Natural Minor

The natural minor scale is the counterpart to the major scale—often considered its polar “opposite.” This dark, sad-sounding scale is at home in metal, rock, pop, and folk styles. It is a seven-tone (diatonic) scale with a minor 3rd, minor 6th, and minor 7th. The notes, tones, and intervallic structure are shown below, based on E.

E natural minor, patterns 1 – 5

The natural minor scale has five different “positional” patterns on the neck. These contain and correspond to the minor pentatonic boxes (page 10). This makes learning the natural minor scale somewhat easier because you are just adding on to patterns previously learned. Below, the pentatonic boxes are shown in solid dots with added tones 2 and ♭6 shown in grey dots. Taken together, they form the full diatonic natural minor scale.

Fingering: Pattern 1 is in open (first) position. Pattern 2 is in second position. Pattern 3 is in fifth position (fourth for strings 3 and 4). Pattern 4 is in seventh position. Pattern 5 is in ninth position (tenth for strings 1 and 2).

Here is the entire neck for E natural minor. The “omit B, string 3” reference on lower pattern 1 tells you that one note which is unavoidably included in the bracketed area should be skipped. The higher pattern 1 begins at the eleventh fret, and so, does not need this indication.

Pause the scale from time to time and play the Em anchor chords. This way, your ear will be sure to hear E as the root.

Other tonalities

Below are full neck patterns for A minor and C minor, along with the appropriate “anchor” chords. Play the chords and patterns for each tonality.

For other keys, simply slide the nearest pattern up or down the neck, placing the circled root locations at the appropriate fret. (See page 63 for note names on the neck, if necessary.)

E natural minor, three notes per string

For faster scale runs, three-note-per-string scale patterns are useful. There are seven different three-note-per-string patterns—one beginning on each tone of the scale. (Pattern 1 is shown at the octave position, below, as well.) These are excellent patterns for sequencing practice, and are very effective for building up your speed and picking technique.

Consistent alternate picking is recommended, beginning with a downstroke. For example, when playing any of these patterns, string 6 will always be ‘down-up-down’ followed by ‘up-down-up’ on string 5. Repeat this approach on strings 4 and 3, then again on strings 2 and 1.

Fingering: When the notes span five frets on a string, use fingering 1–2–4 (or 1–3–4). Also, allow your position to change fluidly as needed through each pattern. For example, pattern 3 begins in third position (strings 5 and 6), changes to fourth position (strings 3 and 4), and changes again to fifth position (strings 1 and 2).

Other tonalities, three notes per string

Below are the three-note-per-string patterns for A and C natural minor. In each case, pattern 1 begins on the root on the sixth string, and the sequence of the patterns remains the same.

For other keys, simply slide the patterns up or down the neck. (See page 63 for note names on the neck.)