E Natural minorScale · E Aeolian

Formula

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

E Natural minor on the chromatic circle

E 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 GI Ionian 4 AII Dorian 5 BIII Phrygian ♭6 CIV Lydian ♭7 DV Mixolydian 1 EVI Aeolian 2 F♯VII Locrian E Aeolian
The whole neck

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

Chords in E 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
iEm7E G B D
ii°F♯m7♭5F♯ A C E
♭IIIGmaj7G B D F♯
ivAm7A C E G
vBm7B D F♯ A
♭VICmaj7C E G B
♭VIID7D F♯ A C
Context

Where E Natural minor fits

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

E 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

E Natural minor scale questions

What notes are in the E Natural minor scale?

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

What is the E 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 E Natural minor scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of E 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 E shape to the D shape to the C shape to the A shape to the G shape.

What chords are in the E Natural minor scale?

Em7 (i), F♯m7♭5 (ii°), Gmaj7 (♭III), Am7 (iv), Bm7 (v), Cmaj7 (♭VI), D7 (♭VII).

When is the E Natural minor scale used?

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