Question about Improvising with Minor Scales on the Saxophone

[Michael]

😎 Hi Johnny,
When it comes to improvising with Minor Scales on the Saxophone, is what I guess could be called the “bread and butter” that we use to Improvise with is the Natural Minor Scale? I know there’s Harmonic Minor (7th note is raised half a step) and Melodic Minor (raises the 6th and 7th note of the natural Minor Scale, each by a half step), but are these other 2 types of Minor Scales used that often in Saxophone playing? Been making good use of your Improvisation lessons here on your site and I love the lessons in Killer Blues! I love to learn songs but don’t want my playing to be just limited to memorizing songs all the time.

[john]

I haven’t written much on minor scales, just the pentatonic. I will try and write about them soon.

[Michael]

Thanks Johnny–the more we know about this beast of an instrument–LOL–we’re learning to play called the Saxophone then the better for us 🙂

[Anonymous]

All these scales are confusing, here in the UK if i wanted to do Jazz grade 2 for the Sax,
i would have to do:

SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS*
From memory, straight-8s tongued, straight-8s slurred, or swing, as directed by the examiner:
SCALES
Dorian on A; Mixolydian on F; F major (one octave)
D major (two octaves)
Major pentatonic on F; Minor pentatonic on G (one octave)
ARPEGGIOS
The common chords of A and F majors (one octave) and D minor (two octaves)

[Author]

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