Minor scales have a dark and mysterious sound that is used to create tension and emotion in music. They’re essential scales to learn for composers and musicians, but they can be a bit confusing as there are three different types.
In this post, we’re going to be exploring the natural, melodic, and harmonic forms of C minor scale. So, if you’re ready to dive into the key of C minor, let’s get started!
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Table of Contents
C Natural Minor Scale
The first form of C minor that we will look at is the natural minor scale.
It’s made up of seven notes starting on C (which is known as the keynote). It then follows the natural minor scale formula of whole and half steps.
This gives us the notes: C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
As you can see, it has three flat notes: Bb, Eb and Ab
C Natural Minor Scale in the Treble Clef
Here are all the notes of C natural minor scale in the treble clef, ascending and descending.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (1) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (1)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/C-Natural-Minor-Scale-Treble-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (2) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (2)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Natural-Minor-Scale-Treble-Clef-Descending.png)
C Natural Minor Scale in the Bass Clef
Next up, we have C natural minor scale in the bass clef, ascending and descending.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (3) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (3)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Natural-Minor-Scale-Bass-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (4) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (4)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Natural-Minor-Scale-Bass-Clef-Descending.png)
C Natural Minor Scale in the Alto Clef
The least common of all the clefs, here we have C natural minor scale in the Alto clef, ascending and descending.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (5) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (5)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Natural-Minor-Scale-Alto-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (6) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (6)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Natural-Minor-Scale-Alto-Clef-Descending.png)
C Natural Minor Scale in the Tenor Clef
And finally, here are all the notes of C natural minor scale in the tenor clef, ascending and descending.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (7) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (7)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Natural-Minor-Scale-Tenor-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (8) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (8)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Natural-Minor-Scale-Tenor-Clef-Descending.png)
Natural Minor Scale Formula
The natural minor scale, like every other type of scale, is constructed by using a certain combination of intervals between each note.
The formula, using whole steps and half steps, is:
Whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step.
This is abbreviated toW W H W W W H.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (9) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (9)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Natural-Minor-Scale-Treble-Clef-Ascending-With-Whole-and-Half-Steps.png)
Using the British terminology of tones and semitones, this would be:
Tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone.
Which gets abbreviated toT S T T S T T.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (10) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (10)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Natural-Minor-Scale-Treble-Clef-Ascending-With-Tones-and-Semitones.png)
C Harmonic Minor Scale
The next form of C minor scale we’ll look at is the C harmonic minor, which is slightly different from the natural minor in that it has a raised 7th note.
So, the notes in C harmonic minor are: C D Eb F G Ab B
Like C natural minor, it also has an Eb and an Ab, but, notice that the seventh note is no longer a Bb but has been raised a half step to B natural.
C Harmonic Minor Scale in the Treble Clef
First, let’s look at C harmonic minor scale in the treble clef, ascending and descending.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (11) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (11)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Harmonic-Minor-Scale-Treble-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (12) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (12)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Harmonic-Minor-Scale-Treble-Clef-Descending.png)
C Harmonic Minor Scale in the Bass Clef
Next, we have C harmonic minor ascending and descending in the bass clef.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (13) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (13)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Harmonic-Minor-Scale-Bass-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (14) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (14)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Harmonic-Minor-Scale-Bass-Clef-Descending.png)
C Harmonic Minor Scale in the Alto Clef
The least common of all the clefs, here we have C harmonic minor ascending and descending in the alto clef.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (15) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (15)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Harmonic-Minor-Scale-Alto-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (16) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (16)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Harmonic-Minor-Scale-Alto-Clef-Descending.png)
C Harmonic Minor Scale in the Tenor Clef
And now we have C harmonic minor in the tenor clef, ascending and descending.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (17) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (17)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Harmonic-Minor-Scale-Tenor-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (18) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (18)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Harmonic-Minor-Scale-Tenor-Clef-Descending.png)
Hamonic Minor Scale Formula
The natural minor scale, like every other type of scale, is constructed by using a certain combination of intervals between each note.
The formula, using whole steps and half steps, is:
Whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, whole and a half step, half step.
This is abbreviated toW H W W H WH H.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (19) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (19)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Harmonic-Minor-Scale-with-Whole-and-Half-Steps.png)
Using the British terminology of tones and semitones, this would be:
Tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone and a semitone, semitone.
Which gets abbreviated toT S T T S TS S.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (20) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (20)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Harmonic-Minor-Scale-with-Tones-and-Semitones.png)
C Melodic Minor Scale
And the last type of minor scale we’ll look at is C melodic minor scale. This one is a bit different from the others, though.
When it’s ascending, it’s different from the natural in that its 6th and 7th notes are raised.
This gives us the notes: C D Eb F G A B
But, when descending, the 6th and 7th notes are flattened.
This means that it’s the same as the natural minor scale when descending, giving us the notes: Bb Ab G F Eb D C
C Melodic Minor Scale in the Treble Clef
Let’s take a look at C melodic minor scale in the treble clef, ascending and descending.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (21) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (21)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Melodic-Minor-Scale-Treble-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (22) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (22)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Melodic-Minor-Scale-Classical-Treble-Clef-Descending.png)
C Melodic Minor Scale in the Bass Clef
Next up, let’s take a look at C melodic minor scale ascending and descending in the bass clef.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (23) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (23)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Melodic-Minor-Scale-Bass-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (24) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (24)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Melodic-Minor-Scale-Bass-Clef-Descending.png)
C Melodic Minor Scale in the Alto Clef
Now we have C melodic minor scale in the alto clef, ascending and descending.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (25) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (25)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Melodic-Minor-Scale-Alto-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (26) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (26)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Melodic-Minor-Scale-Alto-Clef-Descending.png)
C Melodic Minor Scale in the Tenor Clef
And here’s C melodic minor scale in the tenor clef, ascending and descending.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (27) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (27)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Melodic-Minor-Scale-Tenor-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (28) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (28)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Melodic-Minor-Scale-Tenor-Clef-Descending.png)
What is the Key Signature of C Minor?
To make playing in a certain key easier for the musician to read, we can use a key signature.
This helps us know to play certain notes sharp or flat without having to read an accidental each time.
C minor has the same key signature as Eb major, which has three flats in its key signature: Bb, Eb and Ab
Here’s the key signature for C minor in the treble, alto, tenor, and bass clefs.
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (29) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (29)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/C-Minor-Key-Signature-All-Clefs.png)
What is the Relative Major Scale of C Minor?
Every minor scale has a relative major scale, and every major one has a relative minor one. But what is the relative major scale of C minor?
The relative major scale of C minor is Eb major.
Here is Eb major scale, which uses all the same notes as C natural minor but starts on Eb, which is its keynote: Eb F G Ab Bb C D
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (30) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (30)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/E-Flat-Major-Scale-Treble-Clef-Ascending.png)
![C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (31) C Minor Scale: Natural, Harmonic And Melodic (31)](https://i0.wp.com/hellomusictheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/E-Flat-Major-Scale-Treble-Clef-Descending.png)
But how do we know that Eb major is the relative major scale of C minor?
Well, to work out the relative major key of a minor one, all we have to do is go up three half steps (semitones).
So from C, we go up one half step to Db, a second half step to D, and a third half step to Eb: C > Db > D> Eb
To learn more about the relative major of C minor, see our guide to E-Flat major scale here.
Conclusion
That’s it for our guide to the scale of C minor! We hope it helped make a bit more sense of everything.
Feel free to use this post as a reference and let us know if you have any other questions.
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