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Neapolitan Minor scale on guitar

Neapolitan minor is harmonic minor with a flat second, a dark scale used in classical and metal music.

Notes in AA Bb C D E F G#
Formula1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 7
StepsH W W W H W+H H (W whole step, H half step)
Note count7
Style in the appVarious Exotic, scale "Neapolitan"
123456789101112131415eBGDAEEFG#ABbCDEFCDEFG#ABbCDG#ABbCDEFG#ABbDEFG#ABbCDEFABbCDEFG#ABbCEFG#ABbCDEF
A Neapolitan Minor on the first 15 frets in standard tuning, thin e string on top. Highlighted circles mark the root, A.

Play A Neapolitan Minor on the fretboard in Guitar Upscale

About the Neapolitan Minor scale

The notes are root, flat 2nd, flat 3rd, 4th, 5th, flat 6th and 7th. The name comes from the Neapolitan chord, a major chord on the flat 2nd.

The flat 2nd and the major 7th close in on the root from both sides. The pull to the root is very strong.

Play it over a minor chord, and try the Neapolitan chord before the V chord: in A that is Bb, then E, then Am.

Intervals from the root

DegreeIntervalSemitonesIn A
1Root0A
b2Minor 2nd1Bb
b3Minor 3rd3C
4Perfect 4th5D
5Perfect 5th7E
b6Minor 6th8F
7Major 7th11G#

Chords in A Neapolitan Minor

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.

DegreeTriadSeventh chord
iAmAmMaj7
bIIBbBbmaj7
bIII+CaugC7#5
ivDmDm7
VE(b5)E7b5
bVIFFmaj7
VIInonenone

Same notes, another starting note

Start the A Neapolitan Minor scale on another of its notes and you get these scales:

Neapolitan Minor in every key

KeyNotesPlay it
CC Db Eb F G Ab BOpen
C#C# D E F# G# A B#Open
DD Eb F G A Bb C#Open
EbEb Fb Gb Ab Bb Cb DOpen
EE F G A B C D#Open
FF Gb Ab Bb C Db EOpen
F#F# G A B C# D E#Open
GG Ab Bb C D Eb F#Open
G#G# A B C# D# E GOpen
AA Bb C D E F G#Open
BbBb Cb Db Eb F Gb AOpen
BB C D E F# G A#Open

More Various Exotic scales