Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
A Neapolitan Major Scale
Melodic minor with a lowered 2nd: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Neapolitan Major Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------5-6-8-| B|-------------------------7-9-------| G|-------------------5-7-9-----------| D|-------------6-7-8-----------------| A|-------5-7-9-----------------------| E|-5-6-8-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------8-10-| B|---------------------------9-10-11------| G|--------------------7-9-11--------------| D|-------------7-8-10---------------------| A|------7-9-11----------------------------| E|-8-10-----------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------10-12-| B|--------------------------------10-11-13-------| G|------------------------9-11-13----------------| D|------------------10-12------------------------| A|-------9-11-12-13------------------------------| E|-10-12-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------13-15----------| G|----------------------------13-14-15----------------| D|-------------------12-14-16-------------------------| A|----------12-13-15----------------------------------| E|-12-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------15-17-------------| G|----------------------------14-15-17-------------------| D|-------------------14-16-18----------------------------| A|-------------15-17-------------------------------------| E|-14-16-17-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play A Neapolitan Major on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–9. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| ♭2 | Bb |
| ♭3 | C |
| 4 | D |
| 5 | E |
| 6 | F# |
| 7 | G# |
Chords in A Neapolitan Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in A Neapolitan Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Am(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Bbaug | Bbmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Caug | — | Mediant |
| IV | D | D7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| vi° | F#dim | F#m7b5 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A Neapolitan Major anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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Questions
- What notes are in the A Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The A Neapolitan Major Scale has 7 notes: A, Bb, C, D, E, F#, G#.
- What chords are in the A Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The chords of A Neapolitan Major are Am (i), Bbaug (♭II+), Caug (♭III+), D (IV), F#dim (vi°).
- What is the formula of the neapolitan major scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern H W W W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Neapolitan Major on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.