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F♯ melodic minor scale on bass guitar
F♯ melodic minor contains F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D♯, E♯. Box 1 starts on string 4, fret 2 and spans frets 2–5.
How it is built
Formula 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, 6, 7
How do you play the F♯ melodic minor scale on bass?
F♯ melodic minor in box 1 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 9 notes across 4 strings, from F♯ on the E string at fret 2 up to B on the G string at fret 4. The root falls on the E string at fret 2 and the D string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 2, 4, 5 | F♯, G♯, A |
| 3 (A) | 2, 4 | B, C♯ |
| 2 (D) | 3, 4 | E♯, F♯ |
| 1 (G) | 2, 4 | A, B |
Box 2 · frets 4–7
F♯ melodic minor in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 10 notes across 4 strings, from G♯ on the E string at fret 4 up to C♯ on the G string at fret 6. The root falls on the D string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 4, 5, 7 | G♯, A, B |
| 3 (A) | 4, 6 | C♯, D♯ |
| 2 (D) | 4, 6, 7 | F♯, G♯, A |
| 1 (G) | 4, 6 | B, C♯ |
Box 3 · frets 7–10
F♯ melodic minor in box 3 runs from fret 7 to fret 10, 8 notes across 4 strings, from B on the E string at fret 7 up to E♯ on the G string at fret 10. The root falls on the A string at fret 9.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 7, 9 | B, C♯ |
| 3 (A) | 8, 9 | E♯, F♯ |
| 2 (D) | 7, 9 | A, B |
| 1 (G) | 8, 10 | D♯, E♯ |
Box 4 · frets 9–12
F♯ melodic minor in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 9 notes across 4 strings, from C♯ on the E string at fret 9 up to F♯ on the G string at fret 11. The root falls on the A string at fret 9 and the G string at fret 11.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 9, 11 | C♯, D♯ |
| 3 (A) | 9, 11, 12 | F♯, G♯, A |
| 2 (D) | 9, 11 | B, C♯ |
| 1 (G) | 10, 11 | E♯, F♯ |
Box 5 · frets 11–14
F♯ melodic minor in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 11 notes across 4 strings, from D♯ on the E string at fret 11 up to A on the G string at fret 14. The root falls on the E string at fret 14 and the G string at fret 11.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11, 13, 14 | D♯, E♯, F♯ |
| 3 (A) | 11, 12, 14 | G♯, A, B |
| 2 (D) | 11, 13 | C♯, D♯ |
| 1 (G) | 11, 13, 14 | F♯, G♯, A |
Why it sounds like that
F♯ melodic minor raises the sixth and seventh degrees of F♯ natural minor, so D and E become D♯ and E♯. Compare with F♯ major, which has a major third instead of A. The pattern is W, H, W, W, W, W, H.
When to use it
F♯ melodic minor fits F♯ minor and F♯ 5th chords, especially in jazz and fusion. Use it over the tonic in F♯ minor keys when the harmony includes the major sixth or seventh. It also works over B major and C♯ major chords as borrowed tones.
Which position to practise
Practise Box 1 first. The root sits on string 4, fret 2, keeping the hand in frets 2–5 for easy access to the raised sixth and seventh.
Common questions
What notes are in F♯ melodic minor?
F♯ melodic minor contains F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D♯, and E♯. The scale has a minor third but raised sixth and seventh degrees. This gives it a distinctive major-minor hybrid sound. It is also spelled G♭ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Which chords does F♯ melodic minor fit?
F♯ melodic minor fits F♯ minor and F♯ 5th chords. It also works over B major and C♯ major chords. The raised sixth and seventh create smooth voice leading in minor-key progressions.
How does F♯ melodic minor differ from F♯ natural minor?
F♯ melodic minor raises the sixth and seventh degrees compared to F♯ natural minor. F♯ natural minor has D and E, while F♯ melodic minor has D♯ and E♯. This removes the augmented second interval between D and E♯.
What is the relative major of F♯ melodic minor?
The relative major of F♯ melodic minor is A major. Both scales share the same key signature of three sharps. However, F♯ melodic minor uses D♯ and E♯ as accidentals.