A natural minor uses the same seven notes as C major but starts and resolves on A. It's the natural reference scale for "minor" in the same way C major is for major: no sharps, no flats, just a different home note. The half-steps fall in different places, which is what gives minor its darker character.
Interval pattern
The A natural minor scale is built from this fixed pattern of whole steps (W) and half steps (H):
- Wwhole
- Hhalf
- Wwhole
- Wwhole
- Hhalf
- Wwhole
- Wwhole
Every natural minor scale uses this same pattern. The half-steps fall between scale degrees 2–3 and 5–6.
Scale degrees and intervals
Each note of the scale, with its scale-degree name and interval from the root:
| Degree | Note | Interval from root | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Root | Tonic |
| 2 | B | M2 | Supertonic |
| 3 | C | m3 | Mediant |
| 4 | D | P4 | Subdominant |
| 5 | E | P5 | Dominant |
| 6 | F | m6 | Submediant |
| 7 | G | m7 | Subtonic / Leading tone |
In melody and improvisation
A minor shows up across folk, classical, film scoring, and popular music whenever a piece needs to feel pensive without being explicitly sad. Many beginning improvisers learn it as their first minor key because the lack of accidentals makes it easy to focus on the melodic shape rather than fingerings.
Relative key
The A natural minor scale shares its notes with C major. Same seven pitches, different tonal centre — when a piece moves between them, no accidentals change.
Common mistakes
A natural minor isn't the only A-minor scale — A harmonic minor raises the 7th to G#, and A melodic minor raises the 6th and 7th going up (F#, G#) and uses naturals coming down. Most pop and folk uses *natural* minor; classical and jazz often use harmonic or melodic.
Drill it
The Interval Trainer gives you a root note and an interval, and asks you to name the result. Practising the intervals of the A natural minor scale is the fastest way to internalise it as a melodic shape rather than a memorised string of notes.
Open the Interval Trainer →Or drill key signaturesRelated
Frequently asked
- What are the notes in the A natural minor scale?
- A, B, C, D, E, F, G.
- How is A minor different from C major if they share notes?
- They use the same set of pitches but treat different notes as the tonal centre. C major resolves to C; A minor resolves to A. The shifted resolution changes the entire feel.
- What is the interval pattern of A natural minor?
- W-H-W-W-H-W-W (whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole).
- What is the relative major of A minor?
- C major — same key signature.