STRINGSCALES

C minor Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb at frets 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11

A string: Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab at frets 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11

D string: D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12

G string: G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

B string: C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb at frets 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11

High E string: F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb at frets 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11

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C minor

The minor scale, also called natural minor or aeolian, shares its notes with the major scale three frets up but centers them on a darker home chord. The flat 3rd sets the minor sound, and the flat 6th gives it the heavy, melancholic pull that drives rock, metal and film ballads. Compare it with the harmonic and melodic minor, which each raise degrees to strengthen the resolution to the root.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

C

i

Cm
D

ii°

Ddim
E♭

bIII

E♭maj
F

iv

Fm
G

v

Gm
A♭

bVI

A♭maj
B♭

bVII

B♭maj

Characteristic note: Ab (b6), the flat sixth that separates natural minor from dorian.

Same notes, different mode

C 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.

D locrianEb major · relative majorF dorianG phrygianAb lydianBb mixolydian

minor in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Anchor your C minor phrases on the flat 3rd (Eb) and flat 7th (Bb); they are what separate the minor sound from C major.
  • Let the flat 6th (Ab) fall to the 5th (G) at phrase endings for the classic minor lament.
  • Solo over a i-bVI-bVII vamp in C minor: all three chords live inside the scale, so every scale tone works somewhere.
  • Swap to C harmonic minor on the V chord (raise bVII (Bb) to VII) to hear why that raised 7th exists, then fall back to natural minor on the i.

How to play C minor on guitar

Open D and G strings both live in C minor, and G is the fifth, so either one can ring under lines built from the fret 3 root on the A string. Barre players get two anchors: Cm at fret 3 with the A-shape and fret 8 with the E-shape, which means chords and scale boxes line up in both spots. Eb major shares all seven notes, so relative-major fingerings transfer untouched. Root-position box ends at fret 12.

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