Modes of Melodic Minor
Jazz melodic minor is a major scale with a minor third: 1-2-flat 3-4-5-6-7. Starting that collection from each degree creates seven modes. Learn their formulas and the seventh chord each one supports, then focus on Lydian dominant and altered.
- 7 modes
- one parent collection
- match each mode to a chord
which styles use them
- Jazz
- Fusion
- Big band
- Neo-soul
- Film music
Which melodic minor does this page use?
Classical melodic minor often raises degrees 6 and 7 ascending and lowers them descending.
Jazz melodic minor keeps the raised sixth and seventh in both directions.
C jazz melodic minor is:
C-D-E flat-F-G-A-B-C
The modes below rotate this fixed seven-note collection.
What are the seven modes?
From each degree of melodic minor:
1. Melodic minor: 1-2-flat 3-4-5-6-7
2. Dorian flat 2: 1-flat 2-flat 3-4-5-6-flat 7
3. Lydian augmented: 1-2-3-sharp 4-sharp 5-6-7
4. Lydian dominant: 1-2-3-sharp 4-5-6-flat 7
5. Mixolydian flat 6: 1-2-3-4-5-flat 6-flat 7
6. Locrian natural 2: 1-2-flat 3-4-flat 5-flat 6-flat 7
7. Altered: 1-flat 2-flat 3-flat 4-flat 5-flat 6-flat 7
The altered mode's scale spelling is often respelled as dominant chord tensions for practical use.
Which seventh chords belong to them?
Using C melodic minor:
- C melodic minor: CmMaj7
- D Dorian flat 2: Dm7
- E-flat Lydian augmented: E-flatmaj7 sharp 5
- F Lydian dominant: F7
- G Mixolydian flat 6: G7
- A Locrian natural 2: Am7 flat 5
- B altered: Bm7 flat 5 when stacked diatonically
For improvisation, mode names often emphasize available tensions as much as the literal diatonic seventh chord.
What is Lydian dominant?
Lydian dominant is mode 4. It combines a major third and minor seventh with sharp 4.
C Lydian dominant is:
C-D-E-F sharp-G-A-B flat
It fits C7 sharp 11. E and B flat define the dominant seventh; F sharp supplies sharp 11.
Use it when a dominant chord has a stable sharp 11 color, often on non-resolving dominants or tritone-substitution contexts.
What is the altered scale?
The altered scale is mode 7 of melodic minor.
C altered comes from D-flat melodic minor:
C-D flat-E flat-F flat-G flat-A flat-B flat
For C7, respell F flat as E, E flat as D sharp when it functions as sharp 9, and view the collection as:
root, flat 9, sharp 9, 3, flat 5 or sharp 11, flat 13, flat 7
It contains both guide tones of C7 and all common altered dominant tensions.
Which chord uses the altered scale?
Use C altered over C7alt or a C7 chord marked with combinations such as flat 9, sharp 9, flat 5 or sharp 5.
The scale commonly resolves to F major or F minor because C7 functions as V of F.
Track each altered tone into the next chord. D flat can resolve to C, D sharp to E, G flat to F and A flat to G.
What do the other modes support?
Dorian flat 2 can support minor harmony with flat 9 and natural 13.
Lydian augmented supports major-seventh sharp-5 chords. Mixolydian flat 6 supports dominant chords with flat 13.
Locrian natural 2 supports half-diminished harmony while avoiding the flat 2 of ordinary Locrian.
Use the exact chord symbol and progression to decide whether these collections fit.
Are these modes substitutions for chord tones?
No. Begin with the chord's root, third, fifth or altered fifth, and seventh.
The mode supplies available passing notes and extensions. A scale cannot correct a line that ignores the chord change.
Land on guide tones at structural points and use characteristic notes where their tension is audible and intentional.
How should you practice them?
Play C melodic minor and number its degrees.
Start the same notes from F over F7 sharp 11 to hear Lydian dominant. Start from B over B7alt only after switching to C melodic minor as the parent of B altered.
For a simpler transposition, play C altered from D-flat melodic minor over C7alt, then resolve every altered tone into Fm.