Building Blocks: The Natural Minor Scale

 

    The natural minor scale follows the same principles as the major scale, except that the pattern of half-steps and whole-steps is different.  Just like the major scale, there are two half-steps in the natural minor scale, but they are in different places.  The half-steps in the natural minor scale fall between the 2nd and 3rd notes, and between the 5th and 6th notes of the scale.  That creates the following pattern:

WHWWHWW    (W = whole-step, H = half-step)

    Other than that pattern, everything else works the same way as the major scale:

  • There is only one natural minor scale whose notes are the same as the musical alphabet: A Minor
  • There is only one of each letter name (except for the repeated tonic at the top)
  • A natural minor scale may have sharps or flats, but not both

    If you remember the methods we used to construct major scales, you should be able to construct natural minor scales by applying those methods to the pattern above .


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