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Scale · 7 notes

A♭ Melodic Minor Scale

A♭ Melodic Minor is a 7-note scale with the notes A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F G. It sounds minor with raised 6th and 7th (ascending form), smooth and jazzy.

FGC♭D♭E♭A♭B♭

Purple = A♭ (the tonic) · green = other scale notes

On the fretboard

Every A♭ melodic minor note on the neck. Pick a pattern to see the compact fingering shape that fits under one hand.

EADGBe135791215FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGB♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FG

Blue = A♭ (the root) · green = other scale notes

Notes in the A♭ Melodic Minor scale

DegreeNoteName
1A♭Tonic
2B♭Supertonic
♭3C♭Mediant
4D♭Subdominant
5E♭Dominant
6FSubmediant
7GLeading tone

Each note uses a different letter name, so the spelling follows the scale rather than the keyboard: A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F G.

A♭ Melodic Minor scale formula

The pattern of steps from one note to the next is W – H – W – W – W – W – H (W = whole step, H = half step). Compared with the major scale the degrees are 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.

Chords in the A♭ Melodic Minor scale

Stacking thirds on each note of the scale gives these chords:

DegreeTriad7th chord
iA♭mA♭m(maj7)
iiB♭mB♭m7
III+C♭+C♭7♯5
IVD♭D♭7
VE♭E♭7
vi°F°Fø7
vii°G°Gø7

Chord names link to guitar chord shapes where we have them.

Related scales

How to practise the A♭ Melodic Minor scale

Learn it as natural minor with both the 6th and 7th raised. Classical convention uses this form going up and natural minor coming down; jazz players keep the raised form both ways.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes in the A♭ Melodic Minor scale?

The notes of the A♭ Melodic Minor scale are A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F G.

What is the formula for the A♭ Melodic Minor scale?

The pattern of whole and half steps is W – H – W – W – W – W – H (W = whole step, H = half step). In scale degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.

What chords are in the A♭ Melodic Minor scale?

Built from the scale in triads: A♭m, B♭m, C♭+, D♭, E♭, F°, G°.

More A♭ scales

A♭ Major, A♭ Natural Minor, A♭ Harmonic Minor, A♭ Dorian, A♭ Lydian, A♭ Mixolydian, A♭ Major Pentatonic, A♭ Minor Pentatonic, A♭ Lydian Dominant, A♭ Whole Tone, A♭ Lydian Augmented, A♭ Mixolydian ♭6, A♭ Hungarian Minor, A♭ Bebop Dominant, A♭ Bebop Major

Explore the full scales library, find a scale from notes with the scale finder, or see every chord in every key in the chord chart.