C natural minor scale on guitar
C natural minor has 7 notes: C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭. Degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Formula: W H W W H W W.
What notes are in the C natural minor scale?
C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭ and B♭. It has 7 notes; its formula in whole and half steps is W H W W H W W.
What does C natural minor sound like, and when do you use it?
Melancholic and epic: the "pure" minor, with no leading tone. Use it over m7 · the vi of a major key, i–♭VII–♭VI progressions.
To hear it: All Along the Watchtower — Bob Dylan / Jimi Hendrix.
Chords in C natural minor
| Degree | Triad | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | Cm7 |
| ii° | D° | Dm7♭5 |
| ♭III | E♭ | E♭maj7 |
| iv | Fm | Fm7 |
| v | Gm | Gm7 |
| ♭VI | A♭ | A♭maj7 |
| ♭VII | B♭ | B♭7 |
Chord progressions to improvise with C natural minor
In Jam mode (the Jam button above) a band of grand piano, upright bass and drums (recorded instruments) plays these progressions as swing, bossa, groove or ballad, and the fretboard lights up the notes of each chord as it plays. It's a backing track made for this scale in C:
- Epic (i7–♭VImaj7–♭VII7): Cm7 | A♭maj7 | B♭7 | Cm7. The ♭VI brings out the ♭6 (A♭): the note that separates Aeolian from Dorian.
- Minor rock (i–♭VII–♭VI): Cm | B♭ | A♭ | B♭. i–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII, like “All Along the Watchtower”. Short, rhythmic riffs.
- i–iv (i7–iv7): Cm7 | Cm7 | Fm7 | Fm7. Two minor chords, two bars each. Over the iv, the A♭ is the chord's 3rd.
C natural minor positions on guitar
In standard tuning (E A D G B E), with 3 notes per string, C natural minor is played in 7 positions along the neck:
- Position 1: frets 8 to 13 (starts on the root)
- Position 2: frets 10 to 15
- Position 3: frets 11 to 16
- Position 4: frets 1 to 6
- Position 5: frets 3 to 8
- Position 6: frets 4 to 10
- Position 7: frets 6 to 11
Same notes as
E♭ major · E♭ Ionian · F Dorian · G Phrygian · A♭ Lydian · B♭ Mixolydian · C Aeolian · D Locrian
Natural minor in other keys
On other instruments
C natural minor on piano · C natural minor on bass · All scales