The 7 chords
Em · F#dim · G · Am · Bm · C · D
Every natural minor key follows the same pattern: minor, diminished, major, minor, minor, major, major.
Chord chart
E Minor chord chart
| Degree | Numeral | Chord | Notes | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | i | Em | E – G – B | Em7 | Tonic |
| 2 | ii° | F#dim | F# – A – C | F#m7b5 | Supertonic |
| 3 | III | G | G – B – D | Gmaj7 | Mediant |
| 4 | iv | Am | A – C – E | Am7 | Subdominant |
| 5 | v | Bm | B – D – F# | Bm7 | Dominant |
| 6 | VI | C | C – E – G | Cmaj7 | Submediant |
| 7 | VII | D | D – F# – A | D7 | Subtonic |
E minor scale: E – F# – G – A – B – C – D. Key signature: 1 sharp (F♯).
Progressions
Common chord progressions in E Minor
Minor pop loop
i – VI – III – VII
- iEm
- VIC
- IIIG
- VIID
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
- iEm
- ivAm
- vBm
- iEm
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
- iEm
- VIID
- VIC
- VB
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
- iEm
- ivAm
- VIID
- IIIG
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
- iEm
- VIC
- VIID
- iEm
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
- iiø7F#m7b5
- V7B7
- i7Em7
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 E Minor by style, or build your own in the Chord Progression Player.
7th chords
7th chords in the key of E 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 E minor.
The major V
Why songs in E minor use B, not Bm
The natural minor scale makes the v chord minor (Bm), and it only weakly leads home. Raise the scale's 7th note to D# — the E harmonic minor scale — and the chord becomes B major, or B7. That D# sits a half step below E and pulls straight to it, which is why most minor-key songs end on B → Em or B7 → Em.
On guitar
Playing in E Minor on guitar
5 of the 7 chords are open chords (Em, G, Am, C, D); F#dim, Bm need a barre or a moveable shape.
Scales for soloing in E Minor
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The key of E minor has seven chords: Em, F#dim, G, Am, Bm, C and D. Each is built from the notes of the E natural minor scale (E F# G A B C D), so all seven share one key signature: 1 sharp (F♯).
Em, Am and Bm — the i, iv and v chords. Those three contain every note of the E minor scale between them, which is why so many songs in E minor use little else.
G major. It uses the same seven chords and the same key signature as E minor; the difference is which chord feels like home. A song that keeps returning to G is in G major; one that settles on Em is in E minor.
1 sharp (F♯). E minor shares its key signature with its relative major, G major.
The natural E minor scale gives a minor v chord, Bm, which only weakly leads home. Raising the scale's 7th note to D# (the harmonic minor scale) turns it into B major, or B7, whose D# sits a half step below E and pulls straight to it. Most minor-key songs use the major V at cadences.
Em7, F#m7b5, Gmaj7, Am7, Bm7, Cmaj7 and D7. 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 F# gives F#, A, C: 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 Am where it would go.
Yes. 5 of its 7 chords are open chords — Em, G, Am, C and D — so most songs in E minor can be played without a barre; only F#dim and Bm 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