Modes of Melodic Minor

By Lucas Pickford

A lot has been written about the so called “modes “ of the Melodic Minor Scale. Although not strictly modes per say, these are really the scales that occur when you build stepwise scales from the notes of the MMS (Melodic Minor Scale). The names for these scales vary and I’m not sure it really matters what you call them but rather that you be familiar with what they are and where they can be applied. Here there are along with a few possibilities for use over chord changes.

· 1. C melodic minor : C-D-Eb-F-G-A-B-C

· 2- D phrygian (w natural 6th) : D-Eb-F-G-A-B-C-D

· 3- Eb lydian augmented: Eb-F-G-A-B-C-D-Eb

· 4- F lydian dominant: F-G-A-B-C-D-Eb-F

· 5- G mixolydian (w b6th): G-A-B-C-D-Eb-F-G

· 6- A aeolian (w b5): A-B-C-D-Eb-F-G-A

· 7- B altered dominant: B-C-D-Eb-F-G-A-B

Any of these scales will fit these various chords:

Cmin7, Cmin(maj7), F7(#11), D7(b9), B7(alt), Ab7(b9), Ami7(b5), Ebmaj7(#5). As usual there are more possibilities but these are a good start. Experiment with scales and find your own ways to apply them to harmony.