Minor Scales Explained

What Is a Minor Scale?

The darker counterpart to the major scale

The minor scale is one of the two foundational scales of Western music, alongside the major scale. Together, the major and minor scales account for the vast majority of harmony you will encounter in classical music, jazz, pop, rock, folk, film scores and beyond.

Unlike the major scale, which has only one form, the minor scale has three. The palette of colours available across this range of melodic possibilities produce a range of darker colours. Brooding, intense, melancholic, mysterious, magical, pensive, gloomy, reflective and many more moods can be generated by the various opportunities created by the minor colour palette. Beethoven's grand musical imaginings often explored the minor palette, including the iconic theme from the first movement of his fifth symphony. Other famous melodies that explore the minor sound world include Gershwin's Summertime, Beethoven's Fur Elise and the somewhat eerie Christmas classic Carol of the Bells, which can be found at our download index of Christmas tunes page.

The foundation of the minor key concept is the Natural Minor scale. It is used as a base to generate the other melodic possibilities contained within the other two scales. The natural minor scale is formed directly from the relative major scale. The other two scale options are the Harmonic Minor and the Melodic Minor. All three are explained on this page (with dedicated guides linked for deeper coverage), but most of this page focuses on the natural minor scale, because the other two are derived from it.

The Three Types of Minor Scale

Natural, harmonic and melodic — what's the difference

There are three types of minor scale in Western music: natural, harmonic and melodic. All three share the same first five notes — the differences lie in the sixth and seventh degrees. Each type has its own sound, its own purpose, and its own typical contexts. The natural minor is the foundation; the harmonic and melodic minor scales are alterations of it that offer specific melodic and harmonic opportunities.

In standard music theory, when we talk about a "minor key" — A minor, D minor, G minor — we are referring to the natural minor key signature. The harmonic and melodic minor scales borrow notes from outside that key signature using accidentals; they do not have key signatures of their own. This page focuses on the natural minor scale; the harmonic and melodic minor scales each have a dedicated page that goes much deeper than the orientation cards above.

The Natural Minor Scale Formula

The pattern of tones and semitones

Every natural minor scale is built using the same minor scale formula — the same pattern of intervals between consecutive notes. Memorise the formula and you can construct the natural minor scale in any key starting from any note.

T  —  S  —  T  —  T  —  S  —  T  —  T

That is: Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone. The semitones in the natural minor scale fall between degrees 2 and 3, and between degrees 5 and 6.

This formula is closely related to the major scale formula (T T S T T T S) but with the semitones in different positions. The shifted semitone positions are exactly what produces the minor third (between degrees 1 and 3) and the minor sixth (between degrees 1 and 6) that give the minor scale its character. The two formulas use the same intervals — just rearranged.

The natural minor scale is also identical to the Aeolian mode of the major scale. If you play a major scale starting from its sixth degree (rather than its first), the resulting sequence of notes is the natural minor scale of that sixth degree. C major played from A — A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A — is the A natural minor scale. This is the relationship behind the relative minor concept covered further down this page.

How to Build a Natural Minor Scale

Two worked examples

Building a natural minor scale is a matter of starting on your chosen tonic and applying the formula T S T T S T T to find each subsequent note. Here are two worked examples — one starting on a white-key note (A natural minor) and one starting on a flat-key note (G natural minor).

Example 1: A Natural Minor

Starting on A, apply the formula step by step:

A  +T→ B  +S→ C  +T→ D  +T→ E  +S→ F  +T→ G  +T→ A

This gives you A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A — the A natural minor scale. It uses no sharps or flats, which is why A minor is the easiest minor scale to learn and the natural starting point for any musician approaching minor scales for the first time. On the piano, the A natural minor scale is played using only the white keys.

Example 2: G Natural Minor

Starting on G, apply the same formula:

G  +T→ A  +S→ B♭  +T→ C  +T→ D  +S→ E♭  +T→ F  +T→ G

This gives G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, F, G — the G natural minor scale. Notice we have B♭ and E♭, both required to maintain the T S T T S T T pattern. G natural minor has two flats in its key signature (B♭ and E♭) — the same key signature as B♭ major, which is its relative major.

The same approach works for any starting note. Once you can apply the formula confidently, you can derive any of the 12 natural minor scales from scratch — though in practice, most musicians come to know them through the relative minor relationship covered next, rather than building each one from the formula every time.

Relative Minor and Relative Major

The shortcut that connects every major key to a minor one

So what is a relative minor scale? Every major scale has a relative minor scale that shares the same key signature. The two scales contain exactly the same seven notes — they just start on a different note. C major and A minor are the most familiar pair: both have no sharps and no flats, but C major starts on C, while A minor starts on A. The two scales feel completely different in character even though they share the same notes, because the listener's ear hooks onto whichever note functions as the tonic.

How to Find the Relative Minor of a Major Key

To find the relative minor of any major key, count down three semitones (a minor third) from the major tonic. C down a minor third lands on A — so the relative minor of C major is A minor. G down a minor third lands on E — so the relative minor of G major is E minor. The pattern works for every major key. Equivalently, you can count up: the major scale's sixth degree is its relative minor's tonic.

How to Find the Relative Major of a Minor Key

To find the relative major of any minor key, count up three semitones (a minor third) from the minor tonic. A up a minor third lands on C — so the relative major of A minor is C major. The relationship works in both directions, and once you know one of any pair, you know the other.

All 12 Relative Major / Relative Minor Pairings

The table below shows every major key alongside its relative minor, with the shared key signature. Use this as a lookup whenever you need to find a relative minor or relative major quickly. For a visual representation of these relationships arranged around a circle, see our circle of fifths guide — the inner ring of the diagram shows every relative minor.

Three pairings are worth singling out for their frequency in real repertoire. The relative minor of C major is A minor — the most common pair, and the natural starting point for any minor-scale study because both keys use only natural notes. The G major relative minor is E minor — both share one sharp, F♯, and the pair appears constantly in folk, rock and pop music. The B♭ major relative minor is G minor — these two keys are central to jazz and big-band repertoire because B♭ is the home key of so many wind instruments. Memorise these three first; the rest follow the same logic.

All 12 Natural Minor Scales — Reference Table

Every minor scale at a glance

The table below lists all twelve natural minor scales in circle-of-fifths order, showing the notes in each scale, the number of sharps or flats in the key signature, and the relative major. You can filter by sharp keys, flat keys, or view them all together.

Notes of Each Natural Minor Scale

Every key, named and spelt out

The reference table above gives you all 12 natural minor scales in one place. Below is the same information set out in plain prose, with each scale named in both forms ("the A minor scale" and "the scale of A minor") so you can find what you are looking for whether you arrived from a search for "the B natural minor scale" or "the scale of B minor".

The A Minor Scale

The A natural minor scale (also called simply the A minor scale, or the scale of A minor) contains the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A. It has no sharps or flats in its key signature — the same as C major. This is why A minor is the first minor scale most musicians learn: it can be played using only the white keys on a piano. A minor is the relative minor of C major.

The E Minor Scale

The E natural minor scale, or the scale of E minor, contains the notes E, F♯, G, A, B, C, D, E. It has one sharp in its key signature: F♯. E minor is the relative minor of G major and is one of the most frequently encountered keys in folk, rock and acoustic guitar music.

The B Minor Scale

The B natural minor scale (the scale of B minor) contains the notes B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G, A, B. It has two sharps: F♯ and C♯. B minor is the relative minor of D major.

The F Sharp Minor Scale

The F♯ natural minor scale, or the scale of F♯ minor, contains the notes F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯. It has three sharps in its key signature: F♯, C♯ and G♯. F♯ minor is the relative minor of A major and is heavily used in piano repertoire from Chopin onwards.

The C Sharp Minor Scale

The C♯ natural minor scale (the scale of C♯ minor) contains the notes C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯. It has four sharps in its key signature. C♯ minor is the relative minor of E major. Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is in this key — partly responsible for its enduring search interest.

The G Sharp Minor Scale

The G♯ natural minor scale, or the scale of G♯ minor, contains the notes G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯. It has five sharps in its key signature. G♯ minor is the relative minor of B major.

The D Sharp Minor Scale

The D♯ natural minor scale (the scale of D♯ minor) contains the notes D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯. It has six sharps including the unusual E♯. D♯ minor is the relative minor of F♯ major. Most musicians encounter the equivalent enharmonic key, E♭ minor, more often than D♯ minor itself.

The D Minor Scale

The D natural minor scale, or the scale of D minor, contains the notes D, E, F, G, A, B♭, C, D. It has one flat in its key signature: B♭. D minor is the relative minor of F major and is famously the key of Mozart's Requiem and many other pieces with serious or tragic character.

The G Minor Scale

The G natural minor scale (the scale of G minor) contains the notes G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, F, G. It has two flats: B♭ and E♭. G minor is the relative minor of B♭ major and one of the most-used keys in jazz, where minor improvisation often gravitates here.

The C Minor Scale

The C natural minor scale, or the scale of C minor, contains the notes C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C. It has three flats in its key signature: B♭, E♭ and A♭. C minor is the relative minor of E♭ major and is the parallel minor of C major — useful to compare side by side, since they share the same tonic but completely different key signatures.

The F Minor Scale

The F natural minor scale (the scale of F minor) contains the notes F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F. It has four flats in its key signature. F minor is the relative minor of A♭ major.

The B Flat Minor Scale (B♭ Minor Scale)

The B♭ natural minor scale, or the scale of B♭ minor, contains the notes B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭. It has five flats in its key signature. B♭ minor is the relative minor of D♭ major.

The E Flat Minor Scale (E♭ Minor Scale)

The E♭ natural minor scale (the scale of E♭ minor) contains the notes E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭. It has six flats including the unusual C♭. E♭ minor is the relative minor of G♭ major and is the enharmonic equivalent of D♯ minor.

Minor Scales for Saxophone

Practice order, written pitch, and practical tips

The saxophone is a transposing instrument, so the minor scales you read and finger are written in a different key from the same scales played on a piano or guitar. We won't re-cover the mechanics of that here — for the full explanation including a live concert-to-written conversion tool, see our saxophone transposition chart. What this section covers instead is how to actually practise the minor scales on saxophone: which keys to start with, which to leave until later, and the fingering trouble spots specific to minor keys. For a broader walk-through covering the major scales and other scale types, see our saxophone scales hub.

Recommended Practice Order for Saxophone

Once you have a few major scales fluent, add minor scales in roughly this order in written pitch (the pitch you read and finger). The order is the same whether you play alto, tenor, soprano or baritone — the fingerings are identical across the saxophone family.

Start with: A natural minor and D natural minor (written pitch). A minor uses no accidentals; D minor uses only B♭. Both sit comfortably in the saxophone's middle register.

Then add: E natural minor, G natural minor, C natural minor — gradually introducing more sharps and flats while building familiarity with the natural minor sound.

Finally: the more demanding keys — B natural minor, F♯ minor, F minor, B♭ minor and the rest — which require less familiar fingering combinations and more accidentals.

Minor Scales for Alto and Tenor Saxophone

The minor scales for the alto saxophone use the same fingerings as the minor scales for the tenor saxophone, soprano and baritone — only the written and sounding keys differ between the horns. The most comfortable starting minor scales for the alto saxophone in written pitch are A minor and D minor; these are also the most comfortable on tenor, soprano and bari. Once those are fluent, work through the other ten in roughly the order above.

How to Practise Minor Scales

Tips that apply to natural, harmonic and melodic minor

Minor scale practice follows the same principles as major scale practice — build in your thinking time slowly and evenly — but with a few additions specific to minor that are worth knowing. The advice below applies to natural minor scales but transfers cleanly to harmonic and melodic minor practice as well.

Pair Each Minor Scale with Its Relative Major

Because relative major and minor share the same notes, practising them as a pair is one of the most efficient things you can do. Play A natural minor immediately after C major; play E natural minor immediately after G major; play G natural minor immediately after B♭ major. The shared notes mean you reinforce both scales at once, and you build an ear for how the same set of notes feels different when the tonic changes.

Why Beginners Should Not Use a Metronome

Evenness of tone, evenness of rhythm and clean transitions between notes matter far more than speed. Until you really know the notes you need to play, trying to play them perfectly in time will only create tension and build bad habits. Only advanced students should practise with a metronome. Our free online metronome is built for exactly this kind of work.

Practise Ascending and Descending

This matters especially for minor scales because the melodic minor changes shape going down. Get into the habit of always playing scales in both directions; it is the only way to be ready for the melodic minor when you add it.

Vary Your Articulation

As with major scales, don't only play minor scales legato. Mix in all-tongued, two-slurred-two-tongued, and other articulation patterns. This builds both technical facility and musical versatility. It helps shift your mindset away from playing fixed patterns and toward building a flexible technique.

For one-to-one help working through the minor scales, saxophone lessons are available in person in South East London and online. Book a lesson to get started.

Printable Natural Minor Scales PDF

Free download for every saxophone

Below is a free printable scale chart covering all 12 natural minor scales in written pitch — the pitch you read and finger on the saxophone. Print at A4 or US Letter size and keep it on your music stand. Because saxophone fingerings are identical across alto, tenor, soprano and baritone, this single PDF works for every saxophone in the family. For the harmonic minor and melodic minor scales as PDFs, see the dedicated harmonic minor and melodic minor pages.

The PDF is completely free — no email signup required. If you find it useful, consider sharing this page with a fellow musician or teacher.