how do minor scales have sharps AND flats>?

Question

i dont get this...my hw is on minor scales and its killin me

for those whove actually helped thanks for the info. but most of you dont seem to know what your talking about cuz there CAN be both flats and sharps in a scale. no there cant be flats and sharps in a key signature i know but there CAN be in a SCALE

Answer 1

It would be in a harmonic or melodic minor scale in a flat key. In the harmonic minor scale, the seventh scale degree is raised. In the melodic minor scale, the sixth and seventh degrees are raised on the way up and lowered on the way down. For example, D minor. Has one flat, B-flat. D E F G A Bb C D is the natural form. Harmonic Minor is D E F G A Bb C# D. Melodic Minor is D E F G A B C# D C Bb A G F E D.

Answer 2

There are three forms of the minor scale:
Melodic
Harmonic
Natural

Natural minor scales will have sharps or flats in relation to its major key.
Harmonic minor scales with have a raised 7th, which can alter a note chromatically. For example, if you're playing a g minor scale, the key will be two flats. But, if you raise the 7th pitch of the scale (F), it will raise the note to F-sharp. This is the leading tone of the scale, meaning the 7th tone will "lead" to it's resolution (G).
The same goes with melodic scales, except you now raise the 6th and 7th. Continuing with g minor, this means that you will raise the e-flat to e-natural, making the last 3 notes of the scale (E)(F-sharp)(G).
The fun part about melodic minor is that you play the natural form on the way down from the scale.

Just remember:
Natural minor: no raised notes.
Harmonic minor: raised 7th
Melodic minor: raised 6th and 7th, converts to natural form on the way down.

EDIT:
There are sharps and flats in a key signature. If you're playing in a certain key, it correlates to the scale.

Answer 3

The key signatures will only have either flats or sharps.

Accidentals can occur which cause there to be both flats and sharps in a scale. I suppose if you're writing them out without a key signature that it can look a little funny.

Ultimately the reason is because music theory requires two things:

1. There is one of each note-name in each major and minor scale.
2. Some minor scale patterns require the interval of a step-and-a-half, written as an augmented second in order to fulfill the first rule here.

Answer 4

F sharp natural minor scale left hand fingering: 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 2 (Hit 4 instead of 2 if going for 2 or more octaves)

Answer 5

when minor scales are in the harmonic form they can have a sharp, because the rule for a harmonic minor scale is to raise the second to last note, sometimes causing it to become sharp.

Answer 6

The thing is, in a scale, you never skip letters. it's always every single one, CDEFGABC. so the formula for minor is WHWWHWW. that means whole step (2 keys up, black or white!) and half step (1 key up, black or white!) so it's whole half whole whole half whole whole. anyway, since you can't skip letters, you cant do, say, G#, cause the one before was G natural. so instead it's A flat. then the next one has to include "B."

Answer 7

I think that Major and Minor just describe the tone both can have sharps and flats but they are more common in the designated group

Answer 8

As Mario noted, you have either one or the other in a given key. The one you get is determined on how the pitch increase increments occur in the given key.

Answer 9

its impossible to hav sharps AND flats in the same scale even if its major or minor.. its either all sharps or all flats.. no mixed

Answer 10

sharps and flats are sort of the same thing
like an A sharp is the same as a B flat(if that makes sense)