The Ruler
Build minor without a detour through major
Natural minor has its own distance recipe.
Take the guided lessonThe close steps move
A1
W
B2
H
C3
W
D4
W
E5
H
F6
W
G7
W
A8
Natural minor places its half steps between 2–3 and 5–6. The full recipe still totals an octave.
Build the written notes
Construct E natural minor directly
E is supplied. Follow W H W W H W W and choose the accidentals needed on the successive letters.
Numbering minor has two useful conventions
Inside E minor, G is the third scale degree. Compared with an E-major ruler, that degree is called b3 because it is a semitone lower than G#. The ordinal position and the comparison label answer different questions.
Natural minor is 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 against the parallel-major ruler. The b signs describe lowered relationships; they do not mean every written note uses a flat symbol.
Reference
Two ways of describing E natural minor
| Written note | Ordinal degree in E minor | Compared with E major |
|---|---|---|
| E | 1 | 1 |
| F# | 2 | 2 |
| G | 3 | b3 |
| C | 6 | b6 |
| D | 7 | b7 |
Check yourself
Does b3 require a written flat in E minor?
What to keep
Takeaways
- Natural minor is W H W W H W W.
- An altered degree label and a written accidental are different things.