Aeolian (natural minor) · C · Guitar
The C Aeolian scale is C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ — formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, step pattern W–H–W–W–H–W–W. Use it over Cm7: it is the scale for the tonic minor chord (i7) and vi chords; the natural-minor sound. Below, every note is marked on the fretboard in standard tuning; press play to hear it on a synthesized guitar while each note lights up, or tap any fret to sound that note.
Visualizer
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
Tap any note on the diagram to hear it. Play runs the scale up and down one octave in eighth notes in the position starting at fret 8. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Reference
| Degree | Note | Interval from C | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | unison (0 semitones) | W |
| 2 | D | major 2nd (2 semitones) | H |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor 3rd (3 semitones) | W |
| 4 | F | perfect 4th (5 semitones) | W |
| 5 | G | perfect 5th (7 semitones) | H |
| ♭6 | A♭ | minor 6th (8 semitones) | W |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor 7th (10 semitones) | W |
Chord it implies: Cm7 (C – E♭ – G – B♭). Use it for: the tonic minor chord (i7) and vi chords; the natural-minor sound.
Common questions
C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭. As scale degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. It has 7 notes.
C Aeolian fits Cm7 and, more generally, the tonic minor chord (i7) and vi chords; the natural-minor sound.
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 — the step pattern from the root is W H W W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Start on the root C on the low E string at fret 8, and play the one-octave position shown: E-string fret 8, E-string fret 10, E-string fret 11, A-string fret 8, A-string fret 10, A-string fret 11, D-string fret 8, D-string fret 10. Every C on the neck is a root, so the same shape works in every position where the notes are marked.
Keep going
Same scale on piano · all Aeolian pages: Aeolian (natural minor) hub · practise it in context: ii–V–I trainer · theory: chord-scale theory.
Other scales from C