Minor scales
E natural minor scale
The E natural minor scale is E F♯ G A B C D E. It uses the key signature of G major, one sharp (F♯), and no other accidentals. Here it is for both hands with the standard fingering.
- 1 sharp: F♯
- Relative major: G major
- RH 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5
- LH 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1
Listen with the cursor following the notes, or play along: the music waits for each note, and the keys show which finger to use.
The notes
E minor has one sharp, F♯, the same key signature as G major, its relative major.
| Degree | Note | Right hand | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tonic | E | 1 | 5 |
| 2Supertonic | F♯ | 2 | 4 |
| 3Mediant | G | 3 | 3 |
| 4Subdominant | A | 1 | 2 |
| 5Dominant | B | 2 | 1 |
| 6Submediant | C | 3 | 3 |
| 7Subtonic | D | 4 | 2 |
| 8Tonic | E | 5 | 1 |
Key signature
E minor has one sharp (F♯) in its key signature, the same as G major, its relative major. The natural minor needs nothing else: every note comes from the key signature.
What makes it natural minor
The natural minor uses only the notes of its key signature: the same notes as G major, its relative major, starting from E. It is also called the Aeolian mode.
Its seventh note, D, is a whole step below the tonic, so the scale doesn’t pull home the way a major scale does. The two other minor scales change that: the harmonic minor raises the seventh to D♯, and the melodic minor raises the sixth and seventh, C♯ and D♯, on the way up.
Fingering
Right hand: 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 going up. Going up, the thumb passes under the third finger from G to A. The fourth finger plays D: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is. Over two octaves, the E in the middle takes the thumb instead of the fifth finger, and the pattern starts again.
Left hand: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 going up. Going up, the third finger crosses over the thumb from B to C. The fourth finger plays F♯: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is. Over two octaves, the left hand starts on the fifth finger only once, at the bottom; the E in the middle takes the thumb.
Fingered like C major in both hands. The right thumb tucks under from G to A; in the left hand the thumb plays B and the third finger crosses over onto C.
Chords in E minor
The triads built on each note of the natural minor. In real music the chord on the fifth note is usually made major with the raised seventh, as in the harmonic minor.
Music in E minor
- Chopin’s Prelude in E minor, Op. 28 No. 4
- Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony (No. 9)
- Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto
How to practise it
- Hands separately first, slowly, saying the finger numbers. Fingering learned slowly stays; fingering found at speed changes every time.
- Practise the thumb crossings alone: play just the notes either side of each crossing, back and forth, until the thumb is in place before it’s needed.
- Then hands together, one octave, then two. The hands cross their thumbs at different places, which is what makes scales hands together hard at first.
- Use “Play along” above: it waits for each note, so you can check every note and finger at your own pace. Then Listen at ♩ = 72 and play with it.
Quick answers
- What are the notes of the E natural minor scale?
- E F♯ G A B C D E.
- What is the fingering for the E natural minor scale?
- Right hand 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5, left hand 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1, going up one octave from E (1 is the thumb). Coming down, the same fingers in reverse.
- What key signature does E minor have?
- One sharp (F♯), the same as its relative major, G major.
Scales, then real music
Pianomi is a free app that listens to your MIDI keyboard. It takes you through scales and arpeggios at a steady tempo, grading every note and beat, and gives you new music to sight-read every day, at your level.