JamEaseGuitar scales › Natural Minor Scale
F Natural Minor Scale – Guitar
The seven-note minor scale (the Aeolian mode): darker and more melodic than the minor pentatonic. Here it is in F: the notes, the whole neck, all five boxes with TAB, and a backing track to practise over.
Notes in the F natural minor scale
- F1
- G2
- A♭b3
- B♭4
- C5
- D♭b6
- E♭b7
Formula: 1 – 2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – b6 – b7. Use it to solo over songs in F minor, and over F blues and rock progressions.
Same seven notes as the A♭ major scale (its relative major).
F natural minor scale on the whole neck
Know the scale?
Now solo with it.
A guitar soloing course: 81 short lessons, each one ends with you jamming over a real backing track.
- From 3 notes to your own solos
- Every note on the neck, with sound and TAB
- 379 backing tracks in every key
The 5 boxes (positions) with TAB
Each box is one hand position. Learn Box 1 first: play it up with the TAB, then back down, then move to the next box – together they cover the whole neck.
Box 1 · frets 1–5
e|-------------------------------1-3-4-| B|-------------------------1-2-4-------| G|-------------------1-3-5-------------| D|-------------1-3-5-------------------| A|-------1-3-4-------------------------| E|-1-3-4-------------------------------|
Box 2 · frets 2–7
e|-------------------------------3-4-6-| B|-------------------------2-4-6-------| G|-------------------3-5-6-------------| D|-------------3-5-6-------------------| A|-------3-4-6-------------------------| E|-3-4-6-------------------------------|
Box 3 · frets 4–10
e|-------------------------------------------------------------4--6--8--9--| B|-------------------------------------------------4--6--8--9--------------| G|-------------------------------------5--6--8--10-------------------------| D|-------------------------5--6--8--10-------------------------------------| A|-------------4--6--8--10-------------------------------------------------| E|-4--6--8--9--------------------------------------------------------------|
Box 4 · frets 7–12
e|----------------------------------------------8--9--11-| B|-------------------------------------8--9--11----------| G|----------------------------8--10-12-------------------| D|-------------------8--10-11----------------------------| A|----------8--10-11-------------------------------------| E|-8--9--11----------------------------------------------|
Box 5 · frets 9–14
e|-------------------------------------------------9--11-13-| B|-------------------------------------9--11-13-14----------| G|----------------------------10-12-13----------------------| D|-------------------10-11-13-------------------------------| A|----------10-11-13----------------------------------------| E|-9--11-13-------------------------------------------------|
3 F minor licks to play with it
Box 1 licks from the JamEase lick library, written for F minor (h = hammer-on, p = pull-off, / = slide, b = bend, ~ = vibrato).
Low riff
A riff on the two lowest strings. Good for answering a vocal line.
e|----------------| B|----------------| G|----------------| D|----------------| A|-------13-------| E|-13-16----16-13-|
Slide into the root
Slide up the D string into the root, step out, and come back.
e|-----------------| B|-----------------| G|---------13------| D|-13/-15------15--| A|-----------------| E|-----------------|
Top-string bend
Bend on the top string three times, then drop home.
e|-13------16b-16b-16b-13~-| B|-----13------------------| G|-------------------------| D|-------------------------| A|-------------------------| E|-------------------------|
F minor backing track
Play the boxes over this, starting and ending phrases on the gold root notes.
Slow Blues Guitar Backing Track F Minor – erto sound
Songs in F minor
These songs are in F minor, so this is a scale that fits for soloing over them:
- All Of Me – John Legend
- Boulevard Of Broken Dreams – Green Day
- Frozen - Let It Go – Misc Cartoons
- Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
- Clocks – Coldplay
- Hello – Adele
- Aashiqui 2 - Tum Hi Ho – Misc Soundtrack
- Lemon Tree – Fool's Garden
- Closer – The Chainsmokers
- Glimpse Of Us – Joji
- Something In The Way – Nirvana
- Misery Business – Paramore
Other scales in F
- F Minor Pentatonic Scale
- F Major Pentatonic Scale
- F Blues Scale
- F Major Blues Scale
- F Major Scale
- F Dorian Mode
- F Mixolydian Mode
- F Phrygian Mode
- F Lydian Mode
- F Harmonic Minor Scale
- F Melodic Minor Scale
Natural Minor Scale in other keys
- C Natural Minor Scale
- C♯ Natural Minor Scale
- D Natural Minor Scale
- E♭ Natural Minor Scale
- E Natural Minor Scale
- F♯ Natural Minor Scale
- G Natural Minor Scale
- G♯ Natural Minor Scale
- A Natural Minor Scale
- B♭ Natural Minor Scale
- B Natural Minor Scale
Put it to use: solo with it, step by step, starting with three notes.
FAQ
What notes are in the F natural minor scale?
F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb. The formula is 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7.
Where do I start playing the F natural minor scale on guitar?
Start with Box 1, frets 1–5. The root note F is on the low E string at fret 1.
What is the relative major of F minor?
Ab major – it uses the same notes.