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A♭ natural minor scale on guitar
A♭ natural minor contains A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, and G♭. Box 1 places the root on string 6, fret 4, spanning frets 0–3.
How it is built
Formula 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7
How do you play the A♭ natural minor scale on guitar?
A♭ natural minor in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 12 notes across 6 strings, from F♭ on the low E string at fret 0 up to G♭ on the high e string at fret 2. The root falls on the G string at fret 1.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 0, 2 | F♭, G♭ |
| 5 (A) | 1, 2 | B♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 1, 2 | E♭, F♭ |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3 | A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 0, 2 | C♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 0, 2 | F♭, G♭ |
Box 2 · frets 2–5
A♭ natural minor in box 2 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 13 notes across 6 strings, from G♭ on the low E string at fret 2 up to A♭ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4 and the high e string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2, 4 | G♭, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 2, 4 | C♭, D♭ |
| 4 (D) | 2, 4 | F♭, G♭ |
| 3 (G) | 3, 4 | B♭, C♭ |
| 2 (B) | 2, 4, 5 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 1 (e) | 2, 4 | G♭, A♭ |
Box 3 · frets 4–7
A♭ natural minor in box 3 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 16 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to C♭ on the high e string at fret 7. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4, the D string at fret 6 and the high e string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6, 7 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 6 | G♭, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 6 | C♭, D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 5, 7 | E♭, F♭, G♭ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
Box 4 · frets 6–9
A♭ natural minor in box 4 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 17 notes across 6 strings, from B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 up to D♭ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the D string at fret 6 and the B string at fret 9.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 7, 9 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 6, 7, 9 | E♭, F♭, G♭ |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8, 9 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 8, 9 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 9 | G♭, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 7, 9 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
Box 5 · frets 9–12
A♭ natural minor in box 5 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 15 notes across 6 strings, from D♭ on the low E string at fret 9 up to F♭ on the high e string at fret 12. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the B string at fret 9.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 11, 12 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 5 (A) | 9, 11 | G♭, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 11 | C♭, D♭ |
| 3 (G) | 9, 11 | F♭, G♭ |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11, 12 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11, 12 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
Box 6 · frets 11–14
A♭ natural minor in box 6 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 17 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to G♭ on the high e string at fret 14. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the G string at fret 13.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 12, 14 | E♭, F♭, G♭ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13, 14 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13, 14 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 13 | G♭, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 12, 14 | B♭, C♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 12, 14 | E♭, F♭, G♭ |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ natural minor is the Aeolian mode of C♭ major, built as 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7. It adds B♭ and F♭ to A♭ minor pentatonic. The pattern is W, H, W, W, H, W, W.
When to use it
A♭ natural minor fits A♭ minor and A♭ 5th chords. Use it in A♭ minor or C♭ major keys. It works for jazz and classical lines.
Which position to practise
Learn Box 1 first. It keeps the root on string 6, fret 4, and covers frets 0–3 for a compact lower-position pattern.
Common questions
What notes are in A♭ natural minor?
A♭ natural minor contains A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, and G♭. The intervals are 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7. It is the Aeolian mode of C♭ major. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Which chords does A♭ natural minor fit?
A♭ natural minor fits A♭ minor and A♭ 5th chords. It also works over C♭ major and F♭ major chords. Use it for minor-key progressions.
How is A♭ natural minor different from A♭ minor pentatonic?
A♭ natural minor adds B♭ and F♭ to A♭ minor pentatonic. The pentatonic has five notes; natural minor has seven. The extra notes create a more complete minor sound.