STRINGSCALES

B♭ neapolitan minor Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, Gb, A, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb at frets 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11

A string: A, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, F, Gb, A at frets 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12

D string: Eb, F, Gb, A, Bb, Cb, Db at frets 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11

G string: A, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, F, Gb at frets 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11

B string: Cb, Db, Eb, F, Gb, A, Bb, Cb at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12

High E string: F, Gb, A, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb at frets 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11

Pick a root note

Pick a scale

Bb neapolitan minor

The neapolitan minor scale is harmonic minor with a flat 2nd: root, flat 2nd, flat 3rd, 4th, 5th, flat 6th, major 7th. It combines the phrygian half-step opening with the harmonic minor's dramatic leading tone, giving two strong pulls toward the root from both sides. Classical composers used its namesake Neapolitan chord for exactly this dark-to-resolution effect.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

B♭

i

B♭m
C♭

bII

C♭maj
D♭

bIII+

D♭aug
E♭

iv

E♭m
F

V

Fmaj♭5
G♭

bVI

G♭maj
A

VII

C♭7no5/A

Same notes, different mode

Bb neapolitan minor uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

Cb lydian #6Db mixolydian augmentedEb romani minorF locrian dominantGb ionian major #2A ultralocrian

neapolitan minor in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Two half-step magnets pull to the root: bII (B) from above... approach Bb from both directions in one phrase.
  • Use it over a minor chord when the bII (B) major triad (the Neapolitan chord) appears in the progression; the scale covers both.
  • Practice the augmented 2nd between b6 (Gb) and VII the same way you would in harmonic minor: as a deliberate expressive leap.
  • Compare against Bb harmonic minor in the same solo: only the 2nd changes, and that single flat is pure classical drama.

How to play B♭ neapolitan minor on guitar

Clamp a capo at fret 1 and A fingerings land in this key, so the open-position vocabulary carries over intact. Open A and open B sit in the key. Roots mark 1 on the A string, 6 on both E strings, 3 on the G, with that open A doubling as the major seventh. Five flats and a first box that stops at 10 make the written page busier than the fingering, which means reading it once and memorising it saves time.

homeall scalesaboutfaqpricingmicrotonalterms & conditionsprivacy policycookie policy© 2026 StringScales. All rights reserved.