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|----------------------------------------9-10-12-| B|----------------------------------11-13---------| G|--------------------------9-11-13---------------| D|-----------------10-11-12-----------------------| A|---------9-11-13--------------------------------| E|-9-10-12----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-| B|----------------------------------13-14-15-------| G|-------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|----------------11-12-14-------------------------| A|-------11-13-15----------------------------------| E|-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-| B|----------------------------------14-15-17-------| G|-------------------------13-15-17----------------| D|-------------------14-16-------------------------| A|-------13-15-16-17-------------------------------| E|-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-20-| B|-------------------------------------17-19----------| G|----------------------------17-18-19----------------| D|-------------------16-18-20-------------------------| A|----------16-17-19----------------------------------| E|-16-18-20-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-21-22-| B|-------------------------------------19-21-------------| G|----------------------------18-19-21-------------------| D|-------------------18-20-22----------------------------| A|-------------19-21-------------------------------------| E|-18-20-21-22-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Neapolitan Major on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 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 9–13. 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 | D |
| ♭3 | E |
| 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 | C#m | C#m(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Daug | Dmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Eaug | — | Mediant |
| IV | F# | F#7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| vi° | A#dim | A#m7b5 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C# 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 C# Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The C# Neapolitan Major Scale has 7 notes: C#, D, E, F#, G#, A#, B#.
- What chords are in the C# Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The chords of C# Neapolitan Major are C#m (i), Daug (♭II+), Eaug (♭III+), F# (IV), A#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 C# Neapolitan Major on the guitar?
- The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.