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A♭ neapolitan minor scale on guitar
A♭ neapolitan minor contains A♭, B♭♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, G. Box 2 keeps the root on the sixth string for a wide stretch.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, 7
How do you play the A♭ neapolitan minor scale on guitar?
A♭ neapolitan minor in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 13 notes across 6 strings, from F♭ on the low E string at fret 0 up to G on the high e string at fret 3. The root falls on the G string at fret 1.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 0, 3 | F♭, G |
| 5 (A) | 0, 2 | B♭♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 1, 2 | E♭, F♭ |
| 3 (G) | 0, 1, 2 | G, A♭, B♭♭ |
| 2 (B) | 0, 2 | C♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 0, 3 | F♭, G |
Box 2 · frets 4–7
A♭ neapolitan minor in box 2 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, 5, 7 | A♭, B♭♭, C♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6, 7 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 4 (D) | 5, 6, 7 | G, A♭, B♭♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 6 | C♭, D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 5 | E♭, F♭ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 5, 7 | A♭, B♭♭, C♭ |
Box 3 · frets 7–10
A♭ neapolitan minor in box 3 runs from fret 7 to fret 10, 13 notes across 6 strings, from C♭ on the low E string at fret 7 up to D♭ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the B string at fret 9.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 7, 9 | C♭, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 7, 10 | F♭, G |
| 4 (D) | 7, 9 | B♭♭, C♭ |
| 3 (G) | 8, 9 | E♭, F♭ |
| 2 (B) | 8, 9, 10 | G, A♭, B♭♭ |
| 1 (e) | 7, 9 | C♭, D♭ |
Box 4 · frets 9–12
A♭ neapolitan minor in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 16 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) | 10, 11, 12 | G, A♭, B♭♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 11 | C♭, D♭ |
| 3 (G) | 9, 12 | F♭, G |
| 2 (B) | 9, 10, 12 | A♭, B♭♭, C♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11, 12 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
Box 5 · frets 11–14
A♭ neapolitan minor in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 15 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to F♭ on the high e string at fret 12. 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 | E♭, F♭ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 12, 14 | A♭, B♭♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13, 14 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 3 (G) | 12, 13, 14 | G, A♭, B♭♭ |
| 2 (B) | 12, 14 | C♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 12 | E♭, F♭ |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ neapolitan minor is A♭ harmonic minor with the second degree lowered a half step to B♭♭. The interval sequence is H, W, W, W, H, 1½, H. The ♭2 creates a semitone above the tonic. See A♭ harmonic minor for the unaltered form.
When to use it
Use it over A♭ minor riffs that include a ♭II chord like A major. It suits dark ambient and technical metal. The ♭2 adds a Middle Eastern flavour.
Which position to practise
Practise Box 2 first: the root is on string 6, fret 4, and the ♭2 is one fret higher. It covers frets 4–7 and leads naturally to Box 3.
Common questions
What notes are in A♭ neapolitan minor?
A♭, B♭♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, G. The scale has a half step between A♭ and B♭♭. The 1½ step occurs between F♭ and G. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Which chords fit A♭ neapolitan minor?
The tonic chord is A♭ minor. The ♭II chord is A major. The v chord is E♭ 7th flat 5. These chords outline the scale's unique intervals.
How is A♭ neapolitan minor different from A♭ harmonic minor?
A♭ harmonic minor has B♭, while neapolitan minor has B♭♭. This lowers the second degree by a half step. The rest of the scale is unchanged.