Natural minor scales

We now know about major scales, like the C major scale below.

We also know that we can start on the different notes of the major scale and get other scales called modes.

One of the modes, Ionian, is the same as a major scale.
Another commonly used mode is the Aeolian mode.

Natural Minor scale

The Aeolian mode is also known as the natural minor scale.

The Aeolian mode/natural minor scale has a whole and half steps make-up of W H W W H W W. This pattern will happen when going from scale degree 6 to 6 of a major scale.

The natural minor scale is named it comes naturally from the major scale; it has the same notes as the major scale but starts on a different pitch.

Usually the scale degrees are labeled starting at 1, as in the following:

Relative major and minor scales

Major and minor scales that contain the same notes but start on different pitches are called relative major and minor scales. C major and A minor are relative major and minor scales; they contain the same notes but start on different pitches.

Parallel major and minor scales

Using the arrangement of whole and half steps for minor but starting on C gives us this minor scale:

Half steps in the minor scale are still between scale degrees 2-3 and 5-6 so it is still a natural minor scale.

C major an C minor are called parallel major and minor scales. Parallel major and minor scales start on the same pitch but contain different notes (i.e., notes with different accidentals).

Comparing the C natural minor scale to the C major scale, we see that scale degrees 3, 6, and 7 must be lowered to keep the same pattern of half and whole steps. For example, in C major scale degree 3 was E. In C minor, there is an Eb so it is labeled as b3. The same is true for scale degrees 6 and 7 – now marked as b6 and b7.

Therefore , we can think of the natural minor scale as a major scale with b3, b6, and b7 scale degrees.

Minor scale examples in this manual

In this class we will think parallel major and minor.

We will indicate scale degrees, adding accidentals to compare the notes to the parallel major scale. Therefore, in minor, b3, b6, b7 scale degrees will be marked to show they are lowered from the major scale. (Other types of minor scales will change these accidentals.)

When we write in the scale degrees, we will also add in 9, 11, 13 numbers (under the normal 1-8 scale degree markings) as we did with the major scale.

We will also add the chord that comes from the scale at the end of the scale (as we did with major). Therefore, our C natural minor scale will look like this:

Note that the chord associated with the natural minor scale is a minor-minor 7 seventh chord. If extended it would also contain a 9, 11, and b13.