Part 7: Make a minor key feel like home · Lesson 066 / 117
Your explained natural-minor solo
Today’s one thing
Use all seven natural-minor notes through a clear eight-bar form.
The “Minor Home” study uses Am | Dm | Am | Em twice. It develops the small chord-tone outlines into an eight-bar melody. B and F are included deliberately, so this is a full natural-minor study rather than a pentatonic example wearing a different label.
Start with the destination notes shown in the study. Learn the first two bars, then the next two. Only join all eight after the smaller pieces are comfortable. A repeated phrase helps you recognise the structure; the ending changes so the second half feels like a completed answer.
For each bar, identify its backing chord before naming any lead note. Then inspect the note's relationship to that chord. The key-reference degree is a second layer available in the detailed table.
The audio is a programmed performance of sampled guitar notes. It is a precise listening reference for this score, not a recording you must imitate in every expressive detail.
A concrete example
“Minor Home”: eight bars, one chord per bar, with complete note-by-note tab, durations, roles, demonstration and backing.
Fretboard view
High E (string 1) is the top line, matching guitar tablature. Select a note to hear it.
The pitch locations here come directly from the written score, not a generic scale box.
These are the places used across the study, not notes to play simultaneously. A note’s role changes with the current backing chord.Play notes from a larger button list
One small map at a time. Hear the notes, then play the example without looking.
Minor Home
A natural-minor study using B and F deliberately. The final Em bar ends on its own root E; looping the form returns next to Am.
8 bars · 4/4 · 68 BPM · A natural minor · Standard tuning
One four-beat count-in at the beginning. The backing continues through lead rests. The slow version keeps the same pitches. Picked-note demonstrations; technique targets are taught separately.
Bar 1 · Am
Tab numbers are frets. High E is on top. Timing is in quarter-note beats.
C4Beat 1 · 1 beatString 3, fret 5
E4Beat 2 · 1 beatString 2, fret 5
A4Beat 3 · 2 beatsString 1, fret 5
Understand the notes in this bar
The degree is measured from the overall tonic A using the parallel-major reference. The chord role is measured from Am’s root. These are two different relationships.
C4, beat 1. Degree b3 from A; minor third above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the minor third of Am; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
E4, beat 2. Degree 5 from A; perfect fifth above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the perfect fifth of Am; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
A4, beat 3. Degree 1 from A; root above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the root of Am; this is a deliberate chord-tone arrival.
Bar 2 · Dm
Tab numbers are frets. High E is on top. Timing is in quarter-note beats.
F4Beat 1 · 1 beatString 2, fret 6
A4Beat 2 · 1 beatString 1, fret 5
F4Beat 3 · 1 beatString 2, fret 6
RestBeat 4 · 1 beatKeep counting
Understand the notes in this bar
The degree is measured from the overall tonic A using the parallel-major reference. The chord role is measured from Dm’s root. These are two different relationships.
F4, beat 1. Degree b6 from A; minor third above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State Dm’s minor third: this F is b6 above A, but a chord tone here.
A4, beat 2. Degree 1 from A; perfect fifth above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the perfect fifth of Dm; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
F4, beat 3. Degree b6 from A; minor third above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the minor third of Dm; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
Rest, beat 4. Leave measured space in the lead while continuing to count; the backing carries the pulse.
Bar 3 · Am
Tab numbers are frets. High E is on top. Timing is in quarter-note beats.
E4Beat 1 · 1 beatString 2, fret 5
D4Beat 2 · 1 beatString 3, fret 7
C4Beat 3 · 1 beatString 3, fret 5
A3Beat 4 · 1 beatString 4, fret 7
Understand the notes in this bar
The degree is measured from the overall tonic A using the parallel-major reference. The chord role is measured from Am’s root. These are two different relationships.
E4, beat 1. Degree 5 from A; perfect fifth above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the perfect fifth of Am; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
D4, beat 2. Degree 4 from A; perfect fourth above this chord’s root. Outside the written chord. Descend by step between chord tones E and C.
C4, beat 3. Degree b3 from A; minor third above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the minor third of Am; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
A3, beat 4. Degree 1 from A; root above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the root of Am; this is a deliberate chord-tone arrival.
Bar 4 · Em
Tab numbers are frets. High E is on top. Timing is in quarter-note beats.
B4Beat 1 · 1 beatString 1, fret 7
G4Beat 2 · 1 beatString 2, fret 8
E4Beat 3 · 1 beatString 2, fret 5
RestBeat 4 · 1 beatKeep counting
Understand the notes in this bar
The degree is measured from the overall tonic A using the parallel-major reference. The chord role is measured from Em’s root. These are two different relationships.
B4, beat 1. Degree 2 from A; perfect fifth above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. Use Em’s fifth, one of the notes omitted from A minor pentatonic.
G4, beat 2. Degree b7 from A; minor third above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the minor third of Em; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
E4, beat 3. Degree 5 from A; root above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the root of Em; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
Rest, beat 4. Leave measured space in the lead while continuing to count; the backing carries the pulse.
Bar 5 · Am
Tab numbers are frets. High E is on top. Timing is in quarter-note beats.
C4Beat 1 · 1 beatString 3, fret 5
E4Beat 2 · 1 beatString 2, fret 5
A4Beat 3 · 2 beatsString 1, fret 5
Understand the notes in this bar
The degree is measured from the overall tonic A using the parallel-major reference. The chord role is measured from Am’s root. These are two different relationships.
C4, beat 1. Degree b3 from A; minor third above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the minor third of Am; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
E4, beat 2. Degree 5 from A; perfect fifth above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the perfect fifth of Am; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
A4, beat 3. Degree 1 from A; root above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the root of Am; this is a deliberate chord-tone arrival.
Bar 6 · Dm
Tab numbers are frets. High E is on top. Timing is in quarter-note beats.
D4Beat 1 · 1 beatString 3, fret 7
E4Beat 2 · 1 beatString 2, fret 5
F4Beat 3 · 2 beatsString 2, fret 6
Understand the notes in this bar
The degree is measured from the overall tonic A using the parallel-major reference. The chord role is measured from Dm’s root. These are two different relationships.
D4, beat 1. Degree 4 from A; root above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the root of Dm; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
E4, beat 2. Degree 5 from A; major second above this chord’s root. Outside the written chord. Connect D to F by scale steps; E is outside the Dm triad.
F4, beat 3. Degree b6 from A; minor third above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the minor third of Dm; this is a deliberate chord-tone arrival.
Bar 7 · Am
Tab numbers are frets. High E is on top. Timing is in quarter-note beats.
C5Beat 1 · 1 beatString 1, fret 8
B4Beat 2 · 1 beatString 1, fret 7
A4Beat 3 · 1 beatString 1, fret 5
RestBeat 4 · 1 beatKeep counting
Understand the notes in this bar
The degree is measured from the overall tonic A using the parallel-major reference. The chord role is measured from Am’s root. These are two different relationships.
C5, beat 1. Degree b3 from A; minor third above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the minor third of Am; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
B4, beat 2. Degree 2 from A; major second above this chord’s root. Outside the written chord. Connect C down to A by step, passing through degree 2.
A4, beat 3. Degree 1 from A; root above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the root of Am; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
Rest, beat 4. Leave measured space in the lead while continuing to count; the backing carries the pulse.
Bar 8 · Em
Tab numbers are frets. High E is on top. Timing is in quarter-note beats.
G4Beat 1 · 1 beatString 2, fret 8
E4Beat 2 · 1 beatString 2, fret 5
E4Beat 3 · 1 beatString 2, fret 5
RestBeat 4 · 1 beatKeep counting
Understand the notes in this bar
The degree is measured from the overall tonic A using the parallel-major reference. The chord role is measured from Em’s root. These are two different relationships.
G4, beat 1. Degree b7 from A; minor third above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the minor third of Em; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
E4, beat 2. Degree 5 from A; root above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. State the root of Em; this is a deliberate chord-tone outline.
E4, beat 3. Degree 5 from A; root above this chord’s root. Included in the written chord. Finish on the fifth-degree chord’s root; a repeated form returns next to Am.
Rest, beat 4. Leave measured space in the lead while continuing to count; the backing carries the pulse.
Try it, slowly
Play only the first target of each bar.
Learn two bars per practice pass.
Choose one B and one F in the score and explain their current chord relationships.
Check one idea
What demonstrates that this study is using natural minor rather than only minor pentatonic?
Show the explanation
It deliberately includes B and F. A minor pentatonic would contain A, C, D, E and G, omitting those two notes.
A good place to stop
You can reconstruct the whole study slowly and explain at least one chord tone and one connecting note.
Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.
