Guitar Scales Made Easy: Simple Formula to Learn All 7 Modes of Melodic Minor

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Learning to play the melodic minor modes is an important skill for any modern guitarist. While many of us shy away from these modes at first, mostly because we think we have to start from scratch when learning them, there is a fun and easy formula that you can use to take any mode of the major scale, alter one note, and build the corresponding mode of melodic minor.

In this video lesson, I explain this formula and show you how to apply it to any mode of the major scale in order to instantly create the modes of the melodic minor scale. By taking the mystery out of how to play the melodic minor modes on the guitar, you’ll not only learn them quicker, but will internalize them in a way that will allow you to keep them in your playing without having to spend hours in the practice room.

To learn how to apply these scales to a soloing situation, please read my article “Modes of the Melodic Minor Scale and Their Application.”

To explore this exercise further, check out my article “Jazz Guitar Scales Made Easy: Deriving 28 Modes from One Shape” to apply this idea to all of the modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, Harmonic Minor and Harmonic Major scales.

 

Click to view the Major Scales Made Easy Video Lesson.

Click to download the PDF for this lesson.

 

Video Lesson

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Check Out Related Jazz Guitar Lessons

Modes of the Melodic Minor Scale and Their Application

Jazz Guitar Scales Made Easy: How to Derive 28 Modes from One Fingering

9 Ways to Add the Melodic Minor Scale to Your Jazz Guitar Practice Routine

Jazz Guitar Chords: Voice Leading Minor ii-V-I Video Lesson

Guitar Scales Made Easy: Learn All 7 Major Modes from One Shape Video Lesson

5 Responses to "Guitar Scales Made Easy: Simple Formula to Learn All 7 Modes of Melodic Minor"

1. Miguel Granada says:

   Reply

   Great !!! Thx , Matt

   You Could think of doing a video using the MM modes with some chord progressions as backing tracks…In other words explain when and where should we use certain mode of MM.

   Thx in advance

   Miguel

   

   February 22, 2012 at 11:31 pm
   1. Matthew Warnock says:

      Reply

      Thanks Miguel,
      I already did an article like that, you can check it out here if you like.

      http://www.mattwarnockguitar.com/modes-of-the-melodic-minor-scale-and-their-application

      Cheers

      

      February 23, 2012 at 8:05 am
2. Miguel Granada says:

   Reply

   Hi Matt,
   Sorry didn t saw that article , going to check it, Thx again and keep up the good work you re doing helping people
   See ya

   

   February 23, 2012 at 10:52 am
3. Bruce sailor pereault says:

   Reply

   Loooove this!! Interesting approach…i need another way to think about this though…I don’t usually think of C MM relating to C major.I think of C minor relating to Eb….I’m just a little confused. Also…application of…lets say, C MM…over a C minor blues?? and what about over a B7 altered. Sorry for all the questions :)

   Sailor

   

   February 25, 2012 at 2:30 am
   1. Matthew Warnock says:

      Reply

      Hey,
      Yeah, for me Melodic Minor is a tonic sound, so the tonic minor sound, and Ionian is the tonic major sound, so they compare nicely at least to my ears when thought of that way.

      You can check out this article if you haven’t seen it, it goes over each mode of melodic minor and explains how to apply them to a solo.

      http://www.mattwarnockguitar.com/modes-of-the-melodic-minor-scale-and-their-application

      To answer your specific questions, for a C minor blues, you could play C melodic minor over Cm6, in bar 4 play Db melodic minor to imply a C7alt moving to Fm7 in bar 5. Then, if you like, you can play F MM over the Fm7, then back to C mm for Cm6. Then, for the Ab7#11 chord use the 4th mode of mm for that change, and for G7alt use the 7th mode. Hope that helps!

      

      February 25, 2012 at 7:39 am