Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
F 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.
F 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|-----------------------------1-2-4-| B|-------------------------2-5-------| G|-------------------1-3-5-----------| D|-------------2-3-4-----------------| A|-------1-3-4-----------------------| E|-1-2-4-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-6-| B|-----------------------5-6-7-----| G|-----------------3-5-6-----------| D|-----------3-4-6-----------------| A|-----3-4-7-----------------------| E|-4-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------6-8-9-| B|-----------------------6-7-9-------| G|-----------------5-6-9-------------| D|-------------6-8-------------------| A|-------7-8-9-----------------------| E|-6-8-9-----------------------------|
e|------------------------------------8-9-12-| B|-------------------------------9-11--------| G|-----------------------9-10-11-------------| D|---------------8-10-11---------------------| A|--------8-9-11-----------------------------| E|-8-9-12------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-14-| B|----------------------------------11-13-14----------| G|-------------------------10-11-13-------------------| D|----------------10-11-14----------------------------| A|----------11-13-------------------------------------| E|-12-13-14-------------------------------------------|
How to play F Neapolitan Minor on guitar
Find the root first: F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F 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 1–5. 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 | F |
| ♭2 | Gb |
| ♭3 | Ab |
| 4 | Bb |
| 5 | C |
| ♭6 | Db |
| 7 | E |
Chords in F Neapolitan Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F Neapolitan Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Fm(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II | Gb | Gbmaj7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Abaug | — | Mediant |
| iv | Bbm | Bbm7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Db | Dbmaj7 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F 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.
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Questions
- What notes are in the F Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The F Neapolitan Minor Scale has 7 notes: F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, Db, E.
- What chords are in the F Neapolitan Minor Scale?
- The chords of F Neapolitan Minor are Fm (i), Gb (♭II), Abaug (♭III+), Bbm (iv), Db (♭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 F Neapolitan Minor on the guitar?
- The root F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 1–5, and four more positions connect it up the neck.