The melodic minor scale has a darker yet hopeful sound that’s essential for jazz and modern guitar playing. It’s the secret ingredient behind those sophisticated, “outside” lines you hear in solos and surprisingly, it’s only one note different from the major scale.

If you already know your Major scales, you can unlock melodic minor in minutes. If you’re new to it, this lesson will give you the complete roadmap: the formula, fretboard shapes, and patterns to make it musical, not just mechanical.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• The one-note formula to build melodic minor in any key
• Key examples with audio so you hear the sound in context
• 5 essential fretboard shapes to play it anywhere on the neck
• Scale patterns you can use immediately in solos and improvisations

Let’s get started.

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Melodic minor scale formula

The melodic minor scale is built by taking any major scale and lowering the 3rd note by one fret. That’s it.

For example: C major (C, D, E, F, G, A , B) becomes C melodic minor (C, D, Eb, F, G, A , B).

Technically, that gives us scale degrees: 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, 6, 7. But if you already know your major scales, you only need to remember: flatten the 3rd.

The melodic minor scale is different from the natural minor scale which has the scale degrees 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, and b7. For example, the C natural minor scale has the notes C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, and Bb.

Melodic minor scale formula

The whole and half step formula for the melodic minor scale is whole, half, whole, whole, whole, whole, half. Here is an example applied to the C melodic minor scale:

Melodic minor scale in all keys

Using the formula we looked at, here is a chart of the melodic minor scale in all keys.

Use this chart as your reference library. When you’re improvising over a minor chord and want that brighter, jazzier sound, look up the key and grab the notes here.

Melodic minor scale application examples

Now that you know the formula, let’s see how it lays out on the fretboard in 4 common keys. The small numbers on top of the notes represent the suggested fingerings for your fretting hand.

C melodic minor scale

D melodic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

G melodic minor scale

5 Melodic minor scale shapes on the guitar

We can break down the melodic minor scale into 5 different sections of the guitar fretboard. You can play these shapes starting on any root note.

How to read the scale charts

For the charts below:

• The lowest horizontal line represents the thickest string (Low E). The top horizontal line represents the thinnest string (high E). 
• The green circles represent the root note of the melodic minor scale and the blue notes are every scale note in between. 
• The numbers inside the circles represent the suggested fingering to use on your fretting hand.

If needed, check out how to read guitar notation symbols.

Shape 1

Shape 2

Shape 3

Shape 4

Shape 5

Note: When playing these shapes with open strings, adjust your fingerings as needed. For example, if a shape uses fingering 1, 3, 4 on one string, you can play open, 1, 3 instead. Once you move to fretted positions, the original shapes return.

Melodic Minor scale shapes connected on guitar

To show you how the 5 scale shapes connect, here are all of the C melodic minor scale notes on the guitar fretboard.

Notice how each shape overlaps with the next without any gaps. When you’re improvising, you can slide between shapes seamlessly by finding the shared notes.

The One-Note Shortcut: Major to Melodic Minor

The truth is you don’t need to memorize 5 brand-new shapes from scratch. You can learn the melodic minor scale by starting with the major scale and lowering the 3rd. Use your existing major scale shapes as the template, then flatten the 3rd in each position you already know.

This method cuts your learning time in half and helps you see the relationship between scales which is critical for improvisation.

Use the charts below to visualize exactly where that one note changes on the fretboard.

See this example below before going through the charts.

Shape 1

Melodic minor scale patterns

Knowing the scale shapes is step one. Creating music with them is step two. These patterns will train your fingers to move fluidly through the scale while developing ideas you can use in solos and improvisations.

I also recommend trying these patterns in different keys to truly get comfortable playing them on the guitar. See this lesson on how to practice scales for more ideas.

The following patterns are all based on the C melodic minor scale.

4 note ascending scale pattern

The following pattern ascends four consecutive notes in the scale and repeats on the next scale degree.

4 note descending scale pattern

This is the same 4 note concept as the previous example except we are descending the melodic minor scale.

Ascending 3rds scale pattern

For this scale pattern, we are playing intervals of thirds on each degree of the scale. You can think of thirds as skipping the next note of a scale.

Descending 3rds scale pattern

This is the same concept as before except we are descending in thirds using the C melodic minor scale.

This other guide on how to practice scales covers more application examples such playing consecutive intervals, skipping by different intervals, and using triads or 7th chord arpeggios. You may also want to learn how make your melody lines sound jazzy.

Get the chart here!

Easily look up scales with the Essential Minor Scales Guitar Chart!

This chart shows you the 5 essential minor scale shapes on guitar and how to play the minor scale starting on all 12 root notes.

There’s no need to stumble on what notes to play… Get the Essential Minor Scales Guitar Chart printable to motivate and guide you on your musical journey!

👉 Get it here!

3 tips for memorizing the melodic minor scale shapes

Here are 3 quick tips to help you memorize the melodic minor scale shapes.

1. Master one shape at a time

The way I recommend learning and memorizing any scale is to start with one shape that feels most comfortable for you. Try to really get the shape under your fingers to the point where you don’t have to look at the chart. Use the first shape you master as a guide to learn the other scale shapes around it.

2. Practice the scale with a backing track

Don’t just run the scale up and down mechanically. Play it over a minor chord in the same key which this trains your ear to hear the melodic minor sound (that brighter 6th and 7th against the minor 3rd). Your fingers will memorize faster when your ears are engaged.

3. Learn to connect the scale shapes

After getting one of the shapes down really well, either learn the shape that comes before or after it to see how the scale connects on the fretboard. Again, try to master one shape at a time and make sure you can play it without looking at the chart.

This will make the process more approachable by breaking it down into smaller sections before moving on to the next shape.

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Wrapping up

The melodic minor scale is just one note away from major but that single change unlocks a whole new sonic palette. Take time to get the shapes under your fingers and train your ear to recognize this distinctive sound.

For jazz players, melodic minor is non-negotiable. Master the shapes, then use the patterns we covered to build fluid, musical lines in your improvisations.

Next steps: Once you’re comfortable with melodic minor, explore the altered scale (which is built directly from melodic minor) or dive into the harmonic minor scale for even more color. If you’re building your foundation, check out the blues scale and pentatonic scale as well.

📘 Get the free guitar practice guide here!