Natural Minor (Aeolian) · also called Aeolian

E Natural Minor Scale

The sad one. Same seven notes as its relative major, started three semitones lower.

Notes: E F♯ G A B C D
Formula: 1 · 2 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭6 · ♭7
Sound: dark, wistful
Guitar positions: 5

Jump to the patterns All guitar scales Key of E Minor

The patterns on guitar

5 fretboard positions in standard tuning, low string on the left. Every dot is a note of the scale and the number inside it is the scale degree, so you can see the shape and the theory at once.

root notescale notenumbers inside the dots are scale degrees

Box 1

CAGED Position 1 (Em shape)

Open position

When to use it: It lands in open position for this key, so the open strings carry the low notes — easy to play, but the one shape you cannot slide to another key. The Em-shape position. Its root lines up with an Em-shape barre chord, so it is the natural place to solo when the progression is rooted on the 6th string.

Box 2

CAGED Position 2 (Dm shape)

Frets 3–6

When to use it: The Dm-shape position. A connector more than a destination — use it to travel between the Em and Cm shapes.

Box 3

CAGED Position 3 (Cm shape)

Frets 5–8

When to use it: The Cm-shape position, root on the 5th string. Sits well for melodic playing in the middle of the neck.

Box 4

CAGED Position 4 (Am shape)

Frets 7–10

When to use it: The Am-shape position. Lines up with Am-shape barre chords — the second-most useful shape after the Em.

Box 5

CAGED Position 5 (Gm shape)

Frets 10–13

When to use it: The Gm-shape position. The biggest stretch of the five; learn it last, use it to close the loop up the neck.

The notes

7 notes, built off E with the formula 1 · 2 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭6 · ♭7. Flatten the 3rd, 6th and 7th of a major scale and you get natural minor. It shares a key signature with its relative major, which is why the two feel like the same room lit differently.

Tap any note to hear it on its own.

Chords built from this scale

Stack every other note of the scale and you get its seven diatonic chords. These are the chords that sound at home over this scale — a progression made only of these will never leave the key.

Diatonic chords of the E natural minor scale
Degree	Chord	Notes	Seventh	Function
i	Em	E G B	Em7	tonic — everything resolves here
ii°	F♯dim	F♯ A C	F♯m7♭5	supertonic — unstable; usually passes straight to the dominant
III	G	G B D	Gmaj7	mediant — relative-major colour
iv	Am	A C E	Am7	subdominant — the wistful, minor version of the lift away
v	Bm	B D F♯	Bm7	dominant — a softer, modal pull home
VI	C	C E G	Cmaj7	submediant — the relative major's home
VII	D	D F♯ A	D7	subtonic — a whole step below home, no pull

Common questions

What notes are in the E Natural Minor Scale?

The E natural minor scale has 7 notes: E, F#, G, A, B, C, D. The interval formula is 1–2–♭3–4–5–♭6–♭7, counted up from E.

What chords are in the E Natural Minor Scale?

The E natural minor scale builds seven diatonic chords: i Em, ii° F#dim, III G, iv Am, v Bm, VI C, VII D.

Where do I start on guitar?

Start with CAGED Position 1 (Em shape) in open position. It lands in open position for this key, so the open strings carry the low notes — easy to play, but the one shape you cannot slide to another key. The Em-shape position. Its root lines up with an Em-shape barre chord, so it is the natural place to solo when the progression is rooted on the 6th string.

Is the E Natural Minor Scale the same as the G Major Scale?

They use exactly the same notes — E, F#, G, A, B, C, D — but resolve to different home notes. Play the pattern thinking E and you hear the E natural minor scale; think G and the same shape becomes the G major scale.

Learn the theory behind it

The patterns above get your fingers moving. These explain what the notes are actually doing, so you can use the scale instead of just running it.