Chord & FretNeapolitan minor (A)
It grows out of the harmonic minor by swapping the 2nd note for its lowered version, the b2 — in plain terms, the second step sits right next to the tonic, just a half step away. The name comes from the Neapolitan chord, which is nothing more than the major chord built on that lowered 2nd, an expressive color from classical music. The result sounds dark and theatrical: the b2 tightens the start of the scale while the major 7th pulls strongly back home. It lives more in composition and analysis than in everyday repertoire; when it does appear, it colors minor chords with a major 7th.
Example: A – Bb – C – D – E – F – G#Formula: 1 – b2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – b6 – 7In the formula, the numbers are degrees — positions counted in the reference major scale; "b" lowers a half step and "#" raises one.
Family: Synthetic and specialized scales.
They appear in specific repertoires — concert music, film scores, modern jazz, regional traditions.
Chords in the harmonic field
These are the seven chords born from this scale — one built on each of its notes. Put another way: the set of chords that sounds naturally "inside" the scale. See the harmonic field of every key →
Am(maj7)Bbmaj7Dm7Fmaj7The same scale on all four instruments
In the diagrams, each dot carries its scale degree — 1 is the tonic, highlighted.
Each instrument above shows one box of Neapolitan minor — a slice of the whole neck. In Chord & Fret, you press play and watch each note light up on the diagram the instant it sounds; switch the dot labels between degrees, note names and fingers; and choose to start from the tonic or play the full box. Start free. Unlock everything with Pro. 100% offline. See it in Chord & Fret →