How to Use the Melodic Minor In Jazz

Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

Brent Vaartstra: Jazz Musician, Author, and Entrepreneur

Music Commentary, Jazz, Jazz Improvisation, Jazz Saxophone, Jazz Theory, Jazz Bass, Jazz Piano, Education, Music, Jazz Guitar, Jazz Solo, Jazz Standards, Jazz Trumpet, How To

4.8 • 536 Ratings

🗓️ 3 January 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Brent answers a listener's question asking how to use melodic minor scales over dominant seventh chords in jazz improvisation. Brent explains music theory provides tools to conceptualize improvisation, though the goal is applying scales flexibly to add textures and flavors. He demonstrates three uses of melodic minor scales: over half-diminished II chords in minor key progressions, a half-step up from the root of dominant V chords, and the root of minor I chords. Key takeaw...

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is sponsored by the Learned Jazz Standards Inner Circle.
0:03.8	If your goal is to level up your jazz playing this year and feel confident improvising over
0:08.5	jazz standards, the inner circle has everything you need and more.
0:13.0	With monthly jazz standards studies, a library of powerful courses, and a vibrant community
0:17.3	of like-minded musicians, you're guaranteed to improve your playing every
0:21.7	single month.
0:23.1	Podcast listeners can get 50% off their first month when you go to LJSinnerCircle.com.
0:29.5	That's LJSinnerCircle.com or find the link in the show notes.
0:34.8	Now, on to today's episode.
0:52.3	Music the show notes. Now, on to today's episode. All right, my friends, what's up? Brent here from Learn Jazz Standards. Welcome to another episode of the podcast where I'm answering your jazz questions five days a week to help you learn jazz better, to help you shorten the learning curve and have more fun than ever playing music. Today's question is an amazing music theory question from Mal. Let's take a
1:14.8	listen. Hello there. I'm hoping you might explain how to use melodic minor over dominant seventh harmony.
1:24.6	Thank you. All right. That's a great question. Music theory is one way that we can start
1:30.6	thinking about jazz improvisation, right? It's just one way that we can think about it. And for some,
1:37.1	it's really helpful. For others, it's not as helpful. So I always like to start conversations about
1:42.4	using scales and jazz or using music theory and jazz with that understanding, that theory is just a way to help us understand a concept or organize a concept.
1:53.5	And really, that's what a scale is, especially when we're relating it to a different chord, like a dominant seventh chord.
2:00.3	I'm actually going to do you one better there,
2:02.4	Mal. I'm going to give you three applications of the melodic minor over three different chords.
2:08.0	One of them, of course, including the dominant seventh chord that you're looking for.
2:12.0	Let's talk about a very common core progression in jazz called the minor 251. Let do it in c minor so a two in the key of
2:22.2	c minor would be d minor 7 flat 5 so half diminish this what we call that or minor 7 flat 5 that's always
2:28.2	the two chord in a minor key then we have a 5 chord in this G7. Five chord is always a dominant seventh chord.
	...

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