G♯ melodic minor

G♯1A♯2B♭3C♯4D♯5E♯6F𝄪7

Minor third, major sixth and seventh — the ascending form, and the parent of most of the altered sounds below.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are A♭ melodic minor.

on ukulele on piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · G# melodic minor, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

G♯WA♯HBWC♯WD♯WE♯WF𝄪HG♯

What is true of it

G♯ melodic minor is G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯, E♯ and F𝄪, and back to G♯.

Its steps are W – H – W – W – W – W – H, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Written correctly it needs 7 alterations, F𝄪 among them. That is what the letters force, and it is also why nobody writes music in this key: the same notes spelled from the other side are easier to read.

On the same tonic, G♯ major differs from it by exactly one note.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 44 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

C♯major C♯7dominant seventh D♯major D♯augaugmented D♯7dominant seventh G♯mminor A♯mminor A♯m7minor seventh

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 7 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on G♯

G♯ natural minorminor G♯ harmonic minorminor G♯ majormajor G♯ harmonic majormajor G♯ Dorianmode

C mel min C♯ mel min D♭ mel min D mel min D♯ mel min E♭ mel min E mel min F mel min all 374