomes D# and E becomes E#), which removes the awkward three-semitone gap of the harmonic minor. It is the same as F# major with only the 3rd lowered: A# becomes A.
In classical teaching this is the ascending form only: coming down, the melody falls back to the F# natural minor (E D C# B A G# F#). 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.