Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
B Neapolitan Minor Scale
Natural minor with a lowered 2nd and a raised 7th: a Phrygian scale with a leading tone.
Tap any note to hear it.
B Neapolitan Minor 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|----------------------------------7-8-10-| B|-----------------------------8-11--------| G|----------------------7-9-11-------------| D|---------------8-9-10--------------------| A|--------7-9-10---------------------------| E|-7-8-10----------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------10-12-| B|-------------------------------11-12-13-------| G|-----------------------9-11-12----------------| D|---------------9-10-12------------------------| A|-------9-10-13--------------------------------| E|-10-12----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-15-| B|----------------------------------12-13-15----------| G|-------------------------11-12-15-------------------| D|-------------------12-14----------------------------| A|----------13-14-15----------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-18-| B|-------------------------------------15-17----------| G|----------------------------15-16-17----------------| D|-------------------14-16-17-------------------------| A|----------14-15-17----------------------------------| E|-14-15-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-20-| B|----------------------------------17-19-20----------| G|-------------------------16-17-19-------------------| D|----------------16-17-20----------------------------| A|----------17-19-------------------------------------| E|-18-19-20-------------------------------------------|
How to play B Neapolitan Minor on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B 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 7–11. 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 | B |
| ♭2 | C |
| ♭3 | D |
| 4 | E |
| 5 | F# |
| ♭6 | G |
| 7 | A# |
Chords in B Neapolitan Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in B Neapolitan Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Bm(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II | C | Cmaj7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Daug | — | Mediant |
| iv | Em | Em7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI | G | Gmaj7 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise B Neapolitan Minor anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the B Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The B Neapolitan Minor Scale has 7 notes: B, C, D, E, F#, G, A#.
- What chords are in the B Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The chords of B Neapolitan Minor are Bm (i), C (♭II), Daug (♭III+), Em (iv), G (♭VI).
- What is the formula of the neapolitan minor scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7, which is the step pattern H W W W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play B Neapolitan Minor on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.