G♯ natural minor scale (A♭ natural minor)
G♯ natural minor scale is G♯ – A♯ – B – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯, with G♯, A♯, C♯, D♯ and F♯. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Press play and follow the keys.
The notes, one step at a time
From G♯ upward the gaps are W H W W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between A♯–B and D♯–E.
| Degree | Note | Interval from G♯ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G♯ | root | |
| 2 | A♯ | major second | |
| ♭3 | B | minor third | |
| 4 | C♯ | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | D♯ | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | E | minor sixth | |
| ♭7 | F♯ | minor seventh |
How the natural minor scale sounds
Play G♯ natural minor next to G♯ major and three notes drop: the 3rd, 6th and 7th. That lowered 3rd is what makes it sound minor; the lowered 6th and 7th make it softer and less pushy at the top.
Its signature sound is E and F♯, the major chords on the ♭6 and ♭7, stepping back to G♯m: E – F♯ – G♯m.
Compared with A♭ major scale, G♯ natural minor scale has B, E and F♯ where the other has C, F and G; the other four notes are shared. Hear A♭ major scale and compare.
G♯ natural minor scale uses the same seven notes as B major, starting from G♯ instead of B.
Playing G♯ natural minor
Keyboard players: five black (G♯, A♯, C♯, D♯ and F♯), two white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 4th fret of the low E string and spans frets 2–8: 17 notes, low string to high.
The key of G♯ minor
Songs in G♯ minor are built from these notes, so the key signature has five sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯). The relative major is B major: same notes, starting on the 3rd degree. The parallel major, A♭ major, starts on the same note with different notes above it.
Chords and progressions in G♯ minor
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords of the key. Tap to hear each one.
Same notes, different home: C♯ Dorian (starting on the 4th note, C♯), D♯ Phrygian (starting on the 5th note, D♯), E Lydian (starting on the 6th note, E), F♯ Mixolydian (starting on the 7th note, F♯), A♯ Locrian (starting on the 2nd note, A♯) and B major (starting on the 3rd note, B). Play any of them over a drone on its first note and the mood changes, even though the keys you press don't.
Moving it around the guitar
The root, G♯, sits at fret 4 on the low E string and 11 on the A string. Five overlapping fingerings cover the neck, starting near frets 1, 4, 6, 9 and 11 on the low E string. On guitar it shares every note with the relative major, so the same boxes work with a different root in mind.
On the piano, G♯ natural minor scale uses 5 black keys (G♯, A♯, C♯, D♯ and F♯) and 2 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: G♯–B, A♯–C♯, B–D♯, C♯–E, D♯–F♯, E–G♯, F♯–A♯, then back down.
Drills for G♯ natural minor
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Three-note runs: G♯ A♯ B · A♯ B C♯ · B C♯ D♯ · C♯ D♯ E · D♯ E F♯ · E F♯ G♯.
- Target E: G♯ E G♯ E G♯: the ♭6 is what makes natural minor darker than Dorian.
Close relatives of G♯ natural minor scale
Natural minor scale in every key
G♯ natural minor scale: questions
What are the notes of the G♯ natural minor scale?
7 notes: G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯, E and F♯.
How many sharps or flats are in the G♯ natural minor scale?
Five: G♯, A♯, C♯, D♯ and F♯. That matches the key signature of G♯ minor.
What chords are in the G♯ natural minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives G♯m (i), A♯dim (ii°), B (III), C♯m (iv), D♯m (v), E (VI) and F♯ (VII).
What's the difference between G♯ natural minor scale and A♭ major scale?
B, E and F♯ in G♯ natural minor; C, F and G in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as G♯ natural minor scale?
B major. G♯ natural minor is B major played from its 6th note, G♯.
Notes and fingering generated from the scale formula and checked automatically against the step pattern. Updated September 2026.