Ab Neapolitan: A Double-Flat Spelling
On paper the Ab Neapolitan scale looks forbidding: Ab, Bbb, Cb, Db, Eb, F and G. Bbb is a spelling of A, and Cb is B, but under your fingers nothing is unusual.
The root is on the 4th fret of the low E string and the 11th fret of the A string. If you think the notation gets in your way, the sharp version, G# Neapolitan, has the same sound.
Play the Ab neapolitan scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the Ab neapolitan scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ab | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Bbb | b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 |
| Cb | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| Db | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| Eb | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| F | 6 | Major 6th | 9 |
| G | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
Ab neapolitan scale notes:
How the neapolitan scale is built:
The neapolitan scale is built from the degrees 1 b2 b3 4 5 6 7, which gives the step pattern H-W-W-W-W-W-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is also known as Neapolitan Major.
Ab Neapolitan 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 neapolitan scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Scales with the same notes as Ab Neapolitan
These scales use exactly the same notes. Each one starts somewhere else, so the root and the mood change.
| Scale | Starts on degree | Learn the scale |
|---|---|---|
| Eb Arabic | 5 | Major Locrian |
Other scales on Ab
Same root, different notes. Play them back to back to hear what changes.
- Ab Phrygian: shares 5 notes
- Ab Harmonic Minor: shares 5 notes
- Ab Melodic Minor: 2 instead of b2
- Ab Dorian b2: b7 instead of 7
The neapolitan scale in other keys
Keep learning
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
