About the A Neapolitan Minor scale
A Neapolitan Minor is used for classical minor-key writing, opera and dramatic film scoring. Think of it as a harmonic minor scale with an added flat second, dark and classical. It is A Phrygian with the seventh raised.
Its notes are A, B♭, C, D, E, F, and G♯. The formula is H W W W H 1½ H.
Also called Neapolitan and Balinese.
In A Neapolitan Minor, the open strings sound E, A, and D. A guitarist finds the lowest A on the open A string. This mode plays in open position, a whole octave of the scale falling within the first three frets.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
CAGED
Five shapes, each anchored to a chord form you already know, the pop and rock default that ties your scales to your chords. The outlined notes are that chord, so you can see the C, A, G, E, and D shapes inside the scale.
3NPS
3NPS stands for 3 notes per string. It lays the scale out in seven even shapes for rock and metal lead, and favors speed because the picking pattern stays consistent across every string.
7-position system
7 four-fret boxes, one per scale degree, each a single hand position with almost no shifting. The jazz and classical way, from William Leavitt's Berklee method.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | AA | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | BbB♭ | Minor 2nd |
| 3 | CC | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | DD | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | EE | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | FF | Minor 6th |
| 7 | G#G♯ | Major 7th |
| Steps | H W W W H 1½ H |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 1-2-2-2-1-3-1 |
| Degrees | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Neapolitan Minor in other keys
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.
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