Melodic Minor

A chord is an unfinished scale. A triad gives you three notes; a scale needs seven. So the four notes you add are up to you — and that is where every scale comes from. In this lesson I build scales the unconventional way: not tone–tone–semitone, not from the modes, but from chords. One chord leaves four notes open to your imagination — D major alone gives you D major, D mixolydian, D lydian, D harmonic major, and it is also the dominant of G harmonic minor and G melodic minor. Two chords narrow it down to one or two notes: D major with G major gives you D major, D mixolydian, or G harmonic major if you make G the tonic; D major with G minor gives you the harmonic minors, melodic minors and harmonic majors; D major with B♭ major fits only one scale, and it is a beautiful one. Three chords and the scale is decided — D, G and B minor live in D major and in G major at the same time, and the functions simply swap. That is how chord charts work. You read chords and you interpret scales. You are not locked to a key signature — you let the chord, or the cadence, or the trio, dictate the scale. ✏️ Correction (05:45): I call the G minor triad “the fifth, or the dominant, of D Phrygian”. G is the FOURTH degree of D Phrygian (D E♭ F G A B♭ C) — the fifth is A — so G minor is the subdominant, the iv, of that scale. The very next sentence has it right: start from the chord and choose tonic, dominant or subdominant. Thanks to @aaditmodi1 for catching it. 📥 STUDY GUIDE + APP 🌳 CHORD TREES Pick a key and a scale and see every chord born from it — free in the browser: https://chord-trees.nathanielschool.com ▶️ WATCH NEXT Form ANY Scale in Music From 3 Perspectives: https://youtu.be/gunrSlNNiJU Major-Esque Scales You NEED To Know (Part 2): https://youtu.be/9aKo3JsXkMo Minor-Esque Scales Decoded (Part 3): https://youtu.be/_DbME-fKHiI Practice Every Scale on Piano Using Major-Minor Chord Pairs: https://youtu.be/kak4hvdjsY0 Play the Modes on Piano Using Just ONE Chord: https://youtu.be/GV3fAe9782o 🎹 LEARN WITH US Live online lessons, Bangalore centres and the Everything For Life bundle: https://nathanielschool.com 🛠 FREE PRACTICE TOOLS 25+ free browser tools for rhythm, chords, inversions, notation and ear training: https://apps.nathanielschool.com Chord Trees — every chord that fits any note: https://chord-trees.nathanielschool.com ⏱ CHAPTERS 00:00 - Performance 00:17 - Introduction: Building Scales Through Chords 🎹 00:44 - Six Major and Minor Triads Containing D 01:03 - A Triad as an Unfinished Scale 01:21 - How Two Chords Narrow the Choices 01:39 - How Three Chords Define a Scale 01:52 - Reading Chord Charts as Scale Information 02:20 - Letting Harmony Dictate the Scale 02:48 - Practice Setup at the Keyboard 03:18 - The D Chord Tree Explained 04:04 - Scales Supported by D Major 04:15 - D Major as Tonic or Dominant 04:25 - G Harmonic Minor and G Melodic Minor 05:20 - Exploring the G Minor Triad 06:00 - Dominant, Tonic and Subdominant Functions 06:27 - Bb Major Scale Possibilities 07:08 - Combining D Major and G Major 07:27 - Finding the Two Missing Notes 07:40 - D Major, D Mixolydian and Harmonic Major 08:30 - G Harmonic Major from Reinterpreted Chords 09:13 - Combining D Major and G Minor 09:28 - D7 Resolving to G Minor 10:00 - Unusual Two-Chord Scale Combinations 11:38 - D Major, G Major and B Minor 11:54 - Changing Functions in D Major and G Major 12:55 - D Minor, G Minor and Bb Major 13:35 - D Harmonic Minor or Natural Minor? 14:09 - Applying the Method to Improvisation and Composition 💛 SUPPORT THESE FREE LESSONS PayPal: https://paypal.me/jasonzac?locale.x=en_GB&country.x=IN UPI: jasonzac-1@okhdfcbank (Jason Zac) 📩 TALK TO US WhatsApp: https://wa.me/917760456847 Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonzac · https://instagram.com/nathanielschool #ChordScales #PianoScales #MusicTheory

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Learn old-school ear training by singing intervals first and checking on piano. Build real relative pitch across major, minor & modal scales. Most musicians practise ear training the wrong way — by playing along with the piano or guitar while singing. That's mimicking, not hearing. In this lesson, Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music shares the old-school approach: sing the note FIRST, then play your instrument only to check the answer. We begin by getting Sa wired into your system using a G drone or tanpura, then work through the full major scale using Indian swaras (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni). You can also use movable-DO solfège or simple syllables like la-la or na-na — whatever keeps your brain untangled. From there we expand into Mixolydian, Dorian, natural minor, harmonic minor and melodic minor — each built by altering just a few intervals from the major scale. You'll practise singing close intervals first (Sa-Re-Sa), then widen the gap step by step (Sa-Ga-Sa, Sa-Ma-Sa, Sa-Pa-Sa) both above and below the tonic. This builds true relative pitch — the ability to hear how one note relates to another, the foundation of every melody. This isn't just an ear training drill. It's a 3D workout combining ear, theory and technique — because if you sing the right note but press the wrong key, you've still got work to do. Take breaks, stay hydrated, and try the exercise in different keys (find your preferred vocal key!). Once the order is comfortable, jumble the intervals to make it more musical and creative. If you'd like more singing-based ear training, sight singing or relative pitch lessons, drop a comment and let us know. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on the bell for new lessons every week. 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) - https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🏡 Visit our Channel for more Tutorials & Performances - https://geni.us/NathanielYouTube ============================= ▶️ Related Videos & Playlists 🎬 21 Modes: Major, Melodic & Harmonic Minor - https://youtu.be/-H3Mog6KUdw 🎯 Relative & Parallel Minor Scales - https://youtu.be/tlq5Y00jbyg 🔑 Ear Training: Singing All Intervals - https://youtu.be/hz4HMAFATTU 💡 Major Scale & Intervals: Theory + Notation - https://youtu.be/hh0nb1FJ_A0 📂 Minor Scales - Theory, Exercises & Compositions - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT_8KkjOUBofqzyhbgGkROE- ============================= 🎓 Learn Music With Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac: https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) categorised by skill level, topic & genre all in one place: https://free-music-lessons.nathanielschool.com ⏳ Chapter markers 00:00 - Performance 00:59 - Welcome & Lesson Overview 🎤 01:29 - Why Playing Along Isn’t Real Ear Training 01:39 - Can You Sing a Note Without Your Instrument? 01:51 - Old-School Ear Training Explained 03:16 - Step 1: Getting Sa Into Your System 03:25 - Setting Up the G Drone or Tanpura 03:41 - Singing the Major Scale 🎶 04:34 - Switching to Mixolydian Mode 05:00 - Natural Minor Scale Singing 05:11 - Harmonic Minor & the Augmented 2nd 05:29 - Melodic Minor (Jazz Version) 06:04 - Rules of the Workout 06:16 - Why It’s Theory + Ear + Technique 06:47 - Swaras vs Solfège vs La-La Method 07:54 - What to Do When You’re Stuck on a Note 08:15 - Step 2: Singing Closest Interval First 08:36 - Sa-Re-Sa: The 2nd 08:45 - Sa-Ga-Sa: The 3rd 08:49 - Sa-Ma-Sa: The 4th 09:01 - Sa-Pa-Sa: The 5th 09:06 - Sa-Dha-Sa: The 6th 09:18 - Sa-Ni-Sa: The 7th 09:23 - Sa-Sa: The Octave Jump 09:32 - Descending the Major Scale 10:11 - Step 3: Going Below the Tonic ⬇️ 11:47 - Step 4: Mixolydian Variations 12:35 - Minor Scale Interval Drills 13:06 - Dorian vs Natural Minor Comparison 13:33 - Harmonic Minor Drill 14:02 - Melodic Minor Drill 14:13 - Jumbling the Notes for Real Practice 14:34 - Building Musicality & Composition 14:54 - Tips for Vocalists 15:00 - Relative Pitch vs Perfect Pitch 15:18 - Practising in Different Keys 15:25 - Find Your Preferred Vocal Key 15:40 - Closing Thoughts & Cheers 🎵 💰 Donate on PayPal: https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 +917760456847 (Mobile & WhatsApp) 📧 Customised & Private Classes: music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music: https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #EarTraining #RelativePitch #SightSinging

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Learn all 21 modes of the Major, Melodic Minor and Harmonic Minor scales — how they're built, how they sound, and the chords that bring out each mood. Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music teaches all 21 modes across the Major, Melodic Minor (Jazz) and Harmonic Minor scales, studying how each mode is built, how it sounds, and which chords bring out its character. You'll cover the 7 modes of the major scale (Ionian to Locrian), the 7 modes of the melodic minor (jazz) scale, and the 7 modes of the harmonic minor scale, plus how to harmonise each mode with matching chords. Practise these ideas across different keys like G and F, and discover the purpose behind every mode — from bright Lydian to exotic Phrygian Dominant. 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 00:00 - Introduction 01:39 - Modes of Major Sale 02:29 - How to look at Modes 03:42 - Major Scale - G Ionian (1st degree) 03:59 - Major Scale - A Dorian (2nd degree) 06:29 - Major Scale - B Phrygian (3rd degree) 07:35 - Major Scale - C Lydian (4th degree) 08:29 - Major Scale - D Mixolydian (5th degree) 09:54 - Major Scale - E Aeolian (6th degree) 10:30 - Major Scale - F♯ Locrian (7th degree) 11:20 - G Melodic Minor (1st Degree) 12:23 - Melodic Minor - A Dorian ♭2 (2nd Degree) 13:17 - Melodic Minor - Bb Lydian Augmented (3rd Degree) 15:19 - Melodic Minor - C Lydian Dominant (4th Degree) 17:31 - Melodic Minor - D Mixolydian ♭6 (5th Degree) 18:08 - Melodic Minor - E Locian (♮2) (6th Degree) 18:54 - Melodic Minor - F♯ Altered Dominant (7th Degree) Melodic Minor - F♯ Altered Dominant (7th Degree) 20:38 - G Harmonic Minor (1st Degree) 21:20 - A Locrian (♮6) 21:41 - B♭ Ionian (♯5) 22:11 - C Dorian (♯4) 22:58 - D Phrygian Dominant 24:00 - E♭ Lydian (♯2) 24:20 - F♯ Super Locrian (𝄫7) 25:03 - Conclusion ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) ➡️ https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🎹 Piano Courses & Private Lessons ➡️ https://piano.nathanielschool.com ============================= ▶️ Related Lessons & Playlists 🎵 Music Theory lessons ➡️ https://geni.us/PianoTheory 👂 Ear Training lessons ➡️ https://geni.us/EarTraining 🎹 All our lessons on Chord Inversions (Playlist) ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9ygtrGwGFmfyvMyGWH52EC ============================= 🎓 Learn Music with Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac ➡️ https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) by skill level, topic & genre ➡️ https://learning-portal.nathanielschool.com ============================= 💰 Donate on PayPal ➡️ https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 📸 Instagram ➡️ https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 +91 77604 56847 (Mobile & WhatsApp) 📧 Customised & Private Classes ➡️ music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music ➡️ https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #ModesExplained #MelodicMinor #HarmonicMinor

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Learn all about the dominant 7th chord and how it works with 5 types of scales. Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music explores the dominant 7th chord and how it pairs with five types of scales, including the pentatonic scales, the half-whole diminished scale, whole tone scales and other exotic scales. You'll also get a glimpse of how the dominant 7th works in both western and eastern music, opening up new colours for improvisation. It's an advanced, ear-opening look at one of music's most versatile chords. 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 00:00 - Performance 00:50 - The Dominant 7th Chord 01:11 - The 5 Types of Scales 03:04 - Bb Dominant 7th Chord 03:54 - Mixolydian Mode 04:57 - Mixolydian b6 06:00 - Lydian Dominant 06:36 - Modes of the Melodic Minor 07:44 - Phrygian Dominant 09:01 - Modes of the Harmonic Minor Scale 09:42 - Altered Dominant or Super Locrian 11:54 - Pentatonic Scales - Major & Minor 13:01 - Blues Scales - Major & Minor 15:20 - Exotic Scales 15:37 - Whole Tone Scale 17:18 - Half-Whole Diminished Scale 19:43 - Melakartha Ragas 22:44 - Carnatic Intervals 24:43 - Western vs Eastern (Indian) Music 26:15 - Conclusion ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) ➡️ https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🎹 Piano Courses & Private Lessons ➡️ https://piano.nathanielschool.com ============================= ▶️ Related Lessons & Playlists 🎵 Music Theory lessons ➡️ https://geni.us/PianoTheory 🎹 All our lessons on Chord Inversions (Playlist) ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9ygtrGwGFmfyvMyGWH52EC 👂 Ear Training lessons ➡️ https://geni.us/EarTraining ============================= 🎓 Learn Music with Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac ➡️ https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) by skill level, topic & genre ➡️ https://learning-portal.nathanielschool.com ============================= 💰 Donate on PayPal ➡️ https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 📸 Instagram ➡️ https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 +91 77604 56847 (Mobile & WhatsApp) 📧 Customised & Private Classes ➡️ music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music ➡️ https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #Dominant7thChord #PianoImprovisation #MusicTheory

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In this lesson you learn how to play your favourite nursery rhymes on all kinds of minor scales. Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music takes familiar nursery rhymes and reimagines them across all kinds of minor scales on the piano. It's a fun, beginner-friendly way to hear how different minor scales change the mood of a tune you already know. 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) ➡️ https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🎹 Piano Courses & Private Lessons ➡️ https://piano.nathanielschool.com ============================= ▶️ Related Lessons & Playlists 🎵 Music Theory lessons ➡️ https://geni.us/PianoTheory 🎹 All our lessons on Chord Inversions (Playlist) ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9ygtrGwGFmfyvMyGWH52EC 👂 Ear Training lessons ➡️ https://geni.us/EarTraining ============================= 🎓 Learn Music with Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac ➡️ https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) by skill level, topic & genre ➡️ https://learning-portal.nathanielschool.com ============================= 💰 Donate on PayPal ➡️ https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 📸 Instagram ➡️ https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 +91 77604 56847 (Mobile & WhatsApp) 📧 Customised & Private Classes ➡️ music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music ➡️ https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #MinorScales #NurseryRhymes #PianoLesson

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