Natural minor scale

The seven-note scale with a flattened third, sixth and seventh relative to the major scale, giving a darker, sadder sound.

The natural minor scale is the practical minor scale for most players, since it is the one used for the minor mode of the key and the one shape that maps most easily onto the pentatonic positions guitarists already know. Its flattened third is what makes it sound minor, and its flattened seventh is what distinguishes it from the harmonic minor, which raises that note to create a stronger pull back to the tonic. Songs in a minor key are usually built from this scale or its modal equivalents.

Example: A minor contains A, B, C, D, E, F and G, which is the natural minor scale starting on A.

Natural minor scale

See also