Also written Minor, Pure Minor or Aeolian
C natural minor uses C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, and B♭. Box 1 places roots on string 4 fret 5 and string 1 fret 3 for a low-position start.
C natural minor is the Aeolian mode of E♭ major, sharing its key signature. It lowers the third, sixth, and seventh degrees of C major. Compared with C minor pentatonic, it adds D and A♭ for full diatonic movement.
Use C natural minor over C minor and C 5th progressions in blues, rock, and classical settings. The A♭ and B♭ create a dark pull back to C. C natural minor suits the key of C minor, where the seventh degree stays a whole step below the tonic.
Learn Box 1 first. It keeps the root on the fourth string and covers frets 0–3 for easy open-position phrasing.
C natural minor in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 10 notes across 4 strings, from C on the C string at fret 0 up to C on the A string at fret 3. The root falls on the C string at fret 0 and the A string at fret 3.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 0, 1, 3 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (C) | 0, 2, 3 | C, D, E♭ |
| 2 (E) | 1, 3 | F, G |
| 1 (A) | 1, 3 | B♭, C |
C natural minor in box 2 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 9 notes across 4 strings, from D on the C string at fret 2 up to D on the A string at fret 5. The root falls on the G string at fret 5 and the A string at fret 3.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 3, 5 | B♭, C |
| 3 (C) | 2, 3, 5 | D, E♭, F |
| 2 (E) | 3, 4 | G, A♭ |
| 1 (A) | 3, 5 | C, D |
C natural minor in box 3 runs from fret 5 to fret 8, 11 notes across 4 strings, from F on the C string at fret 5 up to F on the A string at fret 8. The root falls on the G string at fret 5 and the E string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 5, 7, 8 | C, D, E♭ |
| 3 (C) | 5, 7, 8 | F, G, A♭ |
| 2 (E) | 6, 8 | B♭, C |
| 1 (A) | 5, 6, 8 | D, E♭, F |
C natural minor in box 4 runs from fret 7 to fret 10, 10 notes across 4 strings, from G on the C string at fret 7 up to G on the A string at fret 10. The root falls on the E string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 7, 8, 10 | D, E♭, F |
| 3 (C) | 7, 8, 10 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (E) | 8, 10 | C, D |
| 1 (A) | 8, 10 | F, G |
C natural minor in box 5 runs from fret 10 to fret 12, 8 notes across 4 strings, from B♭ on the C string at fret 10 up to A♭ on the A string at fret 11. The root falls on the C string at fret 12.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 10, 12 | F, G |
| 3 (C) | 10, 12 | B♭, C |
| 2 (E) | 10, 11 | D, E♭ |
| 1 (A) | 10, 11 | G, A♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
C natural minor contains C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, and B♭. The intervals are 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7. It is the Aeolian mode of E♭ major.
C natural minor fits C minor and C 5th chords. The tonic chord is C minor. The scale also works over progressions built from the key of C minor.
C natural minor adds D and A♭ to the five notes of C minor pentatonic. The pentatonic scale omits the second and sixth degrees. The natural minor provides a fuller diatonic sound.