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