The 7 chords
Am · Bdim · C · Dm · Em · F · G
Every natural minor key follows the same pattern: minor, diminished, major, minor, minor, major, major.
Chord chart
A Minor chord chart
| Degree | Numeral | Chord | Notes | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | i | Am | A – C – E | Am7 | Tonic |
| 2 | ii° | Bdim | B – D – F | Bm7b5 | Supertonic |
| 3 | III | C | C – E – G | Cmaj7 | Mediant |
| 4 | iv | Dm | D – F – A | Dm7 | Subdominant |
| 5 | v | Em | E – G – B | Em7 | Dominant |
| 6 | VI | F | F – A – C | Fmaj7 | Submediant |
| 7 | VII | G | G – B – D | G7 | Subtonic |
A minor scale: A – B – C – D – E – F – G. Key signature: No sharps or flats.
Progressions
Common chord progressions in A Minor
Minor pop loop
i – VI – III – VII
- iAm
- VIF
- IIIC
- VIIG
The four chords of the pop progression, started on the minor chord — i, VI, III, VII in a minor key is I, V, vi, IV in its relative major.
Minor three-chord progression
i – iv – v – i
- iAm
- ivDm
- vEm
- iAm
The primary chords of the minor key, i, iv and v. Swap the minor v for the major V below for a stronger pull home.
Andalusian cadence
i – VII – VI – V
- iAm
- VIIG
- VIF
- VE
A stepwise walk down to the major V — the sound of flamenco, and of a long list of rock songs.
Descending fifths
i – iv – VII – III
- iAm
- ivDm
- VIIG
- IIIC
Each root is a 5th below the one before — the circle of fifths moving through the minor key.
Rising VI – VII
i – VI – VII – i
- iAm
- VIF
- VIIG
- iAm
Climbs from the VI through the VII back home to i — a staple of rock choruses and film scores.
Minor ii – V – i
iiø7 – V7 – i7
- iiø7Bm7b5
- V7E7
- i7Am7
The minor-key jazz cadence. The V7 comes from the harmonic minor scale, which is what makes it resolve so strongly.
Want more? Generate a progression in A Minor by style, or build your own in the Chord Progression Player.
7th chords
7th chords in the key of A Minor
Add the next note of the scale on top of each chord and you get its diatonic 7th chord — the sound of jazz, soul and R&B in A minor.
The major V
Why songs in A minor use E, not Em
The natural minor scale makes the v chord minor (Em), and it only weakly leads home. Raise the scale's 7th note to G# — the A harmonic minor scale — and the chord becomes E major, or E7. That G# sits a half step below A and pulls straight to it, which is why most minor-key songs end on E → Am or E7 → Am.
On guitar
Playing in A Minor on guitar
5 of the 7 chords are open chords (Am, C, Dm, Em, G); Bdim, F need a barre or a moveable shape.
Scales for soloing in A Minor
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The key of A minor has seven chords: Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F and G. Each is built from the notes of the A natural minor scale (A B C D E F G), so all seven share one key signature: no sharps or flats.
Am, Dm and Em — the i, iv and v chords. Those three contain every note of the A minor scale between them, which is why so many songs in A minor use little else.
C major. It uses the same seven chords and the same key signature as A minor; the difference is which chord feels like home. A song that keeps returning to C is in C major; one that settles on Am is in A minor.
No sharps or flats. A minor shares its key signature with its relative major, C major.
The natural A minor scale gives a minor v chord, Em, which only weakly leads home. Raising the scale's 7th note to G# (the harmonic minor scale) turns it into E major, or E7, whose G# sits a half step below A and pulls straight to it. Most minor-key songs use the major V at cadences.
Am7, Bm7b5, Cmaj7, Dm7, Em7, Fmaj7 and G7. Each adds the next note of the scale on top of the triad, which gives three minor 7ths, two major 7ths, one dominant 7th and one half-diminished (m7♭5).
Stacking the scale notes on B gives B, D, F: a minor 3rd and then another minor 3rd, so the 5th is flattened. It is the least-used chord in the key — songs often skip it, or use Dm where it would go.
Yes. 5 of its 7 chords are open chords — Am, C, Dm, Em and G — so most songs in A minor can be played without a barre; only Bdim and F need one or a moveable shape.
Related Tools
Circle of FifthsSee every key, its relative minor and its neighbours on one wheelKey FinderPaste a progression and detect its key with Roman numeral analysisChord Progression GeneratorPick a key and style to generate a diatonic progressionCapo CalculatorFind the capo position to play any key with open shapes