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This is a very minor question, but I'm trying to learn a piece (a Bach Concerto in D minor) that has the following sequence of notes played in order:

A B C# D E F G A

My piano teacher said it was a scale, but could not/did not determine what it is called. So to satisfy my curiosity, what would you call it?

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These are exactly the notes from the D minor scale, are you only confused because you start and finish on A? Or am I misunderstanding something? – Anthony Labarre May 6 '11 at 15:17
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@Anthony: Not true. The D minor scale (natural and melodic at least) has a B flat. – Noldorin May 6 '11 at 15:20
As per the sheet music, there is in fact a natural on the B. – Matthew Read♦ May 6 '11 at 15:39
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@Brian: Yep, it appears right there in the 3rd bar. (I checked on another score too.) The base clef includes a simultaneous and parallel scale. I would presume the D was simply naturalised for "chromatic effect", and would classify it as such: a "modified D harmonic minor scale". – Noldorin May 6 '11 at 15:43
@Matthew Read: That sheet music to which you linked is peculiar in the sense that it explicitly marks every Bb with the accidental rather than using a key signature. Why would the editor make that choice? It seems so cumbersome. – Alex Basson May 6 '11 at 15:53
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closed as off topic by Matthew Read♦ Jan 14 at 19:24

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2 Answers

up vote 29 down vote accepted

This is a D melodic minor scale (The root of the scale would be D since this Bach), which alters depending on if it is descending or ascending. When ascending the 6 and 7th degrees are raised, and then decending they are lowered. So when descending it is the same as a natural minor scale.

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These are pretty common in classic music and are often standard of youth symphony auditions.

As a side note, there are some interesting sounds based on different modes of the melodic minor scale (i.e. the same notes, but starting on notes other than D).

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that looks like it to me...well done. – Brian Schroth May 6 '11 at 16:13
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If we wanted to look at it in modal terms (given the starting note A), it is A mixolydian b6 - the fifth mode of D melodic minor, as Rein Henrichs pointed out. – Faza May 7 '11 at 1:39
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@Kyle Brandt: While I do agree that these are the tones of ascending D melodic minor, I wonder if this mode (based on A in this example) has a name. You wouldn't say that G mixolydian is C major, so if this is not D ascending melodic, this is A what? – Gauthier Sep 1 '11 at 12:17
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After more research, it seems to me that Faza has the correct answer: mixolydian b6. It might also be called the Hindu scale. ref: jazzguitar.be/melodic_minor_modes.html – Gauthier Sep 2 '11 at 7:37
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@Gauthier No worries. I hijacked all my knowledge from someone else too. I think they call that "learning". :) – Rein Henrichs Sep 2 '11 at 8:29
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up vote 3 down vote

It seems to me that Faza has the correct answer in his comment to Kyle Brandt:

A mixolydian b6

It may also be called the A Hindu scale.

References:

Still unsure if it is appropriate to use Mixolydian b6 are Hindu for a mode.

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Perhaps edit into "A mixolydian b6" to point out that this is the scale starting on A as per the question? (Which happens to use the same note material as the ascending D melodic minor scale, and also is a consequence of the tonic being D minor.) – Ulf Åkerstedt Dec 29 '12 at 19:51

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