The Natural Minor Scale
AKA
Aeolian Mode
If you take the notes from A to A (no sharps, no flats)....this
is an A natural
minor scale.
A
Natural Minor - A B C D E F G A
So an A minor scale is the 6th "mode"
build from a C major scale. This idea is central to understanding
modes. The major and the minor scales also have "modal"
names. The major scale is also known as the Ionian
mode, and the minor scale is also called the Aeolian
mode. It is just another name for the same scale. But using
the "modal name" usually indicates those same notes
will be used in a little different way than you might have
used them in the context of playing in a major key or minor
key.
C
D E F G A B C - C major (Ionian
Mode)
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 1 2 3 4 5 6
A
B C D E F G A - A minor (Aeolian
Mode)
If you compare A minor, to an A major scale, you can see
that A minor has b3 (flat 3), b6, and b7 in comparison. This
just means that "b3" is a half step lower than the
3rd note in the major scale.
A
B C# D E F# G# A
- A Major (Ionian Mode)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1
A B C D E F G
A - A Minor (Aeolian Mode)
1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
1
These numbers make up the formula for the minor scale. The
formula for a minor scale is 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. This
is key to understanding modes. This is the way that you are
going to compare what is the same, and what is different between
different modes.
|
Basic
A Minor Scale Form
Scale functions indicated
|-----|--1--|-----|--2--|-b3--|
-1st string
|-----|--5--|-b6--|-----|-b7--|
|--2--|-b3--|-----|--4--|-----|
|-----|-b7--|-----|--1--|-----|
|-----|--4--|-----|--5--|-b6--|
|-----|--1--|-----|--2--|-b3--|
-6th string
|
5th
fret
|
|
A
Minor Scale
This
is the same as the "basic C major scale form"
on the previous page. But this time the functions are
written to reflect these notes in relationship to A
minor.
|--2--|-b3--|-----|--4--|
-1st string
|-----|-b7--|-----|--1--|
|--4--|-----|--5--|-b6--|
|--1--|-----|--2--|-b3--|
|--5--|-b6--|-----|-b7--|
|-----|-b3--|-----|--4--| -6th string
|
8th
fret
|
Page 1, Review of the major scale
Page 3, Relative modes
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