This is an excerpt from my book, Melodic Minor Scale Jazz Studies: Tonal Organizations and Applications Over Dominant 7th Chords. Here I am extracting two implied whole tone scale patterns formed from two different ascending melodic minor scales relative to the dominant 7th chord (minor formed from the 7th degree of V7, and from the flatted 2nd degree of V7). Take a look at the example below:

The first four notes over the G7 chord (Bb, Ab, D, C) are extracted from the F minor scale (F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, E), and the second four notes (Db, Cb, F, Eb) are extracted from the Ab minor scale (Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, F, G). Each of these scales contain tension tones over the G7, and I’ve combined the notes melodically in such a way as to imply two whole tone scales a half step apart (I’m labeling them as double whole tone scales).

Because of this “double whole tone” sound, there is a huge amount of tension that then resolves nicely to the CMaj7 chord. There is a wealth of interesting melodic material to be mined from the melodic minor scales, especially as they apply to dominant chords. Here is but one example. And if you’d like to find some more unique and interesting ways to approach the ii-V7-I chord progression, please consider another of my e-books, ii-V7-I: 40 Creative Concepts for the Modern Improviser.

Click on the link below to download the pdf version of this etude:

Double Whole Tone Scales Derived From Melodic Minor Over ii7-V7-I.pdf