Why Are There 3 Different Minor Scales? (Piano Lesson)

Natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor, WHAT?!

There is only ONE major scale, so why the heck are there 3 minor scales? And what’s the difference between them?

The big difference comes down to the role or function of the notes. In a nutshell, the difference relate to how we create 'tension' and then 'resolution' in the music.

Cassi breaks it all down. Just a note with the scale notation -- we are changing the scales in the treble clef while leaving natural minor scale in the bass clef for comparison.

Here are the timecodes for the lesson:

- The Natural Minor - The basic minor scale - 0:27.

- The Harmonic Minor - Creating tension and resolution - 1:04.

- The Melodic Minor - Fixes the clash in the harmonic minor - 1:42.

There are a lot of concepts here so don't worry too much if it's a little confusing.

Learning the natural minor scale first will give you lots of ways to practice, and then you can start playing around with the other scales when you feel comfortable.

Just remember it all comes down to the 'function' and 'role' of the notes in the scale.

If all of this is gibberish, we have a free series designed to help you start learning the piano today:

And if you want to learn chords to play 100s of songs, check out Chord Hacks (it's also free):

Follow us on social media!

[PianoteOfficial]

Here are the timecodes for the scales:
The Natural Minor - The basic minor scale - 0:27
The Harmonic Minor - Creating tension and resolution - 1:04

The Melodic Minor - Fixes the clash in the harmonic minor - 1:42

[kentong]

Finally, after studying so many years of music theory, now I understand why there are three kinds of minors.Very useful video. Thanks a lot.

[briannevin]

I jumped up to my keyboard and tried this with a few minor keys. Yes! It is mini-lessons like this that make me feel like I am slowly mastering the keyboard, and all its possibilities. Thanks, Pianote!

[bulltremor]

Simple and effective. In our Indian Musical Style(Carnatic), Natural Minor~Natabhairavi, Harmonic Minor~KeeravaNi Raagam and Melodic Minor~Gourimanohari Raagam. This is just a scale similarity. But the concept of Raagam is more complex.

[PetulaGuimaraes]

Thanks for explaining the why, Cassie. Most of the time we find the description of the scales but not the reason why they are like so. The leap on the melodic and the need of a leading tone make perfect sense.

[mathewnm]

Thank you for your clear and beautiful teaching. God bless you. Clear, simple and short. Great work

[vdvoskin]

This might be the best informational video i have ever seen. It is short and to the point, thank you!

[saepiumv]

Great! That was an aHa moment for me. Best explanation Ive had on the different minor scales.

[SachinKumar-vgkf]

Cassi u r a Angel and ur voice is awsme like nightingale, keep posting ur teachings on hw to compose melody and arrange chords and if you can sing along with playing the same

[SW]

Absolutely fantastic explanation! Why can't other explanations be as clear? Thank you again!

[anne-marieforer]

When I was a kid I practiced these minor scales but never really understood why the 6th and 7th intervals were raised. Your video helped to understand why and it will help me improvise not only on the piano in minor j
Keys but on my fiddle too!

[peterkrinke]

What a cool way to explain things I left Pianote these teachers are incredible!

[vishalprasad]

Crystal clear!! Thanks for the lesson.

[vlaseansmithen]

Wow! Thanks for the lesson. This is so enlightening

[Susanzakho]

thank you . You are the best teacher in the wold you have easily explained the minors. You have the technique how to simplify the complicated issues. Many thanks.

[mrcwalker]

Very good and brief explanation, thx!

[richellmcknight]

Thank you!!! Oh my gosh, I FINALLY get the difference! I'll be able to REMEMBER it this way!!!😁💖

[livegroove]

What nobody ever explains is how the Harmonic and melodic build a Dominate V chord. The raised 7nth(D#) turns the B-7 into a B7 chord.. The Melodic minor makes the melody flow much better over the B7 chord.. If you're using the Harmonic or Melodic scales to improvise, they only apply over the Dominate V chord. ie /Emin/G /Emin/B7/ Don't play a D# until you get to the B7 chord (which is the major 3rd) Try it out..

[BobbyBriscoeBeats]

Great video! I've been practicing all of my natural minor scales and will throw this in as well.

[OneWingdWubz]

thank you so much for this video, your channel is making everything click so naturally and fluidly, I cannot appreciate you more enough!!! <3<3<3