Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
B Neapolitan Major Scale
Melodic minor with a lowered 2nd: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.
Tap any note to hear it.
B Neapolitan Major 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|----------------------------------7-8-10-| B|-----------------------------9-11--------| G|----------------------7-9-11-------------| D|---------------8-9-10--------------------| A|--------7-9-11---------------------------| E|-7-8-10----------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------10-12-| B|-------------------------------11-12-13-------| G|-----------------------9-11-13----------------| D|---------------9-10-12------------------------| A|-------9-11-13--------------------------------| E|-10-12----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-| B|----------------------------------12-13-15-------| G|-------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|-------------------12-14-------------------------| A|-------11-13-14-15-------------------------------| E|-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-18-| B|-------------------------------------15-17----------| G|----------------------------15-16-17----------------| D|-------------------14-16-18-------------------------| A|----------14-15-17----------------------------------| E|-14-16-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-19-20-| B|-------------------------------------17-19-------------| G|----------------------------16-17-19-------------------| D|-------------------16-18-20----------------------------| A|-------------17-19-------------------------------------| E|-16-18-19-20-------------------------------------------|
How to play B Neapolitan Major on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B 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 7–11. 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 | B |
| ♭2 | C |
| ♭3 | D |
| 4 | E |
| 5 | F# |
| 6 | G# |
| 7 | A# |
Chords in B Neapolitan Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in B Neapolitan Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Bm(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Caug | Cmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Daug | — | Mediant |
| IV | E | E7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| vi° | G#dim | G#m7b5 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise B Neapolitan Major anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the B Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The B Neapolitan Major Scale has 7 notes: B, C, D, E, F#, G#, A#.
- What chords are in the B Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The chords of B Neapolitan Major are Bm (i), Caug (♭II+), Daug (♭III+), E (IV), G#dim (vi°).
- What is the formula of the neapolitan major scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern H W W W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play B Neapolitan Major on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.