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by Matt Warnock / Sunday, 08 May 2011 / Published in Beginner , Jazz Guitar Lessons , Jazz Guitar Scales May 8, 2011
Aeolian is the sixth mode of the major scale, which means it’s the same as playing a C major
scale from A to A.
This mode is used to solo over minor chords when you want to bring out the b6 (b13) interval,
such as Am, Am7, Am7(b6), etc.
Aeolian also commonly referred to as the natural minor scale, as it’s often used as a tonic
minor sound in rock, pop, classical, and other musical genres.
In this article you see this mode referred to as both natural minor and Aeolian so you get used
to seeing them as the same thing.
In this lesson, you learn how to build the natural minor scale, how to use it in your solos, one
and two-octave fingerings, patterns, and common licks in the style of Miles Davis and others.
Though not as commonly used in jazz as Dorian and melodic minor , Aeolian is an essential
scale for any jazz guitarist to have under their fingers.
What Notes Are In a Minor Scale? The intervals used to build a minor scale are 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-
b7.
What is the Aeolian Mode? The Aeolian mode is another name for the natural minor scale.
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This means that if you play A Aeolian on the piano, you only play the white keys, no black keys,
on the keyboard.
R-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
P1-M2-m3-P4-P5-m6-m7
P = Perfect Interval
M = Major Interval
m = Minor Interval
While these intervals are common, you can also think of the upper notes as extensions.
R-9-b3-11-5-b13-b7
I prefer this way as it allows you to visualize the upper colors of the scale over any minor chord
you’re soloing over.
Here’s how A natural minor looks with both notes and intervals.
You can use either system, 2-4-b6, 9-11-b13, or a mixture of both depending on the musical
situation.
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Try both out and see which fits better for you, and then go forward with that interval system.
Either way, notice that Aeolian has a b6, which is the characteristic note of the scale and
distinguishes it from Dorian, which has a natural 6th.
When soloing over minor chords , highlighting the b6 brings out the Aeolian sound, which you
hear in the examples below.
m7 th
m9 th
m7(b6)
m11
These minor family chords are all built from the Aeolian scale, and therefore it’s the scale
that’s used to solo over these chords.
Here’s an example of an Aeolian fingering and three chords from that fingering to see how
they relate to each other on the fretboard.
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To begin using this theory knowledge, put on a minor backing track and solo with any fingering
you learn in this lesson.
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Though you won’t use this scale as much as Dorian, it’s worth exploring, especially on modal
songs where you can alternate between both scales in your solo.
To help you practice the material in this lesson, here’s a backing track to jam with as you learn
the following material.
To begin, here are four chords from the 6th string that are based on the Aeolian scale.
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Here are four more chords, this time with 5-string root notes to study and add to your rhythm
guitar playing.
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Natural Minor Scale One Octave Shapes
To help you take this scale onto the fretboard, here are one-octave Aeolian shapes that you
can work on in your practice routine.
These one-octave shapes come in handy when soloing over fast moving chords or at fast
tempos.
When learning these shapes, work them in 12 keys and solo over various minor chords using
these shapes as the basis for your lines.
This ensures that you’re working Aeolian scales from both a technical and improvisational
standpoint.
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You can also practice these scales with your middle finger on the first note of each one-octave
shape.
Once you have these four shapes under your fingers, move between the first four and these
four in your practice routine.
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Lastly, here are four shapes that begin with your pinky finger on the first note.
Again, work these shapes in 12 keys and solo over minor-based backing tracks to be creative
with these scales in the woodshed.
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Once you have all three sets of shapes under your fingers, move between any of these scales
in your technical and improvisational practice routine.
Two-octave Aeolian shapes come in handy when you’re soloing over longer chord changes or
tunes that don’t often change keys.
There are a number of ways to build two-octave Aeolian shapes, here are four of my favorites
to get you started.
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Learn one shape at a time, and then combine two or more in your practice routine as you dig
further into these important scales.
To begin, here’s an ascending pattern that you can use to expand your technique and learn
scale shapes at the same time.
The pattern is built by alternating 3rds, in this case ascending the scale shape.
This means that you play 13, 42, 35, 64, etc. as you work your way up the scale.
Go slow, work it through one and two-octave shapes, and in different keys as you take this
pattern around the fretboard.
You can also work this pattern descending any scale pattern you know.
Again, you’re playing every second note, which creates the intervals 68, 75, 46, 53, etc. as you
work your way down the Aeolian fingering.
Once you have one or both of these patterns under your fingers, put on a backing track and
add them to your solos.
You don’t have to play them in every phrase, but adding these patterns here and there will
spice up your improvised phrases .
Here’s another Miles Davis inspired lick, accenting the b13 (F) at the end of bar one before
climbing up the scale and finishing on the 9th, B.
This final lick uses a triplet to set up the F triad, which outlines the b13 interval, before working
descending 3rds down the scale.
Once you have these licks down, write out 3 Natural Minor licks of your own as you build your
soloing vocabulary with this important scale.
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