A natural minor scale
No sharps or flats — all white keys · pattern W–H–W–W–H–W–W
Scale degrees
| Degree | Note | Name | Half steps from A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Tonic | 0 |
| 2 | B | Supertonic | 2 |
| 3 | C | Mediant | 3 |
| 4 | D | Subdominant | 5 |
| 5 | E | Dominant | 7 |
| 6 | F | Submediant | 8 |
| 7 | G | Subtonic | 10 |
About this scale
The natural minor scale lowers the 3rd, 6th and 7th of the major scale. A minor shares every note with its relative major, so the two keys share the same key signature.
Relative key: C major.
Seventh chords in A natural minor scale
i7 Am7iiø7 Bm7♭5IIImaj7 Cmaj7iv7 Dm7v7 Em7VImaj7 Fmaj7VII7 G7
Other A scales
A majorA harmonic minorA melodic minorA major pentatonicA minor pentatonicA bluesA DorianA Mixolydian
Natural minor scale in other keys
Questions
What are the notes of the A natural minor scale?
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and back to A.
How many sharps or flats are in A natural minor scale?
None — it uses only natural notes (the white keys).
What is the step pattern of the natural minor scale?
W–H–W–W–H–W–W, where W is a whole step (two keys) and H is a half step (the next key). Start that pattern on A to get this scale.
What is the relative major of A natural minor?
C major. Both scales use the same notes but start on a different tonic.