Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
C Neapolitan Major Scale
Melodic minor with a lowered 2nd: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.
Tap any note to hear it.
C 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|--------------------------------------8-9-11-| B|--------------------------------10-12--------| G|------------------------8-10-12--------------| D|----------------9-10-11----------------------| A|--------8-10-12------------------------------| E|-8-9-11--------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-| B|----------------------------------12-13-14-------| G|-------------------------10-12-14----------------| D|----------------10-11-13-------------------------| A|-------10-12-14----------------------------------| E|-11-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-| B|----------------------------------13-14-16-------| G|-------------------------12-14-16----------------| D|-------------------13-15-------------------------| A|-------12-14-15-16-------------------------------| E|-13-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-19-| B|-------------------------------------16-18----------| G|----------------------------16-17-18----------------| D|-------------------15-17-19-------------------------| A|----------15-16-18----------------------------------| E|-15-17-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-20-21-| B|-------------------------------------18-20-------------| G|----------------------------17-18-20-------------------| D|-------------------17-19-21----------------------------| A|-------------18-20-------------------------------------| E|-17-19-20-21-------------------------------------------|
How to play C Neapolitan Major on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–12. 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 | C |
| ♭2 | Db |
| ♭3 | Eb |
| 4 | F |
| 5 | G |
| 6 | A |
| 7 | B |
Chords in C Neapolitan Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C Neapolitan Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | Cm(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Dbaug | Dbmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Ebaug | — | Mediant |
| IV | F | F7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| vi° | Adim | Am7b5 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C Neapolitan Major anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The C Neapolitan Major Scale has 7 notes: C, Db, Eb, F, G, A, B.
- What chords are in the C Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The chords of C Neapolitan Major are Cm (i), Dbaug (♭II+), Ebaug (♭III+), F (IV), Adim (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 C Neapolitan Major on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.