C melodic minor scale

1 flat: E♭ · pattern W–H–W–W–W–W–H

C – D – E♭ – F – G – A – B

Step patternWHWWWWH

Chords in C melodic minor

iCm

iiDm

III+E♭aug

IVF

vi°Adim

vii°Bdim

Scale degrees

Degree	Note	Name	Half steps from C
1	C	Tonic	0
2	D	Supertonic	2
3	E♭	Mediant	3
4	F	Subdominant	5
5	G	Dominant	7
6	A	Submediant	9
7	B	Leading tone	11

About this scale

Melodic minor raises the 6th and 7th (A and B) to smooth out the leap in harmonic minor. Classical players use it ascending and return to natural minor descending; in jazz it’s used both ways and is the source of many modern chord colours.

Seventh chords in C melodic minor scale

i(maj7) Cm(maj7)ii7 Dm7III+7 E♭maj7♯5IV7 F7V7 G7viø7 Am7♭5viiø7 Bm7♭5

Other C scales

C major C natural minor C harmonic minor C major pentatonic C minor pentatonic C blues C Dorian C Mixolydian

Melodic minor scale in other keys

C♯D E♭E F F♯G A♭A B♭B

Questions

What are the notes of the C melodic minor scale?

C, D, E♭, F, G, A, B, and back to C.

How many sharps or flats are in C melodic minor scale?

1: E♭.

What is the step pattern of the melodic minor scale?

W–H–W–W–W–W–H, where W is a whole step (two keys) and H is a half step (the next key). Start that pattern on C to get this scale.