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While there are three minor scales, minor keys and minor key signatures are always identified as simply “minor” (“A minor,” “D minor,” etc.) and are based on the natural minor scale. Scale degrees in minor are the same as those in major.
The minor scale is the scale which sounds negative – it is used by composers to depict sad, melancholic or even angry/dramatic moods. However, there are in fact 3 minor scales which you will come across and can use: Natural Minor Scale; Harmonic Minor Scale; Melodic Minor Scale
Each type of scale has a distinct sound, and many people have particular emotional associations with particular scales. You can build scales by adding more notes at specific distances (or intervals) above the tonic. The two most common types (or qualities) of scales are major and minor.
An interactive music theory cheat sheet with scales, diatonic chords, notes on the piano, notes on the staff and key signature for all major and minor keys.
In western classical music theory, the minor scale refers to three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending).
Learning to play the different types of minor scales on instruments allows performers to become familiar with the minor patterns most commonly used in Western classical music. Just like major scales, minor scales are named for their first note (including the accidental, if any), which is also their last note.
While there are three minor scales, minor keys and minor key signatures are always identified as simply “minor” (“A minor,” “D minor,” etc.) and are based on the natural minor scale. Scale degrees in minor are the same as those in major.
