Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
C# 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.
C# 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|----------------------------------------9-10-12-| B|----------------------------------10-13---------| G|--------------------------9-11-13---------------| D|-----------------10-11-12-----------------------| A|---------9-11-12--------------------------------| E|-9-10-12----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-| B|----------------------------------13-14-15-------| G|-------------------------11-13-14----------------| D|----------------11-12-14-------------------------| A|-------11-12-15----------------------------------| E|-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-17-| B|----------------------------------14-15-17----------| G|-------------------------13-14-17-------------------| D|-------------------14-16----------------------------| A|----------15-16-17----------------------------------| E|-14-16-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-20-| B|-------------------------------------17-19----------| G|----------------------------17-18-19----------------| D|-------------------16-18-19-------------------------| A|----------16-17-19----------------------------------| E|-16-17-20-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------20-21-22-| B|----------------------------------19-21-22----------| G|-------------------------18-19-21-------------------| D|----------------18-19-22----------------------------| A|----------19-21-------------------------------------| E|-20-21-22-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Neapolitan Minor 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 Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C# Neapolitan Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | C#m | C#m(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II | D | Dmaj7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Eaug | — | Mediant |
| iv | F#m | F#m7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI | A | Amaj7 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C# Neapolitan Minor anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the C# Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The C# Neapolitan Minor Scale has 7 notes: C#, D, E, F#, G#, A, B#.
- What chords are in the C# Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The chords of C# Neapolitan Minor are C#m (i), D (♭II), Eaug (♭III+), F#m (iv), A (♭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 C# Neapolitan Minor 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.