Part 3: The Minor Scale

Play your first minor scale

In the previous part you played the C major scale:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

Now we will use exactly the same white keys, but this time we start on A.

Sit down at a piano or use the piano below. Play from A up to the next A:

The notes of the A minor scale are marked in green. Press the keys to play them.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A

You just played the A minor scale!

A is the scale's root note, which is why it is called A minor.

Discover the pattern

Just like the major scale, the minor scale follows a fixed pattern of whole steps and half steps.

Let's examine the distances in A minor:

• A → B = whole step
• B → C = half step
• C → D = whole step
• D → E = whole step
• E → F = half step
• F → G = whole step
• G → A = whole step

The pattern becomes:

This form of the minor scale is called natural minor. There are other forms of minor you can learn later.

Same notes - different root note

Now let's compare the scales you have played.

C major:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

Whole - Whole - Half - Whole - Whole - Whole - Half

A minor:

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A

Whole - Half - Whole - Whole - Half - Whole - Whole

Both scales are built from whole steps and half steps, but the distances fall in different places.

Listen to them one after the other:

Can you hear the difference?

Even though the scales contain the same notes, they sound different.

The difference is which note is the root note. In C major, C is the root note, and in A minor, A is the root note. Because the scales have different root notes, the notes get a different relationship to the root note, and the scales get a different character.

What happens if we choose E as the root note?

Start on E and play only white keys:

E - F - G - A - B - C - D - E

The minor scale's first two distances should be whole step - half step.

But here we get:

• E → F = half step
• F → G = whole step

So the first two distances came out reversed.

To get the correct pattern, we raise F by a half step to F sharp (F♯):

E - F♯ - G - A - B - C - D - E

Now all the distances match:

And there we have the E minor scale!

How to build a natural minor scale

Just like with the major scale, you can build a minor scale from different root notes.

1. Choose which root note you want to build the scale from.
2. Write the note names in order until you get back to the root note.
3. Check the distances between the notes.
4. Raise or lower notes where needed to get the minor scale pattern:

Try it yourself

Now it's your turn.

Start from D:

D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D

Do the notes follow the minor scale pattern?

Count the whole steps and half steps and try to find if any note needs to change.

Practice

Try building minor scales from different root notes in an interactive exercise.

Remember

• The natural minor scale follows the pattern whole - half - whole - whole - half - whole - whole.
• Major and minor are built from the same kind of distances, but the whole steps and half steps fall in different places.
• The scale's root note gives the scale its name.
• Minor scales may need sharps or flats to follow the correct pattern.
• A major scale and a minor scale can contain the same notes but have different root notes.