Natural Minor (Aeolian) scale on guitar

The natural minor scale is the sound of most sad, dark and serious songs in rock, pop and classical music.

Play A Natural Minor (Aeolian) on the fretboard in Guitar Upscale

About the Natural Minor (Aeolian) scale

The natural minor scale is the sixth mode of the major scale. A minor has the same notes as C major, it just starts on A. That shared set is why every minor key has a relative major three frets up.

Its flat third gives the minor mood, and its flat sixth and flat seventh keep it soft and a little sad. Countless rock ballads, metal riffs and pop songs sit in this scale.

On guitar, learn it as the minor pentatonic plus two notes: the 2nd and the flat 6th. Add them to the pentatonic boxes you already know and you have the full scale.

Intervals from the root

Chords in A Natural Minor (Aeolian)

Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each note. These chords sound at home with the scale, so they make good progressions.

Same notes, another starting note

Start the A Natural Minor (Aeolian) scale on another of its notes and you get these scales:

• From degree 2 (B): B Locrian Mode
• From degree b3 (C): C Major Scale (Ionian)
• From degree 4 (D): D Dorian Mode
• From degree 5 (E): E Phrygian Mode
• From degree b6 (F): F Lydian Mode
• From degree b7 (G): G Mixolydian Mode

Natural Minor (Aeolian) in every key

More Minor scales

• Harmonic Minor
• Phrygian Mode
• Lydian Minor
• Locrian Mode
• Locrian with a Natural Fifth
• Harmonic Minor Bebop
• Harmonic Minor Bebop with a Raised Fourth
• Melodic Minor
• Dorian Mode
• Minor Pentatonic