Natural Minor Scale
The Natural Minor Scale has a minor quality due to its minor Third E♭. The Natural Minor Scale, like Natural Minor, is a very common scale in Western music and produces a generally sad sound. Natural Minor Scale is classified as a heptatonic scale as it has seven notes, C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭. The Natural Minor Scale is also known as a diatonic scale which conforms to specific rules. The Natural Minor Scale was originally formed from the identical Aeolian Mode.
Below you will find the Natural Minor Scale notes, notation, patterns, degrees, intervals and more. You can also opt to see the Natural Minor Scale on your preferred instrument.
Notes Ascending
C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C
Notes Descending
C, B♭, A♭, G, F, E♭, D, C
Notation Ascending
Notation Descending
Pattern Ascending
T, S, T, T, S, T, T
S = Semitone, T = Tone (2 Semitones)
Pattern Descending
T, T, S, T, T, S, T
S = Semitone, T = Tone (2 Semitones)
Degrees Ascending
| Note | Number | Name |
|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Tonic |
| D | 2 | Supertonic |
| E♭ | ♭3 | Mediant |
| F | 4 | Subdominant |
| G | 5 | Dominant |
| A♭ | ♭6 | Submediant |
| B♭ | ♭7 | Subtonic |
| C | 8 | Tonic (Octave) |
Degrees Descending
| Note | Number | Name |
|---|---|---|
| C | 8 | Tonic (Octave) |
| B♭ | ♭7 | Subtonic |
| A♭ | ♭6 | Submediant |
| G | 5 | Dominant |
| F | 4 | Subdominant |
| E♭ | ♭3 | Mediant |
| D | 2 | Supertonic |
| C | 1 | Tonic |
Intervals Ascending
| Notes | Semitones | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| C > C | 0 | Perfect Unison (P1) |
| C > D | 2 | Major 2nd (M2) |
| C > E♭ | 3 | minor 3rd (m3) |
| C > F | 5 | Perfect 4th (P4) |
| C > G | 7 | Perfect 5th (P5) |
| C > A♭ | 8 | minor 6th (m6) |
| C > B♭ | 10 | minor 7th (m7) |
| C > C | 12 | Perfect Octave (P8) |
Intervals Descending
| Notes | Semitones | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| C > C | 0 | Perfect Unison (P1) |
| C > B♭ | 2 | Major 2nd (M2) |
| C > A♭ | 4 | Major 3rd (M3) |
| C > G | 5 | Perfect 4th (P4) |
| C > F | 7 | Perfect 5th (P5) |
| C > E♭ | 9 | Major 6th (M6) |
| C > D | 10 | minor 7th (m7) |
| C > C | 12 | Perfect Octave (P8) |
Scales related to C Natural Minor Scale
Enharmonic Equivalent Scale
Scale with the same root and notes as the C Natural Minor Scale but different spelling.
B♯ Natural Minor Scale
Relative Major Scale
Major scale with the same notes as C Natural Minor Scale but in a different order.
E♭ Major Scale
Parallel Major Scale
Major scale with the same root note as C Natural Minor Scale.
C Major Scale
Chords related to C Natural Minor Scale
Related Triads
These chords have been built using the notes of the C Natural Minor Scale. The chords are in degree order and shown in Roman numerals (lowercase = minor/diminished, uppercase = Major/Augmented).
i Chord - C Minor
iio Chord - D Diminished
♭III Chord - E♭ Major
iv Chord - F Minor
v Chord - G Minor
♭VI Chord - A♭ Major
♭VII Chord - B♭ Major
Learn to Play Natural Minor Scale
If you want to learn what scales and modes are and much more, check out our free Fundamentals of Music Theory course. If you already know some of the basics, you can jump straight into the scales lesson.
