Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
F# 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.
F# 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|-----------------------------2-3-5-| B|-------------------------3-6-------| G|-------------------2-4-6-----------| D|-------------3-4-5-----------------| A|-------2-4-5-----------------------| E|-2-3-5-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-7-| B|-----------------------6-7-8-----| G|-----------------4-6-7-----------| D|-----------4-5-7-----------------| A|-----4-5-8-----------------------| E|-5-7-----------------------------|
e|---------------------------------7-9-10-| B|--------------------------7-8-10--------| G|-------------------6-7-10---------------| D|---------------7-9----------------------| A|--------8-9-10--------------------------| E|-7-9-10---------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------9-10-13-| B|----------------------------------10-12---------| G|-------------------------10-11-12---------------| D|-----------------9-11-12------------------------| A|---------9-10-12--------------------------------| E|-9-10-13----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-15-| B|----------------------------------12-14-15----------| G|-------------------------11-12-14-------------------| D|----------------11-12-15----------------------------| A|----------12-14-------------------------------------| E|-13-14-15-------------------------------------------|
How to play F# Neapolitan Minor on guitar
Find the root first: F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F# 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 2–6. 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 | F# |
| ♭2 | G |
| ♭3 | A |
| 4 | B |
| 5 | C# |
| ♭6 | D |
| 7 | E# |
Chords in F# Neapolitan Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F# Neapolitan Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | F#m(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II | G | Gmaj7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Aaug | — | Mediant |
| iv | Bm | Bm7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI | D | Dmaj7 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F# Neapolitan Minor 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 F# Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The F# Neapolitan Minor Scale has 7 notes: F#, G, A, B, C#, D, E#.
- What chords are in the F# Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The chords of F# Neapolitan Minor are F#m (i), G (♭II), Aaug (♭III+), Bm (iv), D (♭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 F# Neapolitan Minor on the guitar?
- The root F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 2–6, and four more positions connect it up the neck.