Neptune scales confusing

[Jagwah]

I use Neptune a lot as a guide for what notes to use when working in a certain key. If I download a decent acapella that actually has key information, I will set Neptune to that key and go from there. However, a lot of these acapellas I find tend to be in minor keys, but when setting Neptune it has the option of Harmonic Minor or Natural Minor - and these have different notes. Can someone please explain the difference here?

[spencer335]

"Natural Minor" (aka Aeolian mode) and "Harmonic Minor" are related to different scales (Melodic Minor is another common option). I find Harmonic to have a "Middle Eastern" sound compared to Aeolian sounding much more familiar, but it's all about your frame of reference and how you use it. Most of the time, pop tunes in a minor key will match up with the Aeolian or Dorian sound, but you'll have to use your ears if/when it isn't explicit.

I'll let Wikipedia explain it better to prevent any late night typos ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_scale

[OldGoat]

The difference is that in Harmonic Minor there is WHOLE AND A HALF STEP distance between the 6th-note of the scale and the 7th-note while it is only a WHOLE STEP in Natural minor. This leads to a HALF STEP distance between the 7th and the root-note in harmonic minor.
(Is this a correct english? just wondering...)

Stolen from http://www.bandnotes.info/tidbits/scales/half-whl.htm (R=root note, W= Whole step, H= Half step):


Major Scale: R, W, W, H, W, W, W, H
Natural Minor Scale: R, W, H, W, W, H, W, W
Harmonic Minor Scale: R, W, H, W, W, H, 1 1/2, H (notice the step and a half)
Melodic Minor Scale: going up is: R, W, H, W, W, W, W, H
going down is: R, W, W, H, W, W, H, W
Dorian Mode is: R, W, H, W, W, W, H, W
Mixolydian Mode is: R, W, W, H, W, W, H, W
Ahava Raba Mode is: R, H, 1 1/2, H, W, H, W, W
A minor pentatonic blues scale (no sharped 5) is: R, 1 1/2, W, W, 1 1/2, W

[normen]

There is a bit of confusion with the term "minor" (and major) between jazz and classical music. In classical music a "minor scale" is basically any scale with a minor third, including e.g. the Dorian or Phrygian scale. In jazz or pop music you usually only mean the aeolian (natural minor), harmonic minor or melodic minor scales, where theres two different melodic minor scales for going up and for going down. As the name suggests the harmonic minor scale is more or less meant for harmonic play (i.e. chords) while the melodic minor scales are for playing melodies. They usually get mixed during play which is why songs in minor keys are often quite varied and which is also why in classical music only the third is defining if something is minor or major.

[Goriila Texas]

Good info.