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Click on the scale name for a diagram and explanation of each scale type:
A-Flat Major Scale | A-Flat Natural Minor Scale | A-Flat Harmonic Minor Scale | A-Flat Melodic Minor Scale | A-Flat Major Pentatonic Scale | A-Flat Minor Pentatonic Scale | A-Flat Major Blues Scale | A-Flat Minor Blues Scale
The A-flat major scale contains seven notes and starts and ends on A♭. Major scales are arranged in a specific pattern of whole and half steps: W-W-H-W-W-W-H.
The A-flat natural minor scale follows the key signature of its relative major: C-flat major. In natural minor scales, there are no additional accidentals.
The relative major key of A-flat minor is C-flat major. Therefore, A-flat minor has seven flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭).
TIP: To find the relative major key, count up three half-steps from the minor key’s root note.
Harmonic minor scales follow the key signature of the relative major key and raise the seventh note of the scale by one half-step.
The relative major key of A-flat minor is C-flat major and the seventh note of A-flat minor is G♭. Therefore, A-flat harmonic minor has seven flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭) but G♭ is raised to G.
In melodic minor scales, we raise the sixth and seventh notes up one half-step when ascending and lower them back down when descending. Melodic minor scales follow the key signature of the scale’s relative major.
The relative major key of A-flat minor is C-flat major. Therefore, A-flat minor has seven flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭) and F♭ and G♭ are the sixth and seventh notes. So, we raise F♭ and G♭ to F and G when ascending the melodic minor scale, and we lower them back to F♭ and G♭ when descending.
The A-flat major pentatonic is a five-note scale built on the following major scale degrees: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6.
The A-flat minor pentatonic scale is a five-note scale built on the following minor scale degrees: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7.
You can also think of the A-flat minor pentatonic as being built on the following major scale degrees: 1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7.
The A-flat major blues scale is built on the following major scale degrees: 1, 2, ♭3, 3, 5, 6.
The A-flat minor blues scale is built on the following minor scale degrees: 1, 3, 4, ♭5, 5, 7.
You can also think of the A-flat minor blues scale as being built on the following major scale degrees: 1, ♭3, 4, ♭5, 5, ♭7.
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