C Natural minorScale · C Aeolian
Formula
C Natural minor on the chromatic circle
C Natural minor is the 6th mode of the Major family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.
C 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.
Chords in C 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.
Where C Natural minor fits
Natural minor: rock, pop and metal in minor keys, over progressions like i–♭VI–♭VII and i–iv–v.
C 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:
- C Natural minor
- D Locrian
- E♭ Major
- F Dorian
- G Phrygian
- A♭ Lydian
- B♭ Mixolydian
Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:
Natural minor scale in every key
C Natural minor scale questions
What notes are in the C Natural minor scale?
C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭. As degrees from the root: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7.
What is the C 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 C Natural minor scale on guitar?
This page draws every note of C 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 C shape to the A shape to the G shape to the E shape to the D shape.
What chords are in the C Natural minor scale?
Cm7 (i), Dm7♭5 (ii°), E♭maj7 (♭III), Fm7 (iv), Gm7 (v), A♭maj7 (♭VI), B♭7 (♭VII).
When is the C Natural minor scale used?
Natural minor: rock, pop and metal in minor keys, over progressions like i–♭VI–♭VII and i–iv–v.