D 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
- D Aeolian (natural minor)
- Family
- Diatonic modes
- Note count
- 7
- Step formula
- W – H – W – W – H – W – W
Notes & degrees
1Droot
2Emajor 2nd
b3Fminor 3rd
4Gperfect 4th
5Aperfect 5th
b6Bbminor 6th
b7Cminor 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
- DWEHFWGWAHBbWC
- Reference mode
- D Aeolian
D Aeolian (natural minor) coincides with the D 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
- D majormajor from the same tonic
Sibling modes
Chords by degree
Tensions & resolutions
Stable degrees
IDpoint of resttonic
IIIFdefines modal qualitythird
VAsupports the tonic sonorityfifth
Typical resolutions & tensions
IIIFF
IVGG
In a dominant context, scale degree 4 normally descends by step to 3.
IDD
IIEE
Scale degree 2 may descend to tonic; the motion is especially close when degree 2 is lowered.
This mode on guitar 🎸
See how D 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.