Harmonic minor

Michael J. Crutcher ( rodseth@wco.com )
Wed, 5 Mar 97 23:46:39 -0800

Now that I've praised Mark Levine's books, and joined in his enthusiasm
for melodic minor harmony, I wanted to mention that I've always been a
bit puzzled that he completely omitted (I think) mention of the harmonic
minor scale from his first book, even though a single harmonic minor
scale can be a common thread through a minor ii-V-i progression (iim7b5,
V7b9, Im(maj) ), as opposed to using a separate melodic minor scale on
each chord.

I actually asked him about this at a seminar once, and he pointed out all
the "avoid notes" in the harmonic minor version, drawing laughs from the
audience. I though he was a bit condescending about it, but I got over
it. He stresses how much prettier the iim7b5 chord is with a natural
ninth, though I think he exaggerates this.

On a tune like "Morning of the Carnaval", noodling over the changes using
the harmonic minor
seems utterly appropriate, and is easier for a beginner than shifting
gears to a different melodic minor "key" on each chord.

Any comments?

Richard