A natural minor scale
A natural minor scale is A – B – C – D – E – F – G, all naturals. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Press play and follow the keys.
The notes, one step at a time
The step pattern is W H W W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between B–C and E–F.
| Degree | Note | Interval from A | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | root | |
| 2 | B | major second | |
| ♭3 | C | minor third | |
| 4 | D | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | E | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | F | minor sixth | |
| ♭7 | G | minor seventh |
What A natural minor sounds like
The natural minor scale is the darker twin of the major scale. It has the same notes as C major, but starting on A changes where the half steps fall, and the mood turns.
Natural minor has no leading tone: G is a whole step below A, which is why G – Am sounds modal and open rather than final.
Compared with A major scale, A natural minor scale has C, F and G where the other has C♯, F♯ and G♯; the other four notes are shared. Hear A major scale and compare.
A natural minor scale uses the same seven notes as C major, starting from A instead of C.
Playing A natural minor
No black keys at all on the piano.
On guitar the root sits at the 5th fret of the low E string. The box above covers frets 3–9 and holds 17 notes of the scale across all six strings; play it low string to high.
The key of A minor
Songs in A minor are built from these notes, so the key signature has no sharps or flats. The relative major is C major: same notes, starting on the 3rd degree. The parallel major, A major, starts on the same note with different notes above it.
Chords and progressions in A minor
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords of the key. Tap to hear each one.
If you know A natural minor scale, you already know the notes of C major (starting on the 3rd note, C), D Dorian (starting on the 4th note, D), E Phrygian (starting on the 5th note, E), F Lydian (starting on the 6th note, F), G Mixolydian (starting on the 7th note, G) and B Locrian (starting on the 2nd note, B).
Moving it around the guitar
Anchor points for A: low E string fret 5, A string fret 0 and 12 (0 = open string). Five overlapping fingerings cover the neck, starting near frets 2, 5, 7, 10 and 12 on the low E string. On guitar it shares every note with the relative major, so the same boxes work with a different root in mind.
On the piano, A natural minor scale uses no black keys at all.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: A–C, B–D, C–E, D–F, E–G, F–A, G–B.
Three ways to practise A natural minor
Running a scale straight up and down only teaches the order. These patterns use the same 7 notes and train your ear and fingers to jump around inside A natural minor scale.
- Three-note runs: A B C · B C D · C D E · D E F · E F G · F G A.
- Lean on F: A F A F A: the ♭6 is what makes natural minor darker than Dorian.
Scales to compare with A natural minor
Natural minor scale in every key
A natural minor scale: questions
What are the notes of the A natural minor scale?
7 notes: A, B, C, D, E, F and G.
How many sharps or flats are in the A natural minor scale?
Zero: A natural minor is all naturals.
What chords are in the A natural minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Am (i), Bdim (ii°), C (III), Dm (iv), Em (v), F (VI) and G (VII).
What's the difference between A natural minor scale and A major scale?
C, F and G in A natural minor; C♯, F♯ and G♯ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as A natural minor scale?
C major. A natural minor is C major played from its 6th note, A.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 and tested. Updated September 2026.