The jazz minor scale or ascending melodic minor scale is a derivative of the melodic minor scale, except only the ascending form of the scale is used. As the name implies, it is primarily used in jazz[citation needed], although it may be found in other types of music as well. It may be derived from the major scale with a minor third,[1] making it a synthetic scale, and features a dominant seventh chord on the fifth degree (V) like the harmonic minor scale.[2] It can also be derived from the diatonic Dorian mode with a major seventh.
Thus, the jazz minor scale can be represented by the following notation:
The intervals between the notes of the jazz minor scale follow the sequence below:
The scale may be considered to originate in the use of extensions beginning with the seventh in jazz and thus the necessity to, "chromatically raise the diatonic 7th to create a stable, tonic sound," rather than use a minor seventh chord, associated with ii, for tonic.[3]
The jazz minor scale contains all of the altered notes of the dominant seventh chord whose root is a semitone below the scale's tonic: "In other words to find the correct jazz minor scale for any dominant 7th chord simply use the scale whose tonic note is a half step higher than the root of the chord."[1] For example, the G7 chord and A♭ jazz minor scale: the A♭ scale contains the root, third, seventh, and the four most common alterations of G7. This scale may be used to resolve to C in the progression G7–C (over G7, which need not be notated G7♭5♯5♭9♯9).[1]
It is used over a minor major seventh chord.[4] See: chord-scale system. The scale also easily allows diatonic chord progressions, for example a I−vi−ii−V progression:[4]
The triads built on each scale degree follow a distinct pattern. The roman numeral analysis is shown in parentheses below.
The seventh chords built on each scale degree follow a distinct pattern. The roman numeral analysis is shown in parentheses below.
The jazz minor scale, like the diatonic scale, has seven modes. These modes are derived by treating a different note as the tonic.
The names of these scales are variations of the names used for some of the modes of the diatonic major scale, for example the Phrygian ♯6, the second mode of the melodic minor, is named so because it is the same as the Phrygian mode of the major scale with a major sixth.
Each mode of the jazz minor scale can be considered to be related to two diatonic modes, with one note of the diatonic mode either sharped or flatted according to the table below, which is arranged in fifths.
Each mode of the jazz minor scale features different intervals of notes from the tonic according to the table below, which is arranged in order of brightness.