Three kinds of minor
Tell natural, harmonic and melodic minor apart by ear.
Natural, harmonic, melodic
Minor comes in three kinds, and they differ only in the two top degrees.
- Natural: unchanged. Austere, a little old-fashioned.
- Harmonic: the seventh degree is raised. Between the sixth and the seventh there is a wide step, an augmented second, which sounds "oriental".
- Melodic: the sixth and seventh are raised. The top of the scale sounds major, while the bottom stays minor.
C natural minor
C harmonic minor
C melodic minor (ascending)
Practice: Natural or harmonic?
Practice: Where is the augmented second?
Listen to the top of the scale
All three begin the same way, so wait for the fifth degree and listen to how the scale climbs to the tonic.
- Calmly, with two whole steps and a semitone? Natural.
- A noticeable "jump" before the last semitone? Harmonic.
- Like the bright end of a major scale? Melodic.
The top of the scale from G4: natural, harmonic, melodic
The augmented second of harmonic minor is easy to spot: it is the widest step in the whole scale, audible even in a fast melody.