C natural minor scale
C natural minor scale is C – D – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭, with E♭, A♭ and B♭. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Press play and follow the keys.
The notes, one step at a time
Counted in steps it goes W H W W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between D–E♭ and G–A♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | root | |
| 2 | D | major second | |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | F | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | G | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | A♭ | minor sixth | |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor seventh |
What C natural minor sounds like
The natural minor scale is the darker twin of the major scale. It has the same notes as E♭ major, but starting on C changes where the half steps fall, and the mood turns.
Natural minor has no leading tone: B♭ is a whole step below C, which is why B♭ – Cm sounds modal and open rather than final.
Compared with C major scale, C natural minor scale has E♭, A♭ and B♭ where the other has E, A and B; the other four notes are shared. Hear C major scale and compare.
C natural minor scale uses the same seven notes as E♭ major, starting from C instead of E♭.
On piano and on guitar
E♭, A♭ and B♭ are on black keys; the rest are white.
17 notes fit in the box between frets 6 and 12, with C at the 8th fret of the low E string.
The key of C minor
Songs in C minor are built from these notes, so the key signature has three flats (B♭, E♭, A♭). The relative major is E♭ major: same notes, starting on the 3rd degree. The parallel major, C major, starts on the same note with different notes above it.
Chords and progressions in C 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 C natural minor scale, you already know the notes of D Locrian (starting on the 2nd note, D), E♭ major (starting on the 3rd note, E♭), F Dorian (starting on the 4th note, F), G Phrygian (starting on the 5th note, G), A♭ Lydian (starting on the 6th note, A♭) and B♭ Mixolydian (starting on the 7th note, B♭).
Finding C natural minor on the neck
Anchor points for C: low E string fret 8, A string fret 3 and 15. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10. On guitar it shares every note with the relative major, so the same boxes work with a different root in mind.
On the piano, C natural minor scale uses 3 black keys (E♭, A♭ and B♭) and 4 white.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: C–E♭, D–F, E♭–G, F–A♭, G–B♭, A♭–C, B♭–D.
Three ways to practise C natural minor
Once C natural minor is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Three-note runs: C D E♭ · D E♭ F · E♭ F G · F G A♭ · G A♭ B♭ · A♭ B♭ C.
- Target A♭: C A♭ C A♭ C: the ♭6 is what makes natural minor darker than Dorian.
Scales to compare with C natural minor
Natural minor scale in every key
C natural minor scale: questions
What are the notes of the C natural minor scale?
C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭ and B♭, then C again at the octave. Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the C natural minor scale?
Three: E♭, A♭ and B♭. That matches the key signature of C minor.
What chords are in the C natural minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Cm (i), Ddim (ii°), E♭ (III), Fm (iv), Gm (v), A♭ (VI) and B♭ (VII).
What's the difference between C natural minor scale and C major scale?
E♭, A♭ and B♭ in C natural minor; E, A and B in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as C natural minor scale?
E♭ major. C natural minor is E♭ major played from its 6th note, C.
Notes and fingering generated from the scale formula and checked automatically against the step pattern. Updated September 2026.