Scale reference

C minor scale

C – D – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭

The C minor scale runs C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭ and then back to C. It follows the natural minor step pattern — tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone — which is what makes it minor rather than any other kind of scale.

It uses each letter name once, which is why it is written with 3 flats.

The notes

C minor scale ascending, written with its key signature — the flats at the start apply to every note on those letters.

The C minor scale on the keyboard, from C up to C. The tonic is the darker key.

The step pattern

Every minor scale uses the same sequence of steps. Change the starting note and the pattern is what you keep.

C1
tone
D2
semi
E♭3
tone
F4
tone
G5
semi
A♭6
tone
B♭7
tone
C8

Semitone steps fall between degrees 2–3 and 5–6.

Play it, then move it

The explorer starts on C minor. Press play to hear it, touch any key, then change the starting note and watch the same pattern force different black keys. Switch to harmonic or melodic minor to hear the two raised forms.

Scale degrees

Degree	Note	Name	Interval from C	Semitones
1	C	Tonic	Perfect unison	0
2	D	Supertonic	Major second	2
3	E♭	Mediant	Minor third	3
4	F	Subdominant	Perfect fourth	5
5	G	Dominant	Perfect fifth	7
6	A♭	Submediant	Minor sixth	8
7	B♭	Subtonic	Minor seventh	10

The other two minor forms

Minor comes in three forms. They share the first five notes and differ near the top.

Form	Notes	Why it exists
Natural minor	C – D – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭	The plain form, matching the key signature.
Harmonic minor	C – D – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B	Raises the seventh degree, restoring the leading tone.
Melodic minor (ascending)	C – D – E♭ – F – G – A – B	Raises the sixth as well, smoothing the step-and-a-half gap.

A piece in C minor will move between all three depending on what the harmony needs at that moment. See minor scales for how they are chosen.

Key signature

C minor is the scale of the key of C minor, which has 3 flats. The key page lists the seven chords built on these notes.