For guitarists looking to add emotional depth and complexity to their playing, understanding Guitar Minor Scales is essential. Building upon the foundation of major scales, minor scales open up a world of new melodic possibilities, crucial for genres ranging from blues and rock to metal and classical. If you’ve already grasped the basics of the major scale, as discussed in our previous article on The Major Scale, you’re perfectly positioned to dive into the fascinating realm of minor scales.
Deciphering the Minor Scale Formula
Like their major counterparts, minor scales are constructed using a sequence of seven notes defined by whole steps (W) and half steps (H). This specific arrangement of intervals is what gives the minor scale its characteristic sound, distinct from the brighter, happier tone of the major scale. Here’s the formula that dictates the construction of any minor scale:
W – H – W – W – H – W – W
This formula might seem abstract now, but we’ll see how it works practically when we build our first minor scale.
Exploring the A Minor Scale: A Practical Example
Let’s put the minor scale formula into action by constructing an A minor scale. Just as we started with ‘C’ for the C major scale, we’ll begin with ‘A’ as our root note for the A minor scale. By applying the W-H-W-W-H-W-W formula, we can determine each note in the A minor scale step-by-step, using the musical alphabet (A, B, C, D, E, F, G).
- Starting Note: A
- Whole Step (W) from A: B (A to B is a whole step)
- Half Step (H) from B: C (B to C is a half step)
- Whole Step (W) from C: D (C to D is a whole step)
- Whole Step (W) from D: E (D to E is a whole step)
- Half Step (H) from E: F (E to F is a half step)
- Whole Step (W) from F: G (F to G is a whole step)
- Whole Step (W) from G: A (G to A is a whole step, returning to our root and completing the octave)
Therefore, the notes of the A minor scale are: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A.
The Notes Of The A Minor Scale
Visual representation of the A minor scale steps and intervals.
Understanding Scale Degrees in A Minor
To further understand the structure and relationships within the A minor scale, we can assign degrees to each note. This numbering system is crucial for relating minor scales to other scales and for grasping the concept of intervals within the scale.
- 1st Degree (Root): A
- 2nd Degree: B
- 3rd Degree: C
- 4th Degree: D
- 5th Degree: E
- 6th Degree: F
- 7th Degree: G
Knowing these degrees helps in understanding music theory and how scales function within chords and melodies.
The Relationship Between Relative Major and Minor Scales
A fascinating aspect of minor scales is their connection to major scales through the concept of relative keys. Every minor scale has a relative major scale, and vice versa. These relative scales share the exact same notes but start on a different root note, creating distinct modal characters.
To find the relative major scale of a minor scale, you can move up three frets or three semitones from the root note of the minor scale. Alternatively, you can simply locate the 3rd degree of the minor scale – this note will be the root of the relative major scale.
In our A minor scale, the 3rd degree is C. Therefore, the relative major scale of A minor is C major. This means that both A minor and C major scales consist of the same notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The only difference is that C major starts on C and A minor starts on A.
Visualizing C Major and A Minor Scale Shapes on Guitar
Here are common fingerboard patterns or “shapes” for both the C major scale and its relative minor, A minor. The black dots in these diagrams indicate the root notes – C notes for the C major scale and A notes for the A minor scale. Learning these shapes is crucial for playing these scales practically on the guitar.
C Major & A Minor Scales
Diagram illustrating common shapes for C major and A minor scales on the guitar neck, highlighting root notes.
Expanding Your Scale Vocabulary: The Extended A Minor Scale
As we’ve established, the A minor and C major scales are composed of the same notes. This allows us to combine the standard shapes of the major and minor scales to create a larger, more comprehensive scale pattern often referred to as an “extended” scale. This extended scale provides more range and fluidity when playing melodies and solos.
Combining C Major and A Minor Extended Scale Shapes
The beauty of the extended scale lies in its versatility. The only distinction between the C major and A minor extended scale shapes is the location of the root notes. In the C major extended shape, the C notes are the root. In the A minor extended shape, the A notes are the root. By understanding this, you can easily switch between the major and minor tonalities within this larger pattern.
C Major & A Minor Extended Scales
Visual representation of combined C major and A minor extended scale shapes, emphasizing root note positions.
Extended Scale: Horizontal Perspective
Another way to visualize this extended A minor scale shape is horizontally across the guitar fretboard. This perspective can be helpful for understanding how the scale lies out in a linear fashion and for visualizing runs and licks.
Transposing the Extended Minor Scale to Different Keys
One of the most powerful aspects of learning scale shapes is their portability. To play this extended minor scale shape in a different minor key, simply shift the entire shape up or down the fretboard so that the root notes correspond to the root note of your desired minor key.
For instance, if you want to play in B minor, you would move the entire A minor extended scale shape up two frets. This would shift the A root notes up to B, effectively transforming the shape into a B minor extended scale.
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