A minor bass scale notation and TAB – how to play one and two-octave A minor bass scales on your bass guitar. Includes music theory and example A minor bass lines for you to play.
Introduction To A Minor Bass Scales
Whereas there is only one type of major scale, there are three (main) types of minor scales: natural minor, harmonic minor and melodic minor.
Although the natural minor is the most commonly-used minor scale in rock and pop, both the harmonic minor and, to a lesser extent, the melodic minor, can also be heard from time to time.
On this page, we show you how to play A natural minor, A harmonic minor, and A melodic minor scales on your bass guitar.
As with most things on bass guitar, there is more than one way to play each of the scales below. We’ve provided tabs that start on the open A string, but you could also play the same scales by (for example) starting on the fifth fret of the E string. Use the notes of the scales below to create your own fingerings.
Any questions? Feel free to ask us anything about the contents of this page in the comments section!
If you want to play these and many other types of scales all over the neck of your bass guitar, check out our bass scales book: Bass Scales, Chords & Arpeggios
You can see how to play a major scale on bass on this page: Major Scale Bass
You can see all of the chords in A minor on this page: A Minor Chords
Guitarist? See how to play A minor scales on guitar on this page: A Minor Scale Guitar
A Natural Minor Scale
A Natural Minor Scale Theory
The A natural minor scale uses the same notes as a C major scale, but starting and ending on an A, rather than a C. For this reason, it can also be viewed as being a modal scale – the A Aeolian scale.
You can learn more about modes and modal scales on this page: Guitar Modes (although it is aimed at guitarists, the theory is the same for bass guitar).
An A natural minor scale / A Aeolian scale contains the notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, G (note the absence of any sharps or flats).
For comparison, the notes of a C major scale are as follows: C, D, E, F, G, A, B. The natural minor scale starts on the sixth degree of the major scale (i.e. an A).
A Natural Minor Scale Bass Tab
1 Octave
2 Octave
A Harmonic Minor Scale
A Harmonic Minor Scale Theory
The key signature of A minor contains no sharps or flats. (Therefore, A minor is the relative minor of C major, which also lacks either sharps or flats.) However, music written in A minor is often harmonized using chords from an A harmonic minor scale, which is the same as a natural minor scale, but with a sharpened seventh note, as shown below:
Notes of the A harmonic minor scale: A, B, C, D, E, F, G#
Using this scale can give your bass lines a classical sound, and this type of minor scale is also popular in Latin music.
A Harmonic Minor Scale Bass Tab
1 Octave
2 Octave
A Melodic Minor Scale
A Melodic Minor Scale Theory
The 3-semitone gap between the sixth and seventh notes of a harmonic minor scale (the F and G# of an A harmonic minor scale) can sometimes sound a little awkward.
Over the centuries, composers have alleviated this large jump by sharpening the sixth degree of the scale, leading to a third type of minor scale: the melodic minor scale.
The melodic minor scale has different notes depending on whether you’re playing up or down the scale.
In the ascending form, both the sixth and seventh notes are sharpened; in the descending form, the scale is played according to the key signature – therefore, in A minor, none of the notes are sharpened or flattened. (In other words, if you’re coming down the scale, the notes are the same as those in an A natural minor scale.)
Notes of an A melodic minor scale (ascending): A, B, C, D, E, F#, G#
Notes of an A melodic minor scale (descending): A, B, C, D, E, F, G (these notes would be played in reverse order, as you would be coming down the scale)
A Melodic Minor Scale Bass Tab
1 Octave
2 Octave
Example A Minor Bass Lines To Play
Now you know how to play A minor bass scales, you can start to construct your own bass lines and solos using these scales (perhaps using the chord progressions on this page: A Minor Chord Progressions). To give you some inspiration, below are some example bass lines in A minor:
A Minor Bass Line Example 1
A Minor Bass Line Example 2
A Minor Bass Line Example 3
A Minor Bass Line Example 4
A Minor Bass Scale: Conclusion
On this page, we’ve covered the three main types of minor scale used in music theory: natural (Aeolian), Harmonic and Melodic. Now you know these scales, you can try using them to invent your own bass lines, riffs and solos for songs in the key of A minor.
There are other scales with a minor tonality, e.g., the A pentatonic minor, A blues, and A Dorian scale, that you could use when playing bass lines and solos in A minor.
You can find out how to play these, and many other bass scales, on this page: Bass Scales
Learn how to play bass scales all over the fretboard with our book: Bass Scales, Chords & Arpeggios
Invent your own bass lines over these chord progressions: A Minor Chord Progressions
