The melodic minor scale raises both the 6th and 7th ascending to smooth the melody, and reverts to natural minor descending

The harmonic minor augmented second (between 6th and raised 7th) sounds awkward in melodic lines. The solution: also raise the 6th degree on the way up, creating smooth stepwise motion to the tonic. On the way down, both alterations are cancelled (reverts to natural minor). This two-directional behavior is unique to the melodic minor scale. In jazz, the ascending form (jazz minor scale) is used in both directions, enabling exotic chord voicings.

Examples

A melodic minor ascending: A B C D E F# G# A. Descending: A G F E D C B A (= A natural minor). Jazz minor: A B C D E F# G# A in both directions.

Assessment

Write the A melodic minor scale ascending and descending. Identify which notes change and explain why they change on ascent only.