Molliasteikko

Molliasteikko, or the minor scale, is a diatonic scale used in Western music. It describes a family of scales with a darker or sadder character than the major scale, and is typically explained through three related forms: natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor.

The natural minor scale follows the interval pattern whole-half-whole-whole-half-whole-whole (W-H-W-W-H-W-W). Its notes share a key signature with the corresponding relative major key, and the tonic of the minor key is the third degree of the major key. For example, A minor is the relative minor of C major and, in its natural form, has no sharps or flats.

Harmonic minor raises the seventh degree by a semitone, creating a leading tone to the tonic and producing a distinctive interval between the sixth and seventh degrees. Melodic minor raises both the sixth and seventh degrees when ascending, while descending often reverts to the natural minor form. For C minor, natural minor is C D Eb F G Ab Bb C; harmonic minor is C D Eb F G Ab B C; ascending melodic minor is C D Eb F G A B C, and descending melodic minor commonly returns to C Bb Ab G F Eb D C.

Usage: Molliasteikko provides the tonal basis for minor keys and shapes melody and harmony across classical, folk, and popular music. Its different forms allow flexible melodic direction, cadences, and emotional color, with the harmonic form frequently used to strengthen V–i cadences in minor keys.