A Natural minorScale · A Aeolian

Formula

W H W W H W W 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
The family

A Natural minor on the chromatic circle

A Natural minor is the 6th mode of the Major family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W W H W W W H ♭3 CI Ionian 4 DII Dorian 5 EIII Phrygian ♭6 FIV Lydian ♭7 GV Mixolydian 1 AVI Aeolian 2 BVII Locrian A Aeolian
The whole neck

A Natural minor across the fretboard

Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.

3 5 7 9 12 15 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Harmony

Chords in A Natural minor

Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.

DegreeChordNotes
iAm7A C E G
ii°Bm7♭5B D F A
♭IIICmaj7C E G B
ivDm7D F A C
vEm7E G B D
♭VIFmaj7F A C E
♭VIIG7G B D F
Context

Where A Natural minor fits

Natural minor: rock, pop and metal in minor keys, over progressions like i–♭VI–♭VII and i–iv–v.

A Natural minor is mode 6 of the major family. The same notes played from each of its other degrees give the family's other modes:

Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:

Natural minor scale in every key

A Natural minor scale questions

What notes are in the A Natural minor scale?

A B C D E F G. As degrees from the root: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7.

What is the A Natural minor scale formula?

1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, or in steps between the notes, W H W W H W W (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).

How do you play the A Natural minor scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of A Natural minor up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the G shape to the E shape to the D shape to the C shape to the A shape.

What chords are in the A Natural minor scale?

Am7 (i), Bm7♭5 (ii°), Cmaj7 (♭III), Dm7 (iv), Em7 (v), Fmaj7 (♭VI), G7 (♭VII).

When is the A Natural minor scale used?

Natural minor: rock, pop and metal in minor keys, over progressions like i–♭VI–♭VII and i–iv–v.