Writing in minor and with the pentatonic scale – free course

So far you have written in C major. Changing scale means changing colour, like a painter moving from bright watercolour to charcoal. The minor mode brings melancholy, mystery or gravity; the pentatonic scale, with its five notes and no semitones, sounds open, ancient, folk-like. Two essential palettes for any composer.

1. The three faces of the minor

A minor is the relative of C major: same notes, but centred on A. This natural minor scale has one flaw for the composer: its 7th degree (G) is a whole tone below A, so it has no real leading note. Hence the harmonic minor, which raises G to G♯.

M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=100
K:Am
"^natural"A, B, C D E F G A | "^harmonic"A, B, C D E F ^G A |]

In practice: use G♯ whenever the harmony is on the dominant chord (E major, or E7) and whenever the melody rises to A. Use G natural in descending lines and over G or C chords.

2. A period in A minor

Here is a little melancholy eight-bar waltz. The question hangs on B (E chord, half cadence); the answer climbs to high A (the climax), then the leading note G♯ rises to the final A.

M:3/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=108
K:Am
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] "Am"e2 c | "Dm"d2 f | "Am"e c A | "E"B3 | "Am"e2 c | "Dm"d f a | "E"B e ^G | "Am"A3 |]
[V:LH] [A,,E,]3 | [D,A,]3 | [A,,E,]3 | [E,B,]3 | [A,,E,]3 | [D,A,]3 | [E,B,]3 | [A,,E,]3 |]

Notice the E major chord (not E minor) in bars 4 and 7: the G♯ is what turns it into a real dominant, able to "lead back" to A minor.

3. The augmented second and the melodic minor

The harmonic minor contains a strange interval between F and G♯: an augmented second (a tone and a half). It has a strongly "oriental" flavour. Unless you want that colour, avoid it in melodies: when rising, raise F as well (the melodic minor: E–F♯–G♯–A).

M:4/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=80
K:Am
"^augmented second"F ^G A2 | "^melodic minor"E ^F ^G A |]

Common mistakes in minor:

Forgetting the G♯ on the dominant: the cadence sounds limp, "modal", with no real conclusion.
Putting G♯ everywhere, even in descending lines or over a C chord: it sounds wrong.
Believing minor = sad and slow: minor can be energetic, dancing, heroic (think of Brahms's Hungarian Dances).

4. The pentatonic scale: five notes, no wrong notes

The C major pentatonic contains C–D–E–G–A: F and B, the two notes that form semitones, are removed. The result: no note "rubs", everything sounds good together. It is the scale of Scottish, Chinese and African folk songs, of blues, pop and many passages of Debussy. On the piano, play only the black keys: that is a pentatonic scale!

M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=88
K:C
"C"c2 A G E2 G A | "Am"c d e2 d c A2 | "Dm7"G A c A G E D2 | "C"E2 D C C4 |]

With no semitones, the pentatonic has no leading note: it concludes gently, without "pulling". That is what gives it its peaceful, floating character.

The A minor pentatonic (A–C–D–E–G) uses the same notes centred on A. It is the foundation of blues and rock.

M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=84
K:Am
"Am"A2 c d e2 d c | "G"d e g e d2 c A | "Am"A8 |]

Tip: the pentatonic scale is perfect for unblocking inspiration. Hold an A minor or C chord in the left hand and improvise in the right hand on the five notes only. Record yourself, then keep the best finds.

Your workshop

In the piano roll, write an eight-bar period in A minor: a question ending on B or E (E major chord), an answer ending on A with G♯ → A.
Left hand: one fifth per bar (A–E, D–A, E–B), as in the example.
Check every G: sharp over the E chord and when rising to A, natural elsewhere. No accidental augmented seconds.
Then write an eight-bar pentatonic melody on C–D–E–G–A, improvising first over the pop backing track in C.
Compare the two pieces: describe the colour of each in three words in your sketchbook.

Self-check: does your minor piece conclude as firmly as a major one? If not, check your G♯ in the penultimate bar.