F# Melodic Minor on the Fretboard

The F# melodic minor scale is built from F#, G#, A, B, C#, D# and E#. The E# is the major 7th, a half step under the root, and you fret it where you would play F.

The root sits on the 2nd fret of the low E string and again on the 9th fret of the A string. The tonic seventh chord is the minor-major F#m(maj7). Gb melodic minor is the flat twin, but the sharp name is far easier to write. For ways to break out of scale-like phrasing, see scale exercise ideas.

Play the F# melodic minor scale

Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.

Notes of the F# melodic minor scale

NoteDegreeIntervalSemitones from root
F#1Root0
G#2Major 2nd2
Ab3Minor 3rd3
B4Perfect 4th5
C#5Perfect 5th7
D#6Major 6th9
E#7Major 7th11

Structure

F# melodic minor scale notes:

F# G# A B C# D# E#

How the melodic minor scale is built:

The melodic minor scale is built from the degrees 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7, which gives the step pattern W-H-W-W-W-W-H (W = whole step, H = half step).

Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11. That makes it a 7-note scale.

It is the parent scale of its own modal family.

It is also known as Jazz Minor.

F# Melodic Minor Scale Guitar Patterns

Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.

F# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - On one string (low E)

On one string (low E)

F# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 1

Box pattern — position 1

F# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 2

Box pattern — position 2

F# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 3

Box pattern — position 3

F# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 4

Box pattern — position 4

F# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 5

Box pattern — position 5

F# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - 3 notes per string — position 1

3 notes per string — position 1

F# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - 3 notes per string — position 2

3 notes per string — position 2

F# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - 3 notes per string — position 3

3 notes per string — position 3

F# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - 3 notes per string — position 4

3 notes per string — position 4

F# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - 3 notes per string — position 5

3 notes per string — position 5

Chords in the F# melodic minor scale

Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.

DegreeTriadSeventh chord
1 F#m F#m(maj7)
2 G#m G#m7
b3 Aaug Amaj7(b13)
4 B B7
5 C# C#7
6 D#dim D#m7(b5)
7 E#dim E#m7(b5)

Related modes

These scales share the same notes as the melodic minor scale, starting from a different degree.

Dorian b2 Scale Lydian Augmented Scale Lydian Dominant Scale Mixolydian b6 Scale Aeolian b5 Scale Super Locrian Scale

The melodic minor scale in other keys

C C# Db D D# Eb E F F# Gb G G# Ab A A# Bb B

All about the melodic minor scale →

Giancarlo Facoetti, founder of FaChords Guitar

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher