D Neapolitan minorScale

Formula

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

D Neapolitan minor on the chromatic circle

D 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 DI Neapolitan minor ♭2 E♭II ♭3 FIII 4 GIV 5 AV ♭6 B♭VI 7 C♯VII D Neapolitan minor
The whole neck

D 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 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 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 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4
Harmony

Chords in D 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
iDm(maj7)D F A C♯
♭IIE♭maj7E♭ G B♭ D
♭III+F7♯5F A C♯ E♭
ivGm7G B♭ D F
VA7♭5A C♯ E♭ G
♭VIB♭maj7B♭ D F A
VII C♯ (𝄫3 ♭5 𝄫7) C♯ E♭ G B♭
Context

Where D 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

D Neapolitan minor scale questions

What notes are in the D Neapolitan minor scale?

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

What is the D 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 D Neapolitan minor scale on guitar?

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

Dm(maj7) (i), E♭maj7 (♭II), F7♯5 (♭III+), Gm7 (iv), A7♭5 (V), B♭maj7 (♭VI), C♯ (𝄫3 ♭5 𝄫7) (VII).

When is the D Neapolitan minor scale used?

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