A# Minor
A sharp Minor scale for guitar presented by diagram.
The A# Minor is a seven-note scale, also called Natural A# Minor. Colored circles mark the tones in the diagram, with darker color highlighting the root notes. The root notes are always A# tones. In the two-octave pattern, the first root note is on the 6th string, 6th fret.
A# Minor 2 octaves
A# Minor full fretboard
A# Minor with note names
Shape 1 (5th position) with fingerings
Shape 2 (8th position) with fingerings
Shape 3 (10th position) with fingerings
Shape 4 (1st position) with fingerings
Shape 5 (3rd position) with fingerings
The scale displayed with its numeric formula, notes, intervals and scale degrees.
| Formula | Notes | Intervals | Degrees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A# | Unison | Tonic |
| 2 | B# | Major second | Supertonic |
| b3 | C# | Minor third | Mediant |
| 4 | D# | Perfect fourth | Subdominant |
| 5 | E# | Perfect fifth | Dominant |
| b6 | F# | Minor sixth | Submediant |
| b7 | G# | Minor seventh | Subtonic |
The second degree is written as B#, which is the same as C. The fifth degree is written as E#, which is the same as F. A practice in a scale notation is to not include the same letter twice, if it can be avoided.
The interval formula (2 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 2) can be expound into specific notes of the scale.
| Notes (ascending) | Interval |
|---|---|
| A#-B# | M2 |
| A#-C# | m3 |
| A#-D# | P4 |
| A#-F | P5 |
| A#-F# | m6 |
| A#-G# | m7 |
| Notes (descending) | Interval |
|---|---|
| A#-G# | M2 |
| A#-F# | M3 |
| A#-F | P4 |
| A#-D# | P5 |
| A#-C# | M6 |
| A#-C | m7 |
Abbreviations are used: M / m stands for major / minor and P stands for perfect.
The A sharp Minor scale consists of seven notes. These can be described as intervals, as semi-notes or steps on the guitar fingerboard, written as 2 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 2 from the first note to the next octave.
The A# Minor is relative to C# Major. Both scales include the same notes but their tonal center differ.
The A# Minor
is identical with the A# Aeolian mode.
Beneficial to learn this scale is to observe the note steps starting from the root: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. The same formula applies for the whole neck.
These are chords built from the notes of this scale:
| A#m, A#m7, A#m9, A#m11 |
| Cdim, Cm7b5 |
| C#, C#maj7, C#6, C#6/9, C#maj9, C#maj13 |
| D#m, D#m7, D#m6, D#m9, D#m11, D#m13 |
| Fm, Fm7 |
| F#, F#maj7, F#6, F#6/9, F#maj9 |
| G#, G#7, G#6, G#9, G#11, G#13 |
The tones in these chords correspond to the tones of the A# Minor scale in which A#m is the tonic triad and A#m7 the tonic 7th chord.
Start the audio and play along! Use notes from the scale in the diagram above.
Normal tempo:A# Minor scale first shape ascending.
The numbers above the tablature are suggested fingerings.