C Aeolian (natural minor)
Natural minor with a minor 6th and minor 7th above the tonic; a stable minor sound without a leading tone.
Octaves
Musical context
How the mode relates to the scale, chord, key and progression.
Theory
General info
- Name
- C Aeolian (natural minor)
- Family
- Diatonic modes
- Note count
- 7
- Step formula
- W – H – W – W – H – W – W
Notes & degrees
1Croot
2Dmajor 2nd
b3Ebminor 3rd
4Fperfect 4th
5Gperfect 5th
b6Abminor 6th
b7Bbminor 7th
Construction
- Overview
- Natural minor with a minor 6th and minor 7th above the tonic; a stable minor sound without a leading tone.
- Application in music
- Identical to natural minor. Its diatonic dominant is minor v; functional minor often raises degree 7.
- Interval formula
- CWDHEbWFWGHAbWBb
- Reference mode
- C Aeolian
C Aeolian (natural minor) coincides with the C Aeolian mode — it is the reference itself.
How the mode is built
- Position in the system
- Degree 6 of the parent major scale
- Parallel major
- C majormajor from the same tonic
Sibling modes
Chords by degree
Tensions & resolutions
Stable degrees
ICpoint of resttonic
IIIEbdefines modal qualitythird
VGsupports the tonic sonorityfifth
Typical resolutions & tensions
IIIEbEb
IVFF
In a dominant context, scale degree 4 normally descends by step to 3.
ICC
IIDD
Scale degree 2 may descend to tonic; the motion is especially close when degree 2 is lowered.
This mode on guitar 🎸
See how C Aeolian (natural minor) looks on guitar.
Circle of fifths
The major key on the same tonic and its neighbouring keys on the circle of fifths.
Connections
Practice
Keyboard Trainer
Reinforce it in practice — play and name notes on the interactive keyboard.