Melodic Minor Scale
Much of jazz harmony is based on the melodic minor scale (using only the "ascending" scale as defined in classical harmony). The modes of this scale are the basis for much jazz improvisation and are variously named as below, using the key of C-minor as an example:
| Melodic minor scale tone | Characteristic chord in C-minor | Scale tones (chord tones in bold) | Scale name(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I - C | Cm(∆) | C D Eb F G A B | melodic minor | |||
| II - D | Dm7 | D E♭ F G A B C | Phrygian ♮6 or Dorian ♭2 | |||
| III - E♭ | E♭∆(♯5) | Eb F G A B C D | Lydian ♯5 or Lydian Augmented | |||
| IV - F | F7 | F G A B C D Eb | Mixolydian ♯4 or Lydian Dominant | |||
| V - G | G7 | G A B C D E♭ F | Mixolydian ♭6 or "Hindu" | |||
| VI - A | A∅ | A B C D E♭ F G | Locrian ♮2 | |||
| VII - B | B7alt | B C D E♭ F G A | Altered, diminished whole tone, or Locrian ♭4 |
The Ⅶ chord in particular is rich with alterations. As it contains the notes and alterations (Ⅰ, ♭9, m3/♯9, M3, ♭5/♯11, ♭13, m7), it is particularly important in the jazz harmonic idiom, notably as a Ⅴ chord in a minor key. For our example key of C-minor, the V chord is G7, so the improviser would draw upon the G7 altered scale (mode VII of the A♭ melodic minor). A complete ii-V-i progression in C-minor might suggest the following:
| ii | D∅ | D Locrian ♮2 (mode Ⅵ of the F melodic minor scale) | ||
| V | G7(alt) | G altered scale (mode VII of the A♭ melodic minor scale) | ||
| I | Cm(∆) | C melodic minor (mode I of the C melodic minor scale) |
Read more about this topic: Jazz Harmony
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