Harmonizing the Melodic Minor Scale II: Seventh Chords

The process of harmonizing a scale involves building chords on each degree (note) of the scale, using only notes from that scale.

This post will:

  • Take us through the process of harmonizing the melodic minor scale with seventh chords.
  • Analyze the chords that result, along with the Roman numerals assigned to each chord.
  • Show the relationship between the chords in a harmonized melodic minor scale and the scale itself.
  • Provide instruction on how that relationship relates to soloing on a guitar.

There are two methods we could use to accomplish this:

  • We could add the note an interval of a third above the triads we built in my last post.
  • We could use the harmonized major scale as our starting point, and then alter the third scale degree in the chords that contain that note, as we did with the triads.

In the interest of consistency, we will use the second method.

Harmonized A Major Scale

Fig.1 shows a harmonized A major scale.

Fig.1

Harmonized A Melodic Minor Scale

The only difference between an A major scale and an A melodic minor scale is that an A major scale contains a C# and an A melodic minor scale contains a C natural instead (fig.2).

Fig.2

So to create a harmonized A melodic minor scale from a harmonized A major scale, we need to change all of the C#’s in the harmonized major scale to C naturals in the harmonized melodic minor scale in the chords that contain that note.

A harmonized A melodic minor scale is shown in fig.3 with the changed notes highlighted in blue.

Fig.3

Diatonic Seventh Chords

The flatted third scale degree (C) in an A melodic minor scale is included in four of the chords in the harmonized scale — the iM7, bIII+, IV7 and vi7(b5) chords.

Consequently, the qualities of those chords change from what they were in a harmonized A major scale, where the third scale degree was C#:

Roman Numerals

Every melodic minor scale has seven seventh chords that are diatonic to it, one chord for each scale degree.

And each of the seven chords is assigned a Roman numeral, which reflects the chord’s position within the key, relative to the tonal center (the first note or chord).

Fig.4 shows the Roman numerals representing the seventh chords diatonic to an A melodic minor scale.

Fig.4

Sequence of Chords

Every harmonized melodic minor scale has the same sequence of chords. As the sequence of chord qualities is the same in every key, the sequence of Roman numerals is also identical.

In any given melodic minor scale:

  • The imM7 chord is minor, major seventh.
  • The ii7 is minor seventh.
  • The bIIImaj7+ chord is major seventh, sharp five.
  • The IV7 and V7 chords are dominant seventh.
  • The vi7(b5) and vii7(b5) chords are minor seventh, flat five.

All 12 Harmonized Melodic Minor Scales: Seventh Chords

All 12 harmonized melodic minor scales are shown in fig.5.

Fig.5

Soloing Application

You can use a melodic minor scale to solo over any of the chords that are diatonic to it, any of the chords that resulted when we harmonized the scale.

For more specific applications for the melodic minor scale, see the post entitled Modes of the Melodic Minor Scale III.

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