Fretwise Get the app

Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic

Eb Neapolitan Major Scale

Melodic minor with a lowered 2nd: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.

Notes EbFbGbAbBbCD
Formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Steps H W W W W W H
Mood Dark, Smooth, Unusual
Heard in Modal Improvisation, Exotic Colour

Interactive scale diagram

Eb Neapolitan Major Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

Eb 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.

Position 1 · E shape frets 11–15
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-|
B|-------------------------------------13-15----------|
G|----------------------------11-13-15----------------|
D|-------------------12-13-14-------------------------|
A|----------11-13-15----------------------------------|
E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-|
B|----------------------------------15-16-17-------|
G|-------------------------13-15-17----------------|
D|----------------13-14-16-------------------------|
A|-------13-15-17----------------------------------|
E|-14-16-------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 15–19
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-|
B|----------------------------------16-17-19-------|
G|-------------------------15-17-19----------------|
D|-------------------16-18-------------------------|
A|-------15-17-18-19-------------------------------|
E|-16-18-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 18–22
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-22-|
B|-------------------------------------19-21----------|
G|----------------------------19-20-21----------------|
D|-------------------18-20-22-------------------------|
A|----------18-19-21----------------------------------|
E|-18-20-22-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 20–22
e|-------------------------20-22-|
B|----------------------21-------|
G|----------------20-21----------|
D|----------20-22----------------|
A|-------21----------------------|
E|-20-22-------------------------|

How to play Eb Neapolitan Major on guitar

Find the root first: Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Eb 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 11–15. 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

DegreeNote
1 Eb
♭2 Fb
♭3 Gb
4 Ab
5 Bb
6 C
7 D

Chords in Eb Neapolitan Major

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Eb Neapolitan Major; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
i Ebm Ebm(maj7) Tonic
♭II+ Fbaug Fbmaj7#5 Supertonic
♭III+ Gbaug — Mediant
IV Ab Ab7 Subdominant
V — — Dominant
vi° Cdim Cm7b5 Submediant
VII — — Leading tone / subtonic

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

Practise Eb 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 Eb Neapolitan Major Scale?
The Eb Neapolitan Major Scale has 7 notes: Eb, Fb, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, D.
What chords are in the Eb Neapolitan Major Scale?
The chords of Eb Neapolitan Major are Ebm (i), Fbaug (♭II+), Gbaug (♭III+), Ab (IV), Cdim (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 Eb Neapolitan Major on the guitar?
The root Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 11–15, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Neapolitan Major Scale in every key

More scales in Eb