A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) Scale on Guitar — 2 Shapes to Play the Whole Neck
A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) is a mode of the melodic minor (jazz minor) scale, a favorite in jazz and fusion improvisation — its notes are A B C D E F# G#, from the formula 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7. This exact root/scale pairing computes to 2 repeating shapes on the neck.
A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) Scale Notes
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1 |
| 2 | B | 2 |
| 3 | C | b3 |
| 4 | D | 4 |
| 5 | E | 5 |
| 6 | F# | 6 |
| 7 | G# | 7 |
A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) Formula
Degree formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7
Whole – Half – Whole – Whole – Whole – Whole – Half
A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) on the Guitar Fretboard
The notes of Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) repeat across the guitar fretboard in connected positions. Use the shape below to identify root notes, scale degrees, and neighboring shapes.
- Frets 4–14 (span 10 frets)
- Lowest note G#, highest note F#
- 3 A root notes, on the E string (fret 5), D string (fret 7), B string (fret 10)
How to practice this shape
- Start on the root — A at fret 5 on the E string. Play up to the highest note in the shape, then back down, staying inside frets 4–14.
- Your hand shifts 5 times as you cross strings: E→A (+1), A→D (+1), D→G (+1), G→B (+2), B→E (+1). Those crossings — not the notes — are what this position is really asking you to learn.
- Once it feels automatic, move on to the next of the 2 shapes — together they cover the whole neck, and the same pattern repeats from there.
What Gives A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) Its Sound?
The characteristic sound of A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) comes from its minor 3rd, major 6th, and major 7th.
Diatonic chords
These are the 7 chords built from A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending)'s own notes — the ones that will sound like they belong when you're writing a progression, backing a melody, or jamming in this key. The Roman numeral shows each chord's role in the key: capital for major, lowercase for minor, ° for diminished, + for augmented. Not every scale produces a clean chord on every degree — where that happens, we show it honestly instead of forcing a name that doesn't fit.
A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) vs A Natural Minor (Aeolian)
A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) and A Natural Minor (Aeolian) differ on 2 degrees: the 6th (6 vs b6), the 7th (7 vs b7).
Modes of the A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending)
- 1. A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending)
- 2. B Dorian ♭2
- 3. C Lydian Augmented
- 4. D Lydian Dominant
- 5. E Mixolydian ♭6
- 6. F# Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished)
- 7. G# Altered Scale (Super Locrian)
A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) FAQ
A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) contains the notes A, B, C, D, E, F#, G#.
A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) raises both the 6th and 7th degrees of natural minor by a semitone, removing the augmented-second gap that harmonic minor has.
The diatonic chords in A Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending) are Am, Bm, Caug, D, E, F#dim, G#dim.