Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
A Neapolitan Minor Scale
Natural minor with a lowered 2nd and a raised 7th: a Phrygian scale with a leading tone.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Neapolitan Minor Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------5-6-8-| B|-------------------------6-9-------| G|-------------------5-7-9-----------| D|-------------6-7-8-----------------| A|-------5-7-8-----------------------| E|-5-6-8-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------8-10-| B|---------------------------9-10-11------| G|--------------------7-9-10--------------| D|-------------7-8-10---------------------| A|------7-8-11----------------------------| E|-8-10-----------------------------------|
e|------------------------------------------10-12-13-| B|---------------------------------10-11-13----------| G|-------------------------9-10-13-------------------| D|-------------------10-12---------------------------| A|----------11-12-13---------------------------------| E|-10-12-13------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-16-| B|-------------------------------------13-15----------| G|----------------------------13-14-15----------------| D|-------------------12-14-15-------------------------| A|----------12-13-15----------------------------------| E|-12-13-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-18-| B|----------------------------------15-17-18----------| G|-------------------------14-15-17-------------------| D|----------------14-15-18----------------------------| A|----------15-17-------------------------------------| E|-16-17-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play A Neapolitan Minor on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–9. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| ♭2 | Bb |
| ♭3 | C |
| 4 | D |
| 5 | E |
| ♭6 | F |
| 7 | G# |
Chords in A Neapolitan Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in A Neapolitan Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Am(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Caug | — | Mediant |
| iv | Dm | Dm7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI | F | Fmaj7 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A Neapolitan Minor anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the A Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The A Neapolitan Minor Scale has 7 notes: A, Bb, C, D, E, F, G#.
- What chords are in the A Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The chords of A Neapolitan Minor are Am (i), Bb (♭II), Caug (♭III+), Dm (iv), F (♭VI).
- What is the formula of the neapolitan minor scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7, which is the step pattern H W W W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Neapolitan Minor on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.