A Minor Scale on Guitar
A B C D E F G — the natural minor scale with no sharps or flats.
A natural minor
Tap any fret to hear it. Gold dots are the root. Positions start at each scale note on the low string, so position 1 is the lowest box.
Notes and Intervals
| Note | Interval | From the root |
|---|---|---|
| A | R | Root · 0 semitones |
| B | 2 | Major 2nd · 2 semitones |
| C | ♭3 | Minor 3rd · 3 semitones |
| D | 4 | Perfect 4th · 5 semitones |
| E | 5 | Perfect 5th · 7 semitones |
| F | ♭6 | Minor 6th · 8 semitones |
| G | ♭7 | Minor 7th · 10 semitones |
Positions in Standard Tuning
| Position | Frets | Low E string starts on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0–4 | E |
| 2 | 0–4 | F |
| 3 | 2–6 | G |
| 4 | 4–8 | A · root |
| 5 | 6–10 | B |
| 6 | 7–11 | C |
| 7 | 9–13 | D |
Positions are numbered from the lowest box on the neck, as in the explorer above. Add 12 to any of them for the same shape an octave higher.
About the A Minor Scale
The A minor scale — the A natural minor, or Aeolian mode — is A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Like C major it has no sharps or flats; it is the same seven notes with A as home. That is what "relative minor" means.
Compared with the A minor pentatonic, it adds two notes: B, the 2nd, and F, the flat 6th. The F in particular gives natural minor its darker, more sorrowful colour.
Finding It on the Fretboard
The scale has 7 notes, so it has 7 positions: five-fret windows that each start on a different scale note on the low E string. The one that starts on the root, A, covers frets 4 to 8. It is the shape most lessons teach first, and the easiest to keep your bearings in, because the root is under your hand on both E strings. Use the position buttons in the explorer to isolate each one, and switch the labels to intervals to see what every fret does in the scale.
Chords in the Scale
Stacking every other note of the scale gives these seven chords. Any of them, and progressions made from them, can be played under the scale:
How to Practise It
- Start from the 5th-fret A minor pentatonic box you already know and add B and F. You have the natural minor in the same position.
- Play the scale over an A drone and hold the F. Listen to it lean down towards E — that is the flat 6th's pull.
- Practise the chord progression Am–F–C–G, then improvise over it using the scale.
- Compare with A Dorian, which raises the F to F♯, and hear how much brighter one note makes it.
A steady reference makes every one of these more useful: open the drone generator on A in another tab and play against it.
The Chords of A Minor
The chords of A minor are Am, B°, C, Dm, Em, F and G. Many songs swap the Em for an E or E7 chord, borrowed from the harmonic minor, to make a stronger pull back to Am.
Am–F–C–G and Am–G–F–E are two of the most common minor progressions in rock and pop.
Explore every scale in every key in the scale explorer, or print the free guitar charts to practise away from a screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the notes of the A minor scale?
A, B, C, D, E, F and G. It has no sharps or flats.
What is the difference between natural, harmonic and melodic minor?
Natural minor is the plain scale. Harmonic minor raises the 7th (G to G♯ in A) to give a stronger pull to the root. Melodic minor raises both the 6th and the 7th (F♯ and G♯ in A).
Is the A minor scale the same as the Aeolian mode?
Yes. Aeolian is the modal name for the natural minor scale: the major scale played from its 6th note.