Ab Minor Scale: What the Cb Means
Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb and Gb make up the Ab minor scale, and two of those names are theoretical: Cb is B, and Fb is E. The relative major, Cb, would need seven flats, so most guitarists switch to G# minor.
On the neck nothing changes. The root is on the 4th fret of the low E string or the 11th fret of the A string, and fretboard intervals help you see each note by its distance from Ab.
Play the Ab minor scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the Ab minor scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ab | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Bb | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| Cb | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| Db | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| Eb | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| Fb | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| Gb | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
Ab minor scale notes:
How the minor scale is built:
The minor scale is built from the degrees 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7, which gives the step pattern W-H-W-W-H-W-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is mode 6 of the Major Scale, so both scales share the same notes from a different starting point.
It is also known as Aeolian and Natural Minor.
Ab Minor Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (G)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the Ab minor scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Related modes
These scales share the same notes as the minor scale, starting from a different degree.
The minor scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
