E natural minor across frets 10–12
Fretquest · Scale map · Band IV · intermediate
E 自然小调在 10–12 品
- Tuning
- Standard E A D G B E
- Fret window
- Frets 10–12
- Scale
- E natural minor (Aeolian)
- Root
- E
- Tempo
- 72 BPM
- Difficulty
- 3 / 5 · intermediate
The thirteen dots, string by string
E natural minor contains E, F sharp, G, A, B, C and D. Inside frets 10 to 12 the playable dots are: string 6 fret 10 (D) and fret 12 (E); string 5 fret 10 (G) and fret 12 (A); string 4 fret 10 (C) and fret 12 (D); string 3 fret 10 (F sharp), fret 11 (G) and fret 12 (A); string 2 fret 10 (A) and fret 12 (B); string 1 fret 10 (D) and fret 12 (E).
Two of those are roots — string 6 fret 12 and string 1 fret 12, both drawn solid. Fret 11 only appears once in the entire window, on the third string, which is why the shape feels like two frets plus one exception rather than a true four-fret position.
- String 6: fret 10 = D (flat 7), fret 12 = E (root)
- String 5: fret 10 = G (flat 3), fret 12 = A (4)
- String 4: fret 10 = C (flat 6), fret 12 = D (flat 7)
- String 3: fret 10 = F sharp (2), fret 11 = G (flat 3), fret 12 = A (4)
- String 2: fret 10 = A (4), fret 12 = B (5)
- String 1: fret 10 = D (flat 7), fret 12 = E (root)
Using the twelfth-fret marker as an anchor
At fret 12 the neck carries a double marker, and in standard tuning fret 12 is also the octave of the open string — string 5 fret 12 is exactly the pitch of the open fifth string, one octave up. That makes fret 12 the most useful orientation point above the seventh position: find the double dot and you know exactly which note you are on for every string without counting.
In this window the double marker sits under the pinky rather than the index finger. Check that your pinky lands cleanly between the eleventh and twelfth fret wires; if it lands behind the eleventh wire the note will buzz, and if it lands on top of the twelfth the note will be sharp.
- String 6 fret 12 = E, the octave of the open sixth string
- String 5 fret 12 = A, the octave of the open fifth string
- String 4 fret 12 = D, the octave of the open fourth string
- String 3 fret 12 = G, the octave of the open third string
- String 2 fret 12 = B, one octave above the open second string
- String 1 fret 12 = E, the octave of the open first string
Four bars that use every finger
The tab starts on the second string with frets 10, 11 and 12 — the only run in the window that needs the ring finger — and then works down through the fourth, third and fifth strings in eighth notes. Bar 4 leaves the shape on fret 10 with a repeated note, which is deliberate: repeating a note forces you to keep the finger pressed and stops the hand from drifting sharp.
At 72 BPM this takes about seven seconds to play. Do it four times in a row and listen for the third-string bar, which is the one that exposes an uneven ring finger.
- Play bar 1 slowly, listening to the fret-11 note in the middle of the run.
- Add bars 2 and 3; keep the picking hand alternating even where the pattern is not stepwise.
- Finish with bar 4 and hold the last note; listen for it to stay in tune.
- Cycle the four bars for two minutes, then move the whole shape down one fret to E flat minor and repeat.
Practice block · Bars 1–4 · 72 BPM
The staff scrolls sideways. Point at a bar, or tab to one and use the arrow keys, to cue it.
| Pattern | Left | Right | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full four-finger run | 1-2-3-4 | i m i m | Frets 10-11-12 on string 2, then 10-12 on string 3. The ring finger only plays one note in the window. |
| Octave check at 12 | 4 | m | String 5 fret 12 should match the open fifth string an octave up. Tune-check it by ear. |
| Repeated-note anchor | 1 (held) | i m | Bar 4 repeats fret 10; keep the fingertip pressed between the two attacks. |
Questions
Why does only the third string use fret 11?
Because E natural minor has a semitone step between degree 2 and degree 3 — F sharp to G — and in this window the only place where that step falls inside frets 10 to 12 is the third string, where fret 10 is F sharp and fret 11 is G. Every other semitone pair in the scale falls across two strings instead.
Should I move this shape to other keys?
Yes, natural minor shapes transpose cleanly: the same finger pattern one fret lower gives E flat minor, two frets lower gives D minor. The note names change but the physical pattern does not, which is the main practical reason to learn minor scales as shapes rather than as lists of notes.
Terms used in this lesson
Position playing把位演奏（Position）
Playing with the hand parked at one place on the neck, so that the index finger covers one fret and the other fingers cover the frets above it. Positions are numbered by the fret the index finger sits on: first position puts the index at fret 1, second position at fret 2, and so on.
Scale degree音阶级数（Scale degree）
The number a scale note occupies when the scale is counted from its root upward: 1 for the root, 2 for the next note, and so on. A prefix of b lowers the degree by a semitone and # raises it, so b3 means the third degree flattened — the note that makes a minor pentatonic sound minor.
Root note根音（第一级音）
The note a scale or chord is named after and the note the music resolves to. In a scale diagram the root is marked differently from every other degree because it is the pitch the ear hears as home, and phrases that end on it sound finished while phrases that end elsewhere sound suspended.
Fret marker品位标记（点）
The inlay dots on the fretboard, placed at frets 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15 and above. Markers are landmarks for the left hand when shifting and for the eye when reading: the double dot at fret 12 marks the octave, and knowing where it is keeps the hand from drifting a fret sharp or flat.
Plate files (SVG)
Fretboard matrix plate · Tab staff plate
/img/fret-e-natural-minor-fourth-position.svg · /img/tab-e-natural-minor-fourth-position.svg
More in this band
—