Lecture 05
Minor Scales and Modes
Colour, mood, and character
Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, learners will be able to: (1) build natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales; (2) describe how minor tonality changes the mood of a melody; (3) identify the three minor forms in short listening examples.
Lesson Discussion
Learners already know that major sounds bright; this lesson shows them how the other colours are made. We build minor scales from the same pattern with a lowered third, then compare the three forms side by side. Listening comes first: a folk song, a film theme, and a hymn in minor, with learners describing what each one makes them feel before we explain why. The lesson ends with learners reshaping a major melody into minor and hearing the difference.
Instructional Materials
Slide deck · Three-forms comparison chart · Listening examples · Melody-reshaping worksheet · Keyboard or piano app for demonstration