The jazz minor scale or ascending melodic minor scale is a derivative of the

melodic minor scale A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term c ...

, except only the ascending form of the scale is used. As the name implies, it is primarily used in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, although it may be found in other types of music as well. It may be derived from the

major scale The major scale (or Ionian mode) is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music. It is one of the diatonic scales. Like many musical scales, it is made up of seven notes: the eighth duplicates the first at doubl ...

with a

minor third In music theory, a minor third is a interval (music), musical interval that encompasses three half steps, or semitones. Staff notation represents the minor third as encompassing three staff positions (see: interval (music)#Number, interval numb ...

, making it a synthetic scale, and features a

dominant seventh chord Domination or dominant may refer to: Society * World domination, structure where one dominant power governs the planet * Colonialism in which one group (usually a nation) invades another region for material gain or to eliminate competition * Ch ...

on the fifth degree (V) like the

harmonic minor scale The harmonic minor scale (or Aeolian ♮7 scale) is a Scale (music), musical scale derived from the natural minor scale, with the minor seventh degree raised by one semitone to a major seventh, creating an augmented second between the sixth and ...

. It can also be derived from the diatonic

Dorian mode The Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different but interrelated subjects: one of the Ancient Greek music, Ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' (characteristic melodic behaviour, or the scale structure associated with it); one of the mediev ...

with a

major seventh In music from Western culture, a seventh is a interval (music), musical interval encompassing seven staff positions (see Interval (music)#Number, Interval number for more details), and the major seventh is one of two commonly occurring sevenths. ...

. : Thus, the jazz minor scale can be represented by the following notation: :1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 The intervals between the notes of the jazz minor scale follow the sequence below: : whole, half, whole, whole, whole, whole, half

Jazz theory

The scale may be considered to originate in the use of

extensions Extension, extend or extended may refer to: Mathematics Logic or set theory * Axiom of extensionality * Extensible cardinal * Extension (model theory) * Extension (proof theory) * Extension (predicate logic), the set of tuples of values t ...

beginning with the seventh in jazz and thus the necessity to, "chromatically raise the diatonic 7th to create a stable, tonic sound," rather than use a minor seventh chord, associated with ii, for tonic.Berg, Shelly (2005). ''Alfred's Essentials of Jazz Theory, Book 3'', p.90. . The jazz minor scale contains all of the altered notes of the

whose

root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...

is a

semitone A semitone, also called a minor second, half step, or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically. It is defined as the interval between ...

below the scale's tonic: "In other words to find the correct jazz minor scale for any dominant 7th chord simply use the scale whose tonic note is a half step higher than the root of the chord."Berle, Arnie (1983). ''How to Create and Develop a Jazz Sax Solo'', p.78. . For example, the G⁷ chord and A jazz minor scale: the A scale contains the root, third, seventh, and the four most common alterations of G⁷. This scale may be used to resolve to C in the progression G⁷–C (over G⁷, which need not be notated G⁷⁵⁵⁹⁹). It is used over a minor major seventh chord.Arnold, Bruce E. (2001). ''Music Theory Workbook for Guitar: Scale Construction'', p.12. . See:

chord-scale system The chord-scale system is a method of matching, from a list of possible chord (music), chords, a list of possible scale (music), scales.Mervyn Cooke, David Horn (2003). ''Cambridge Companions to Music, The Cambridge Companion to Jazz'', p.266. . ...

. The scale also easily allows diatonic chord progressions, for example a I−vi−ii−V progression: :

Chord structure

Triad qualities

The triads built on each scale degree follow a distinct pattern. The

roman numeral analysis In music theory, Roman numeral analysis is a type of Harmony, harmonic analysis in which chord (music), chords are represented by Roman numerals, which encode the chord's Degree (music), degree and Function_(music), harmonic function within a given ...

is shown below. : * 1st: minor triad (I-) * 2nd: minor triad (II-) * 3rd:

Augmented triad An augmented triad is a chord, made up of two major thirds (an augmented fifth). The term ''augmented triad'' arises from an augmented triad being considered a major chord whose top note (fifth) is raised. When using popular-music symbols, i ...

(♭III⁺) * 4th: Major triad (IV) * 5th: Major triad (V) * 6th:

diminished triad In music theory, a diminished triad is a triad (music), triad consisting of two minor thirds above the root (chord), root. It is a Minor chord, minor triad with a lowered (flat (music), flattened) Fifth (chord), fifth. When using Chord names and ...

(VI^o) * 7th:

(VII^o)

Seventh chord qualities

The seventh chords built on each scale degree follow a distinct pattern. The

is shown below. : * 1st: minor-major seventh chord (I-^∆7) * 2nd: minor seventh chord (II⁻⁷) * 3rd: Augmented major seventh chord (♭III^∆7(+)) * 4th:

Dominant seventh chord Domination or dominant may refer to: Society * World domination, structure where one dominant power governs the planet * Colonialism in which one group (usually a nation) invades another region for material gain or to eliminate competition * Ch ...

(IV⁷) * 5th:

(V⁷) * 6th:

half-diminished seventh chord In music theory, the half-diminished seventh chord (also known as a half-diminished chord or a minor seventh flat five chord) is a seventh chord composed of a Root (chord), root note, together with a minor third, a tritone, diminished fifth, and ...

(VI^-7(♭5)) * 7th:

(VII^-7(♭5))

Modes of jazz minor scale

The jazz minor scale, like the

diatonic scale In music theory a diatonic scale is a heptatonic scale, heptatonic (seven-note) scale that includes five whole steps (whole tones) and two half steps (semitones) in each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by eith ...

, has seven modes. These modes are derived by treating a different note as the tonic. The names of these scales are variations of the names used for some of the modes of the diatonic major scale, for example the Phrygian 6, the second mode of the melodic minor, is named so because it is the same as the Phrygian mode of the ''major scale'' with a major sixth.

Relationship to diatonic modes

Each mode of the jazz minor scale can be considered to be related to two

diatonic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are used to characterize scales. The terms are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair ...

modes, with one note of the diatonic mode either sharped or flatted according to the table below, which is arranged in fifths.

Intervals from tonic

Each mode of the jazz minor scale features different intervals of notes from the tonic according to the table below, which is arranged in order of brightness.