Eb 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
- Eb Aeolian (natural minor)
- Family
- Diatonic modes
- Note count
- 7
- Step formula
- W – H – W – W – H – W – W
Notes & degrees
1Ebroot
2Fmajor 2nd
b3Gbminor 3rd
4Abperfect 4th
5Bbperfect 5th
b6Cbminor 6th
b7Dbminor 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
- EbWFHGbWAbWBbHCbWDb
- Reference mode
- Eb Aeolian
Eb Aeolian (natural minor) coincides with the Eb 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
- Eb majormajor from the same tonic
Sibling modes
Chords by degree
Tensions & resolutions
Stable degrees
IEbpoint of resttonic
IIIGbdefines modal qualitythird
VBbsupports the tonic sonorityfifth
Typical resolutions & tensions
IIIGbGb
IVAbAb
In a dominant context, scale degree 4 normally descends by step to 3.
IEbEb
IIFF
Scale degree 2 may descend to tonic; the motion is especially close when degree 2 is lowered.
This mode on guitar 🎸
See how Eb 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.