Editing Minor scale (section)

{{short description|Triad of scale patterns in music theory}} 
{{Distinguish|text=the simulated nuclear detonation [[Minor Scale]]}}
In [[Classical_music|Western classical]] [[music theory]], the '''minor scale''' refers to three [[Scale (music)|scale]] patterns – the '''natural minor scale''' (or [[Aeolian mode]]), the '''[[harmonic minor scale]]''', and the '''melodic minor scale''' (ascending or descending).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Tonal Harmony|last1=Kostka|first1=Stefan|author1-link=Stefan Kostka|last2=Payne|first2=Dorothy|publisher=McGraw-Hill|year=2004|isbn=0-07-285260-7|edition=5th|location=New York|page=12}}</ref>

{{block indent|<score sound="1"> { 
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c' { 
  \clef treble \time 7/4
  c4^\markup { C natural minor scale } d es f g aes bes c2
   }
}
</score>}}

{{block indent|<score sound="1"> {
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c' { 
  \clef treble \time 7/4 
  c4^\markup { C harmonic minor scale } d es f g aes b!? c2
  }
}
</score>}}

{{block indent|<score sound="1"> {
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c' { 
  \clef treble \time 7/4
  c4^\markup { C melodic minor scale } d es f g a!? b!?
  c bes aes g f es d
  c2
  }
}
</score>}}

These scales contain all three notes of a [[minor triad]]: the [[root (chord)|root]], a [[minor third]] (rather than the [[major third]], as in a [[Major chord|major triad]] or [[major scale]]), and a [[perfect fifth]] (rather than the [[tritone|diminished fifth]], as in a [[diminished scale]] or [[half diminished scale]]).

Minor scale is also used to refer to other scales with this property,<ref>[[Ebenezer Prout|Prout, Ebenezer]] (1889). ''Harmony: Its Theory and Practice'', pp. 15, 74, London, Augener.</ref> such as the [[Dorian mode]] or the [[Pentatonic Scale#Minor pentatonic scale|minor pentatonic scale]] (see [[#Other minor scales|other minor scales]] below).

[[File:Major Scale & Minor Scale's Intervals.svg|thumb]]