Harmonic Minor vs Melodic Minor on Bass
The C harmonic minor and the C melodic minor share 6 notes — C, D, Eb, F, G, B. From there, the C harmonic minor adds Ab, while the C melodic minor adds A.
Bass · 4-string, tuned low to high: E, A, D, G. 24 frets.
- E string: fret 1 F (4 of C Harmonic Minor and 4 of C Melodic Minor), fret 3 G (5 of C Harmonic Minor and 5 of C Melodic Minor), fret 4 Ab (flat 6), fret 5 A (6), fret 7 B (7 of C Harmonic Minor and 7 of C Melodic Minor), fret 8 C (root of C Harmonic Minor and root of C Melodic Minor), fret 10 D (2 of C Harmonic Minor and 2 of C Melodic Minor), fret 11 Eb (flat 3 of C Harmonic Minor and flat 3 of C Melodic Minor), fret 13 F (4 of C Harmonic Minor and 4 of C Melodic Minor), fret 15 G (5 of C Harmonic Minor and 5 of C Melodic Minor), fret 16 Ab (flat 6), fret 17 A (6), fret 19 B (7 of C Harmonic Minor and 7 of C Melodic Minor), fret 20 C (root of C Harmonic Minor and root of C Melodic Minor), fret 22 D (2 of C Harmonic Minor and 2 of C Melodic Minor), fret 23 Eb (flat 3 of C Harmonic Minor and flat 3 of C Melodic Minor).
- A string: fret 0 A (6), fret 2 B (7 of C Harmonic Minor and 7 of C Melodic Minor), fret 3 C (root of C Harmonic Minor and root of C Melodic Minor), fret 5 D (2 of C Harmonic Minor and 2 of C Melodic Minor), fret 6 Eb (flat 3 of C Harmonic Minor and flat 3 of C Melodic Minor), fret 8 F (4 of C Harmonic Minor and 4 of C Melodic Minor), fret 10 G (5 of C Harmonic Minor and 5 of C Melodic Minor), fret 11 Ab (flat 6), fret 12 A (6), fret 14 B (7 of C Harmonic Minor and 7 of C Melodic Minor), fret 15 C (root of C Harmonic Minor and root of C Melodic Minor), fret 17 D (2 of C Harmonic Minor and 2 of C Melodic Minor), fret 18 Eb (flat 3 of C Harmonic Minor and flat 3 of C Melodic Minor), fret 20 F (4 of C Harmonic Minor and 4 of C Melodic Minor), fret 22 G (5 of C Harmonic Minor and 5 of C Melodic Minor), fret 23 Ab (flat 6), fret 24 A (6).
- D string: fret 0 D (2 of C Harmonic Minor and 2 of C Melodic Minor), fret 1 Eb (flat 3 of C Harmonic Minor and flat 3 of C Melodic Minor), fret 3 F (4 of C Harmonic Minor and 4 of C Melodic Minor), fret 5 G (5 of C Harmonic Minor and 5 of C Melodic Minor), fret 6 Ab (flat 6), fret 7 A (6), fret 9 B (7 of C Harmonic Minor and 7 of C Melodic Minor), fret 10 C (root of C Harmonic Minor and root of C Melodic Minor), fret 12 D (2 of C Harmonic Minor and 2 of C Melodic Minor), fret 13 Eb (flat 3 of C Harmonic Minor and flat 3 of C Melodic Minor), fret 15 F (4 of C Harmonic Minor and 4 of C Melodic Minor), fret 17 G (5 of C Harmonic Minor and 5 of C Melodic Minor), fret 18 Ab (flat 6), fret 19 A (6), fret 21 B (7 of C Harmonic Minor and 7 of C Melodic Minor), fret 22 C (root of C Harmonic Minor and root of C Melodic Minor), fret 24 D (2 of C Harmonic Minor and 2 of C Melodic Minor).
- G string: fret 0 G (5 of C Harmonic Minor and 5 of C Melodic Minor), fret 1 Ab (flat 6), fret 2 A (6), fret 4 B (7 of C Harmonic Minor and 7 of C Melodic Minor), fret 5 C (root of C Harmonic Minor and root of C Melodic Minor), fret 7 D (2 of C Harmonic Minor and 2 of C Melodic Minor), fret 8 Eb (flat 3 of C Harmonic Minor and flat 3 of C Melodic Minor), fret 10 F (4 of C Harmonic Minor and 4 of C Melodic Minor), fret 12 G (5 of C Harmonic Minor and 5 of C Melodic Minor), fret 13 Ab (flat 6), fret 14 A (6), fret 16 B (7 of C Harmonic Minor and 7 of C Melodic Minor), fret 17 C (root of C Harmonic Minor and root of C Melodic Minor), fret 19 D (2 of C Harmonic Minor and 2 of C Melodic Minor), fret 20 Eb (flat 3 of C Harmonic Minor and flat 3 of C Melodic Minor), fret 22 F (4 of C Harmonic Minor and 4 of C Melodic Minor), fret 24 G (5 of C Harmonic Minor and 5 of C Melodic Minor).
Swipe the chart sideways to see all of it.
Both scales above are drawn on one bass fretboard in the key of C. Notes belonging to both are drawn as a split two-color dot, so the notes they share and the notes unique to each are visible in one picture.
How the formulas differ
Scale degrees are the key-independent way to compare two scales — these stay the same in every key, and they are what actually distinguishes one scale from another.
| Scale | Degrees |
|---|---|
| Harmonic Minor | R · 2 · b3 · 4 · 5 · b6 · 7 |
| Melodic Minor | R · 2 · b3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 |
Notes in common
| Note | In Harmonic Minor | In Melodic Minor |
|---|---|---|
| C | R | R |
| D | 2 | 2 |
| Eb | b3 | b3 |
| F | 4 | 4 |
| G | 5 | 5 |
| B | 7 | 7 |
Notes that differ
- Only in the harmonic minor: Ab (b6)
- Only in the melodic minor: A (6)