To create a melodic minor scale, what adjustment must you make to the natural minor scale?

Answer 1

Raise the 6th and 7th degrees a half step when the melody ascends and lower them back to their normal spelling when going down. The descending melodic minor scale is the same as the natural minor.

The 7th is raised going up in order to provide a melodic leading tone (or to facilitate dominant harmony ) and the 6th step is also raised in order to prevent an augmented second interval between the 6th and 7th steps.

Musician, composer, teacher.

Answer 2

Minor Scales
Minor scales sound different from major scales because they are based on a different pattern of intervals. Just as it did in major scales, starting the minor scale pattern on a different note will give you a different key signature, a different set of sharps or flats. The scale that is created by playing all the notes in a minor key signature is a natural minor scale. To create a natural minor scale, start on the tonic note and go up the scale using the interval pattern: whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step.

In the melodic minor scale, the sixth and seventh notes of the scale are each raised by one half step when going up the scale, but return to the natural minor when going down the scale.
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Answer 3

The sixth and seventh degrees are each raised one semitone from the natural minor. Thus, the key of A melodic minor (ascending) is: A, B, C, D, E, F#, G#,A.

Answer 4

You raise the 6th and 7th tones ascending, then revert to natural minor descending.
I always like to point out that the terms "ascending" and "descending" are misleading. the form used will really depend on the underlying harmony.

I just recently heard a terrific example of this -- the "Contrapunctis #9" from Bach's "Der Kunst der Fuga" begins on a descending version of the "ascending" minor scale. I.E. the 6th and 7th tones are raised a half step.