Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
G Neapolitan Major Scale
Melodic minor with a lowered 2nd: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.
Tap any note to hear it.
G 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|-----------------------------3-4-6-| B|-------------------------5-7-------| G|-------------------3-5-7-----------| D|-------------4-5-6-----------------| A|-------3-5-7-----------------------| E|-3-4-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------6-8-| B|-----------------------7-8-9-----| G|-----------------5-7-9-----------| D|-----------5-6-8-----------------| A|-----5-7-9-----------------------| E|-6-8-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------8-10-| B|----------------------------8-9-11------| G|---------------------7-9-11-------------| D|----------------8-10--------------------| A|------7-9-10-11-------------------------| E|-8-10-----------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-13----------| G|----------------------------11-12-13----------------| D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------| A|----------10-11-13----------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-15-16-| B|-------------------------------------13-15-------------| G|----------------------------12-13-15-------------------| D|-------------------12-14-16----------------------------| A|-------------13-15-------------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-16-------------------------------------------|
How to play G Neapolitan Major on guitar
Find the root first: G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every G 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 3–7. 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 | G |
| ♭2 | Ab |
| ♭3 | Bb |
| 4 | C |
| 5 | D |
| 6 | E |
| 7 | F# |
Chords in G Neapolitan Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in G Neapolitan Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Gm | Gm(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Abaug | Abmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Bbaug | — | Mediant |
| IV | C | C7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| vi° | Edim | Em7b5 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise G Neapolitan Major anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the G Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The G Neapolitan Major Scale has 7 notes: G, Ab, Bb, C, D, E, F#.
- What chords are in the G Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The chords of G Neapolitan Major are Gm (i), Abaug (♭II+), Bbaug (♭III+), C (IV), Edim (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 G Neapolitan Major on the guitar?
- The root G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 3–7, and four more positions connect it up the neck.