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