Melodic Minor scale · 7 notes
F melodic minor scale on guitar
The F melodic minor scale has 7 notes: F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D and E. A major scale with a ♭3: the jazz musician’s minor scale.
Notes
- F
- G
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- D
- E
Formula
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Steps
W – H – W – W – W – W – H
Sound
Smooth, sophisticated and bittersweet
F melodic minor on the whole fretboard
Every F melodic minor note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, F, is shown in red so you can always find home.
A shape to learn first
You don’t need the whole neck at once. This hand position is anchored on a root note on the 6th (low E) string, which is how most guitarists find a scale in any key.
Root on the 6th (low E) string
F at fret 1. Open position: frets 0–4.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of F melodic minor as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from F, the F melodic minor scale is built from these intervals. It contains 2 flats (A♭ and B♭). Compared with F major, it has A♭ (♭3) instead of A.
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | root | 0 |
| 2 | G | major 2nd | 2 |
| ♭3 | A♭ | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | B♭ | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | C | perfect 5th | 7 |
| 6 | D | major 6th | 9 |
| 7 | E | major 7th | 11 |
Chords in F melodic minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to F melodic minor: any of them will sound at home under a melody in F melodic minor.
- iFmF · A♭ · CFm(maj7)
- iiGmG · B♭ · DGm7
- ♭III+A♭+A♭ · C · EA♭+maj7
- IVB♭B♭ · D · FB♭7
- VCC · E · GC7
- vi°D°D · F · A♭Dm7♭5
- vii°E°E · G · B♭Em7♭5
Progressions to try
- Fm – B♭ i–IV · minor with a major IV
- Gm – C – Fm ii–V–i
- Fm – C i–V
How to use F melodic minor
Reach for it over minor 6th and minor(maj7) chords, jazz, fusion and modern film music. Its sound is smooth, sophisticated and bittersweet.
Tip: Think of it as the major scale with one note changed. C melodic minor is C major with E♭ instead of E.
Where to find F on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every F between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with F |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 1 |
| B (2nd) | 6 |
| G (3rd) | 10 |
| D (4th) | 3 |
| A (5th) | 8 |
| Low E (6th) | 1 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as F melodic minor. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
F melodic minor scale FAQ
What notes are in the F melodic minor scale?
The F melodic minor scale has 7 notes: F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D and E. Its formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7. It contains 2 flats (A♭ and B♭).
What chords are in F melodic minor?
Harmonising the F melodic minor scale in thirds gives Fm (i), Gm (ii), A♭+ (♭III+), B♭ (IV), C (V), D° (vi°) and E° (vii°).
Where do you play the F melodic minor scale on guitar?
The root, F, is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 0–4, starting from the root on the 6th string.