Scales and modes
Natural minor scale
The natural minor scale is a seven-note scale with the formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, the foundation of every minor key, for example A B C D E F G.
What is the natural minor scale?
The natural minor scale is the default minor scale: seven notes built on the formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. As steps, that is whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole.
In A, it is A B C D E F G, with no sharps or flats. Those are exactly the notes of C major starting from the 6th degree, which is why A minor is the relative minor of C major. In modal language, the same scale is called the Aeolian mode.
Its darker sound comes from the minor third (C over A), backed up by the minor sixth (F) and minor seventh (G).
How do you play the natural minor scale on guitar?
The most useful A minor shape sits at the 5th fret, with your first finger on the root A on the low E string:
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (low E) | 5, 7, 8 | A B C |
| 5 (A) | 5, 7, 8 | D E F |
| 4 (D) | 5, 7 | G A |
| 3 (G) | 4, 5, 7 | B C D |
| 2 (B) | 5, 6, 8 | E F G |
| 1 (high E) | 5, 7, 8 | A B C |
If you already know the minor pentatonic box at the 5th fret, you are most of the way there: just add B (the 2) and F (the ♭6). To see the other positions and move the shape to any key, display the scale on the whole neck with the guitar scales tool, first in note names, then in intervals.
Which chords go with the natural minor scale?
Harmonize the scale and you get the chords of A minor:
- i: Am (Am7)
- ii°: Bdim (Bm7♭5)
- III: C (Cmaj7)
- iv: Dm (Dm7)
- v: Em (Em7)
- VI: F (Fmaj7)
- VII: G (G7)
So A natural minor works over any progression built from these chords: Am F G (i-VI-VII, a rock staple), Am Dm Em, or Am F C G. Each minor chord in the progression (Am, Dm, Em) is a strong landing point for the end of a phrase.
A natural minor phrase to play right now
Loop Am F G Am, one bar per chord, and play this phrase in the 5th-fret shape:
- B string: frets 8, 6, 5 (G F E), then G string fret 7 (D).
- G string frets 5 and 4 (C B), then D string fret 7 (A) to resolve.
- Over the F chord, lean on F (B string, 6th fret): it is the ♭6, the note that gives natural minor its melancholy.
Next, compare it with the harmonic minor scale, which raises G to G# to create an E major chord, and with the melodic minor scale, which raises the sixth as well.
Key takeaways
- Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 (W H W W H W W).
- A natural minor uses the notes of C major starting on A; it is also the Aeolian mode.
- Core shape at the 5th fret: minor pentatonic plus the 2 and the ♭6.
- Chords of the key: Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F, G.
Frequently asked questions
Is the natural minor scale the same as the Aeolian mode?
Yes, note for note: both follow 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Natural minor is the term used in tonal harmony (the key of A minor), while Aeolian is the name used when you compare the seven modes of the major scale.
Why is the V chord minor in natural minor?
Because the scale contains G, not G#: the 5th degree stacks E G B, which is Em. To get E or E7, with the leading tone G# pulling up to A, players borrow that note from the harmonic minor scale.
How do I play the natural minor scale in other keys?
Slide the shape so the root on the low E string names the key: 7th fret for B minor, 10th fret for D minor, 12th fret for E minor. You can also take the major scale three frets higher and start from its 6th degree.
Related terms
Practise in the workshop
Take it from theory to the fretboard
Open the workshop tools and see this idea across the whole neck. Free account, no card needed.