A Natural Minor Scale on Piano

The A Natural Minor scale sounds dark and settled. It runs A – B – C – D – E – F – G and is written with no sharps or flats.

It shares its key signature with C major, its relative major.

Interval Circle

WHWWHWWCb3C#D4D#E5Fb6F#Gb7G#A1A#B2

All twelve semitones, root at the top. Filled dots are the notes of the scale, the outer numbers are their degrees, and W / H mark the whole and half steps between them.

About This Scale

Also called the Aeolian mode. Lowering the 3rd, 6th and 7th of the major scale drops the leading tone, so it resolves gently rather than urgently — the sound of folk melodies and minor-key pop.

Fingering

Right Hand (ascending)

1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5

Left Hand (ascending)

5-4-3-2-1-3-2-1

Why this fingering

This scale uses only white keys, so the thumb is free to fall anywhere. In the right hand the thumb crosses under onto D; let the elbow drift slightly outward as it passes rather than twisting the wrist.

The blue dots on the piano below show which keys to press — they turn green when you play the right note.

Notes in A Natural Minor

NoteIntervalRH FingerLH Finger
AA4Root (1)15
BB4Major 2nd (2)24
CC5Minor 3rd (b3)33
DD5Perfect 4th (4)12
EE5Perfect 5th (5)21
FF5Minor 6th (b6)33
GG5Minor 7th (b7)42
AA5Octave (8)51

Other Natural Minor Scales

C Natural Minor
C – D – Eb – F – G – Ab – Bb
C# Natural Minor
C# – D# – E – F# – G# – A – B
D Natural Minor
D – E – F – G – A – Bb – C
Eb Natural Minor
Eb – F – Gb – Ab – Bb – Cb – Db
E Natural Minor
E – F# – G – A – B – C – D
F Natural Minor
F – G – Ab – Bb – C – Db – Eb
F# Natural Minor
F# – G# – A – B – C# – D – E
G Natural Minor
G – A – Bb – C – D – Eb – F
G# Natural Minor
G# – A# – B – C# – D# – E – F#
Bb Natural Minor
Bb – C – Db – Eb – F – Gb – Ab
B Natural Minor
B – C# – D – E – F# – G – A

Other A Scales

A Major
A – B – C# – D – E – F# – G#
A Harmonic Minor
A – B – C – D – E – F – G#
A Melodic Minor
A – B – C – D – E – F# – G#
A Major Pentatonic
A – B – C# – E – F#
A Minor Pentatonic
A – C – D – E – G
A Blues
A – C – D – Eb – E – G
A Dorian
A – B – C – D – E – F# – G
A Mixolydian
A – B – C# – D – E – F# – G
A Chromatic
A – A# – B – C – C# – D – D# – E – F – F# – G – G#