(MED. SWING ♩=80)
76

Jazz Piano · The Natural Minor

Aeolian (Natural Minor)

1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7 — diatonic minor, twelve keys

Aeolian is the 6th mode of major — the relative minor scale. C aeolian: C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C. Both 6 and 7 flatted from ionian; no leading tone (which is why classical minor uses harmonic minor instead, raising the 7).

Used over im7 chords in modal contexts where you want the darker minor flavour than dorian (which has natural 6). The flat-6 is the defining colour — it's what distinguishes natural minor from dorian and from melodic minor.

Now 2 octaves, both hands — the same pattern extended up and back with fingering marked above every note in each hand.

Intervals

1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7. The relative minor.

Use

Over im7 in dark modal contexts. Avoid as V's chord scale.

01

C minor

1 3 1 2 1 X 3fr C m 7 1 3 1 2 1 X 3fr C m 7
02

F minor

F m 7 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 F m 7
03

B♭ minor

B m 7 1 3 1 2 1 X 1 3 1 2 1 X B m 7
04

E♭ minor

1 2 3 4 X X E m 7 1 2 3 4 X X E m 7
05

A♭ minor

1 3 1 1 1 1 4fr A m 7 A m 7 1 3 1 1 1 1 4fr
06

C♯ minor

C m 7 4 2 1 X O O C m 7 4 2 1 X O O
07

F♯ minor

F m 7 1 3 1 1 1 1 F m 7 1 3 1 1 1 1
08

B minor

1 3 1 2 1 X B m 7 1 3 1 2 1 X B m 7
09

E minor

2 O O O O O E m 7 E m 7 2 O O O O O
10

A minor

A m 7 2 1 X O O O A m 7 2 1 X O O O
11

D minor

2 1 1 X X O D m 7 D m 7 2 1 1 X X O
12

G minor

1 3 1 1 1 1 3fr G m 7 1 3 1 1 1 1 3fr G m 7

The diatonic minor. Darker than dorian, no leading tone — the classical natural-minor sound.

80 bpm
Sound