Melodic Minor And The Modes
The melodic minor scale (MM) is based upon the natural minor scale with the major 6th and major 7th notes. It could also be described as containing the same notes as the major scale except having a minor 3rd. The melodic minor note pattern is T S T T T T S.
The principal of creating any mode is the same using a starting note and moving up in the scale until the octave is reached. Each mode is numbered with a Roman numeral, e.g., the 4th mode of the melodic minor scale is labelled MM IV. Some modes may have an additional name to describe its structure, e.g., MM IV could be called mixolydian #4. There is at least one matching chord to each mode. All seven modes of the melodic minor scale an their matching chords are outlined here.
MM I (Melodic Minor)
This example illustrates the A melodic minor scale with the note pattern
T S T T T T S
MM II (Dorian b2)
The MM II is constructed by starting and finishing on the second note of the melodic minor scale. This is shown in example 296 which begins with the second note of the A melodic minor scale (B) and finishes one octave higher. The note pattern is
S T T T T S T
MM III (Lydian #5)
The MM III is constructed by starting and finishing on the third note of the A melodic minor scale, the C note in the given example. The note pattern is
T T T T S T S
