Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
D 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.
D 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|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-| B|-------------------------------------11-14----------| G|----------------------------10-12-14----------------| D|-------------------11-12-13-------------------------| A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-| B|----------------------------------14-15-16-------| G|-------------------------12-14-15----------------| D|----------------12-13-15-------------------------| A|-------12-13-16----------------------------------| E|-13-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-18-| B|----------------------------------15-16-18----------| G|-------------------------14-15-18-------------------| D|-------------------15-17----------------------------| A|----------16-17-18----------------------------------| E|-15-17-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-21-| B|-------------------------------------18-20----------| G|----------------------------18-19-20----------------| D|-------------------17-19-20-------------------------| A|----------17-18-20----------------------------------| E|-17-18-21-------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------21-22-| B|----------------------------20-22-------| G|-------------------19-20-22-------------| D|-------------19-20----------------------| A|-------20-22----------------------------| E|-21-22----------------------------------|
How to play D Neapolitan Minor on guitar
Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–14. 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 | D |
| ♭2 | Eb |
| ♭3 | F |
| 4 | G |
| 5 | A |
| ♭6 | Bb |
| 7 | C# |
Chords in D Neapolitan Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Neapolitan Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Dm(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II | Eb | Ebmaj7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Faug | — | Mediant |
| iv | Gm | Gm7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Neapolitan Minor 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.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the D Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The D Neapolitan Minor Scale has 7 notes: D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb, C#.
- What chords are in the D Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The chords of D Neapolitan Minor are Dm (i), Eb (♭II), Faug (♭III+), Gm (iv), Bb (♭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 D Neapolitan Minor on the guitar?
- The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.