Break into the Melodic Minor Scale
The Melodic Minor Scale is essential for every advanced improviser — it provides some very usable options for soloing on minor, dominant, altered dominant, and even major chords. It’s a very accessible way to step outside the confines of diatonic harmony and get some of those other tones into your playing, the way players like John Scofield, Mike Stern, and Allan Holdsworth do.
The Melodic Minor Scale is subtle, and it takes some real listening before it reveals itself. That happens by getting it onto the fretboard through consistent practice — which is what this book is for. Inside you’ll find the patterns for all 12 Melodic Minor Scales, with their corresponding triads, seventh chords, and modes.
Download the PDF →Bonus: if you’ve studied the patterns in Hacking the CAGED System (Book 1) or Major Scale Modes Designed for the Guitar, you’ll have a huge head start — these Melodic Minor Scale patterns are based on the Major Scale ones used in those books.
In this book, the focus is less on theory and more on getting the information onto the fretboard — then when you come to learn the theory behind it, you’ll be able to apply it in a practical way.
Hacking the CAGED System (Book 2) contains these same patterns plus an in-depth look at the chords, arpeggios, and modes of the Melodic Minor Scale — and the theory behind them.
Hacking the CAGED System (Book 2) →Premium Guitar Wall Art
Blueprint-style prints for music rooms, studios, and practice spaces. Instant downloads. Physical prints ship free.
Browse Guitar Prints →More Structured Guitar Study
If you like the lessons here, my books go deeper into scales, improvisation, fretboard systems, and practice methods.
Browse the Books →