This is something I'd like to know. How do you play melodic scales when improvising? I know it can be related to the major mode playing a b3 instead of a 3.

I prefeer thinking about harmonic scale shapes/fingerings and play the 6 instead of the b6.

I would like to know your strategies, if is not too much to ask.

Melodic scales?
Are you talking about the modes?
The modes are related a lot to 7th chords.

Thanks, but anyway I mean a different scale. Melodic scale is also known as jazz scale and it has its own modes, but are mostly used in jazz. You can play it while ascending, and while descending you can play a natural minor or a harmonic minor. In jazz, they play it when ascending and when descending too.

If you want to try, there are two patterns

A melodic minor

----------------------------------------------------------------4----5-
-------------------------------------------------------5---7----------
------------------------------------------4---5---7------------------
---------------------4--6---7 (tonic)-------------------------------
------------5---7----------------------------------------------------
--5--7--8-----------------------------------------------------------

D melodic minor:

-------------------------------------------------------5---7---9---10 (tonic)
--------------------------------------5---6---8
---------------------4---6----7 (tonic)-------
------------5--7---------------------
--5--7--8---------------------------
-------------------------------------

Don't worry about the fingerings, only play it. If you first learn the armonic scale, its not as difficult as it seems, but that's how I play it, I would like to see how other persons play it specially when improvising.

It seems it's a hard question, but this people gave me a lot of info. I hope this will be as useful to you as it was to me. Last posts are better.

http://www.jemsite.com/forums/f23/melodic-scale-102636.html