C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (2024)

Minor scales have a dark and mysterious sound that is used to create tension and emotion in music. They’re essential scales to learn for composers and musicians, but they can be a bit confusing as there are three different types.

In this post, we’re going to be exploring the natural, melodic, and harmonic forms of C minor scale. So, if you’re ready to dive into the key of C minor, let’s get started!

Table of Contents

C Natural Minor Scale

The first form of C minor that we will look at is the natural minor scale.

It’s made up of seven notes starting on C (which is known as the keynote). It then follows the natural minor scale formula of whole and half steps.

This gives us the notes: C D Eb F G Ab Bb C

As you can see, it has three flat notes: Bb, Eb and Ab

C Natural Minor Scale in the Treble Clef

Here are all the notes of C natural minor scale in the treble clef, ascending and descending.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (1)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (2)

C Natural Minor Scale in the Bass Clef

Next up, we have C natural minor scale in the bass clef, ascending and descending.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (3)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (4)

C Natural Minor Scale in the Alto Clef

The least common of all the clefs, here we have C natural minor scale in the Alto clef, ascending and descending.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (5)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (6)

C Natural Minor Scale in the Tenor Clef

And finally, here are all the notes of C natural minor scale in the tenor clef, ascending and descending.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (7)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (8)

Natural Minor Scale Formula

The natural minor scale, like every other type of scale, is constructed by using a certain combination of intervals between each note.

The formula, using whole steps and half steps, is:

Whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step.

This is abbreviated toW W H W W W H.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (9)

Using the British terminology of tones and semitones, this would be:

Tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone.

Which gets abbreviated toT S T T S T T.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (10)

C Harmonic Minor Scale

The next form of C minor scale we’ll look at is the C harmonic minor, which is slightly different from the natural minor in that it has a raised 7th note.

So, the notes in C harmonic minor are: C D Eb F G Ab B

Like C natural minor, it also has an Eb and an Ab, but, notice that the seventh note is no longer a Bb but has been raised a half step to B natural.

C Harmonic Minor Scale in the Treble Clef

First, let’s look at C harmonic minor scale in the treble clef, ascending and descending.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (11)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (12)

C Harmonic Minor Scale in the Bass Clef

Next, we have C harmonic minor ascending and descending in the bass clef.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (13)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (14)

C Harmonic Minor Scale in the Alto Clef

The least common of all the clefs, here we have C harmonic minor ascending and descending in the alto clef.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (15)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (16)

C Harmonic Minor Scale in the Tenor Clef

And now we have C harmonic minor in the tenor clef, ascending and descending.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (17)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (18)

Hamonic Minor Scale Formula

The natural minor scale, like every other type of scale, is constructed by using a certain combination of intervals between each note.

The formula, using whole steps and half steps, is:

Whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, whole and a half step, half step.

This is abbreviated toW H W W H WH H.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (19)

Using the British terminology of tones and semitones, this would be:

Tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone and a semitone, semitone.

Which gets abbreviated toT S T T S TS S.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (20)

C Melodic Minor Scale

And the last type of minor scale we’ll look at is C melodic minor scale. This one is a bit different from the others, though.

When it’s ascending, it’s different from the natural in that its 6th and 7th notes are raised.

This gives us the notes: C D Eb F G A B

But, when descending, the 6th and 7th notes are flattened.

This means that it’s the same as the natural minor scale when descending, giving us the notes: Bb Ab G F Eb D C

C Melodic Minor Scale in the Treble Clef

Let’s take a look at C melodic minor scale in the treble clef, ascending and descending.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (21)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (22)

C Melodic Minor Scale in the Bass Clef

Next up, let’s take a look at C melodic minor scale ascending and descending in the bass clef.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (23)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (24)

C Melodic Minor Scale in the Alto Clef

Now we have C melodic minor scale in the alto clef, ascending and descending.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (25)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (26)

C Melodic Minor Scale in the Tenor Clef

And here’s C melodic minor scale in the tenor clef, ascending and descending.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (27)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (28)

What is the Key Signature of C Minor?

To make playing in a certain key easier for the musician to read, we can use a key signature.

This helps us know to play certain notes sharp or flat without having to read an accidental each time.

C minor has the same key signature as Eb major, which has three flats in its key signature: Bb, Eb and Ab

Here’s the key signature for C minor in the treble, alto, tenor, and bass clefs.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (29)

What is the Relative Major Scale of C Minor?

Every minor scale has a relative major scale, and every major one has a relative minor one. But what is the relative major scale of C minor?

The relative major scale of C minor is Eb major.

Here is Eb major scale, which uses all the same notes as C natural minor but starts on Eb, which is its keynote: Eb F G Ab Bb C D

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (30)
C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (31)

But how do we know that Eb major is the relative major scale of C minor?

Well, to work out the relative major key of a minor one, all we have to do is go up three half steps (semitones).

So from C, we go up one half step to Db, a second half step to D, and a third half step to Eb: C > Db > D> Eb

To learn more about the relative major of C minor, see our guide to E-Flat major scale here.

Conclusion

That’s it for our guide to the scale of C minor! We hope it helped make a bit more sense of everything.

Feel free to use this post as a reference and let us know if you have any other questions.

C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (2024)
Top Articles
Hackers may have stolen your Social Security number in a massive breach. Here's what to know.
Hoof It Goat Treks Reviews
Spasa Parish
The Machine 2023 Showtimes Near Habersham Hills Cinemas
Gilbert Public Schools Infinite Campus
Rentals for rent in Maastricht
159R Bus Schedule Pdf
11 Best Sites Like The Chive For Funny Pictures and Memes
Finger Lakes 1 Police Beat
Craigslist Pets Huntsville Alabama
Paulette Goddard | American Actress, Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin
Red Dead Redemption 2 Legendary Fish Locations Guide (“A Fisher of Fish”)
What's the Difference Between Halal and Haram Meat & Food?
Rugged Gentleman Barber Shop Martinsburg Wv
Jennifer Lenzini Leaving Ktiv
Havasu Lake residents boiling over water quality as EPA assumes oversight
Justified - Streams, Episodenguide und News zur Serie
Epay. Medstarhealth.org
Olde Kegg Bar & Grill Portage Menu
Half Inning In Which The Home Team Bats Crossword
Amazing Lash Bay Colony
Cyclefish 2023
Truist Bank Open Saturday
What’s Closing at Disney World? A Complete Guide
New from Simply So Good - Cherry Apricot Slab Pie
Ohio State Football Wiki
Find Words Containing Specific Letters | WordFinder®
FirstLight Power to Acquire Leading Canadian Renewable Operator and Developer Hydromega Services Inc. - FirstLight
Webmail.unt.edu
When Is Moonset Tonight
2024-25 ITH Season Preview: USC Trojans
Metro By T Mobile Sign In
Restored Republic December 1 2022
Dl 646
Apple Watch 9 vs. 10 im Vergleich: Unterschiede & Neuerungen
12 30 Pacific Time
Operation Carpe Noctem
Nail Supply Glamour Lake June
Anmed My Chart Login
No Compromise in Maneuverability and Effectiveness
Adventhealth Employee Handbook 2022
Mvsu Canvas
Teamnet O'reilly Login
Infinity Pool Showtimes Near Maya Cinemas Bakersfield
Dermpathdiagnostics Com Pay Invoice
A look back at the history of the Capital One Tower
Alvin Isd Ixl
Maria Butina Bikini
Busted Newspaper Zapata Tx
2045 Union Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507 | Estately 🧡 | MLS# 24048395
Upgrading Fedora Linux to a New Release
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Mrs. Angelic Larkin

Last Updated:

Views: 5319

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (47 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Mrs. Angelic Larkin

Birthday: 1992-06-28

Address: Apt. 413 8275 Mueller Overpass, South Magnolia, IA 99527-6023

Phone: +6824704719725

Job: District Real-Estate Facilitator

Hobby: Letterboxing, Vacation, Poi, Homebrewing, Mountain biking, Slacklining, Cabaret

Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.