Common
About the C Natural Minor scale
C Natural Minor is used for ballads, cinematic themes and emotional rock and pop. Think of it as the classic sad, serious minor sound. It is C Dorian with the sixth lowered.
Its notes are C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, and B♭. The formula is W H W W H W W. It is the sixth mode of E♭ Major.
Also called the Aeolian mode, Melodic Minor Descending, and Asavari. The descending form of the melodic minor scale uses these same notes.
In C Natural Minor, the open strings sound D and G. The lowest C on a standard-tuned guitar sits at the 3rd fret of the A string. The scale runs a complete octave from root to root inside 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.
Chords in the key of C Natural Minor
Expand a chord to see how to play it.
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Seventh chords in C Natural Minor
The four-note version of each chord, richer and jazzier.
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Position 1 of 4
Progressions in C Natural Minor
Tap any chord to hear it, or play the whole progression.
Common
Notes and intervals
| 1 | CC | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | DD | Major 2nd |
| 3 | EbE♭ | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | FF | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | GG | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | AbA♭ | Minor 6th |
| 7 | BbB♭ | Minor 7th |
| Steps | W H W W H W W |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-1-2-2-1-2-2 |
| Degrees | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
The relative major is E flat Major scale.
Natural Minor in other keys
D flat Natural Minor scaleD Natural Minor scaleE flat Natural Minor scaleE Natural Minor scaleF Natural Minor scaleG flat Natural Minor scaleG Natural Minor scaleA flat Natural Minor scaleA Natural Minor scaleB flat Natural Minor scaleB Natural Minor scale
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.
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