How to Use the Melodic Minor

These voicings and modes of the melodic minor are a harmonic Swiss Army knife!

  1. One Scale, Five Applications

    Each one of these voicings and its associated Melodic Minor scale can function in five different ways.

    1. Related Chords

      The five applications of these voicings are described by the Related Chords display.

      Toggle on the Show Scale option to see the Melodic Minor scale mode associated with a particular voicing.

    2. For Example

      A single voicing and its associated scale can be used anywhere you might play

      • A Minor 6/9
      • C Major 7th (b5)
      • D 13
      • Ab 7 Altered
      • F# Minor 7th (b5)

  2. Practice Ideas

    • Play all of the voicings and their associated modes in a single key.
    • Play a single voicing and its associated mode in all 12 keys around the circle of 4ths
    • Search YouTube for a static playalong track based on any of the Related Chords in a given key, practice comping and improvising using these voicings and modes.
    • Practice minor two-five-one progressions in every key. First, try it using a single voicing shape, shifted up and down the fretboard to function as the iim7(b5), then the V7(alt), then finally as the im(6/9). Then try playing the same progression in a single position on the neck, using different voicing shapes across the fingerboard.