How to Build Guitar Chords off a Melodic Minor Scale

The melodic minor scale is often used in jazz music.

Because the melodic minor scale includes different notes in the ascending and descending forms, building chords off of the melodic minor scale can be quite confusing. The ascending melodic minor scale borrows the sixth and seventh tones from the parallel major scale in order to create more pleasing melodies and harmonies. The descending melodic minor scale is exactly the same as the natural minor scale. In order to know how to form guitar chords from this scale, you first need to have a melody line in mind.

Instructions

1. Learn the melodic minor scale on the guitar. Learn it both ascending and descending in several keys before attempting to build chords on this scale.

2. Write down the names of the notes in order in the melodic minor scale and the natural minor scale in the key in which you are composing. Do this for both types of minor scales. Keep in mind that the scale repeats after the seventh tone. You will use this information to form the chords.

3. Write a melody with your guitar using the melodic minor scale. When writing ascending passages, stick to the ascending form of the melodic minor scale. When writing descending passages, use the natural minor scale. This doesn't mean that you must only raise or lower each consecutive pitch in a passage. Instead, assess whether the passage overall ascends or descends in pitch.

4. Learn how basic chords are formed. Major, minor, diminished and augmented chords are all created by using the root note, the third note from the root and the fifth note from the root within a given scale. This pattern works for all major and minor scales. For example, if you wanted to make a chord based on the third note of the natural minor scale (use the one you have written out), you would use the third note of the scale (the root), the fifth note of the scale (the third) and the seventh note of the scale (the fifth). Note that this chord would change if you were to build it with the melodic minor scale.

5. Figure out how to spell chords using the passages you have written. In most cases, you will use a chord based on the note that your melody starts with. For example, if you have an ascending passage in A minor starting on the A note, you would build the chord based on the A note in the melodic minor scale. If you have a descending passage in A minor starting on the C note, you would build the chord based on the C note in the natural minor scale. Write down the three notes involved in each of these chords.

6. Find the notes for the chords you have formed on the guitar neck and figure out comfortable fingering positionings for them. Experiment building and using different chords (keeping in mind the type of minor scale that is appropriate for the passage) if the chord built on the root note sounds odd when you put the melody together with the chord progression.

Tips & Warnings

• The melodic minor scale can be used when improvising guitar solos over many minor chord progressions. Experiment to find out how to use the melodic minor scale to its fullest potential.

References

• "A Creative Approach to Music Fundamentals"; William Duckworth; 2007
• UltimateGuitar.com; Harmonic And Melodic Minor Scales: 2005
• "The Everything Music Theory Book"; Marc Schonbrun; 2001