The 7 chords
C#m · D#dim · E · F#m · G#m · A · B
Every natural minor key follows the same pattern: minor, diminished, major, minor, minor, major, major.
Chord chart
C# Minor chord chart
| Degree | Numeral | Chord | Notes | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | i | C#m | C# – E – G# | C#m7 | Tonic |
| 2 | ii° | D#dim | D# – F# – A | D#m7b5 | Supertonic |
| 3 | III | E | E – G# – B | Emaj7 | Mediant |
| 4 | iv | F#m | F# – A – C# | F#m7 | Subdominant |
| 5 | v | G#m | G# – B – D# | G#m7 | Dominant |
| 6 | VI | A | A – C# – E | Amaj7 | Submediant |
| 7 | VII | B | B – D# – F# | B7 | Subtonic |
C# minor scale: C# – D# – E – F# – G# – A – B. Key signature: 4 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯).
Progressions
Common chord progressions in C# Minor
Minor pop loop
i – VI – III – VII
- iC#m
- VIA
- IIIE
- VIIB
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
- iC#m
- ivF#m
- vG#m
- iC#m
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
- iC#m
- VIIB
- VIA
- VG#
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
- iC#m
- ivF#m
- VIIB
- IIIE
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
- iC#m
- VIA
- VIIB
- iC#m
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
- iiø7D#m7b5
- V7G#7
- i7C#m7
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 C# Minor by style, or build your own in the Chord Progression Player.
7th chords
7th chords in the key of C# 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 C# minor.
The major V
Why songs in C# minor use G#, not G#m
The natural minor scale makes the v chord minor (G#m), and it only weakly leads home. Raise the scale's 7th note to B# — the C# harmonic minor scale — and the chord becomes G# major, or G#7. That B# sits a half step below C# and pulls straight to it, which is why most minor-key songs end on G# → C#m or G#7 → C#m.
On guitar
Playing in C# Minor on guitar
2 of the 7 chords are open chords (E, A); C#m, D#dim, F#m, G#m, B need a barre or a moveable shape. A capo lets you swap those for open shapes:
Capo 4 + A minor shapes
Finger Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F, G — they sound as C#m, D#dim, E, F#m, G#m, A, B. 5 of the 7 shapes are open chords.
See the A minor chordsCapo 2 + B minor shapes
Finger Bm, C#dim, D, Em, F#m, G, A — they sound as C#m, D#dim, E, F#m, G#m, A, B. 4 of the 7 shapes are open chords.
See the B minor chords
Scales for soloing in C# Minor
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The key of C# minor has seven chords: C#m, D#dim, E, F#m, G#m, A and B. Each is built from the notes of the C# natural minor scale (C# D# E F# G# A B), so all seven share one key signature: 4 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯).
C#m, F#m and G#m — the i, iv and v chords. Those three contain every note of the C# minor scale between them, which is why so many songs in C# minor use little else.
E major. It uses the same seven chords and the same key signature as C# minor; the difference is which chord feels like home. A song that keeps returning to E is in E major; one that settles on C#m is in C# minor.
4 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯). C# minor shares its key signature with its relative major, E major.
The natural C# minor scale gives a minor v chord, G#m, which only weakly leads home. Raising the scale's 7th note to B# (the harmonic minor scale) turns it into G# major, or G#7, whose B# sits a half step below C# and pulls straight to it. Most minor-key songs use the major V at cadences.
C#m7, D#m7b5, Emaj7, F#m7, G#m7, Amaj7 and B7. 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 D# gives D#, F#, A: 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 F#m where it would go.
Use a capo. Only 2 of the 7 chords in C# minor are open chords, but with a capo on fret 4 you can play A minor shapes (Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F and G) and they sound in C# minor. 5 of those shapes are open chords.
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