A melodic minor scale in two octaves for classical guitar
A minor over two octaves, up as the melodic minor, with a raised sixth and seventh, F sharp and G sharp, and back down as the natural minor, with F and G. The right hand plays m and a in turn, the harder pair to keep even, and the fretting hand moves between the fourth and fifth positions on the way up.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with the metronome on, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 80 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 80 bpm
- Starts at
- 48 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4
- Level
- Intermediate
- Plays with
- A metronome
How to play it
Going up: F sharp and G sharp. Coming down: F and G. The a finger plays every other note.
The scale starts on A at the 5th fret of the low E string and climbs to the B two octaves and a step above, at the 7th fret of the high E. Going up, it's the melodic minor, with a raised sixth and seventh: F sharp at the 4th fret of the D string and G sharp at its 6th, then F sharp again at the B string's 7th fret and G sharp at the top string's 4th.
Coming down from A, it's the natural minor, with F and G: G at the B string's 8th fret, F at its 6th, and G and F at the 5th and 3rd frets of the D string. The hand moves between the fourth and the fifth positions as it goes.
The right hand plays m and a in turn, the middle and ring fingers. They're the harder pair to keep even, so it's worth practising the scale with i and m first, then with m and a.
Mistakes to watch for
- Playing G sharp on the way down out of habit, or G natural on the way up.
- The ring finger's notes softer than the middle finger's. Play a little firmer with a until both match.
- Shifting with a jump instead of sliding the hand along the string with a finger as a guide.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 48
- 52
- 56
- 60
- 64
- 68
- 72
- 76
- 80
That's 16 loops and about 4 minutes before you're playing at 80 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play A melodic minor scale, two octaves?
The goal is 80 bpm in eighth notes, which is 2.7 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 48 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
Why is the melodic minor different going up and down?
Going up, the raised sixth and seventh lead smoothly into the top note, like a major scale. Coming down they aren't needed, so the scale returns to the natural minor. This is how the melodic minor is used in classical music.
Why practise with m and a?
Because a is the weakest finger and pieces need it, in arpeggios and in fast scales. Alternating m and a builds its strength and independence, and makes i-m scales feel easy afterwards.
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