C Neapolitan minorScale

Formula

H W W W H 1½ H 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
The family

C Neapolitan minor on the chromatic circle

C Neapolitan minor is one of the exotic scales. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

H W W W H 1½ H 1 CI Neapolitan minor ♭2 D♭II ♭3 E♭III 4 FIV 5 GV ♭6 A♭VI 7 BVII C Neapolitan minor
The whole neck

C Neapolitan 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 4 5 ♭6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 1 ♭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 4 5 ♭6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5
Harmony

Chords in C Neapolitan 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
iCm(maj7)C E♭ G B
♭IID♭maj7D♭ F A♭ C
♭III+E♭7♯5E♭ G B D♭
ivFm7F A♭ C E♭
VG7♭5G B D♭ F
♭VIA♭maj7A♭ C E♭ G
VII B (𝄫3 ♭5 𝄫7) B D♭ F A♭
Context

Where C Neapolitan minor fits

Harmonic minor with a ♭2: classical and neoclassical music, a dark exotic minor.

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

Neapolitan minor scale in every key

C Neapolitan minor scale questions

What notes are in the C Neapolitan 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 Neapolitan minor scale formula?

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

How do you play the C Neapolitan minor scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of C Neapolitan 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 Neapolitan minor scale?

Cm(maj7) (i), D♭maj7 (♭II), E♭7♯5 (♭III+), Fm7 (iv), G7♭5 (V), A♭maj7 (♭VI), B (𝄫3 ♭5 𝄫7) (VII).

When is the C Neapolitan minor scale used?

Harmonic minor with a ♭2: classical and neoclassical music, a dark exotic minor.