A minor the chords in the key
- Scale
- A B C D E F G
- Key signature
- no sharps or flats
- Relative major
- C major
The seven chords
Seventh chords
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Am7 | A C E G | |
| iiø7 | Bm7b5 | B D F A | |
| IIImaj7 | Cmaj7 | C E G B | |
| iv7 | Dm7 | D F A C | |
| v7 | Em7 | E G B D | |
| VImaj7 | Fmaj7 | F A C E | |
| VII7 | G7 | G B D F |
V and V7: the raised-seventh V most songs use
From the harmonic minor scale: the seventh note raised a semitone, G to G#.
Common progressions in A minor
- i–iv–v straight from the natural minor scale
- i–VI–III–VII the minor pop loop
- i–iv–V with the raised-seventh V, which pulls harder back to i
On guitar
No capo needed. The i, iv and V (Am, Dm and E) are all open-position chords already.
How the chords of A minor work
A minor uses the notes A B C D E F G, no sharps or flats: the natural minor scale, the same notes as C major, its relative major. Its chords from the scale are i Am, ii° Bdim, III C, iv Dm, v Em, VI F, VII G.
In practice most songs in A minor play E or E7 as the V chord instead of Em: raising G to G# gives a note a semitone below A that pulls back to it. That raised seventh comes from the harmonic minor scale (A B C D E F G#). So a song with both G and E in it is still in A minor, and the finder counts E and E7 as belonging to this key.
Have a list of chords and not sure of the key? The key finder scores it against all 24 keys and can transpose it.
What this page cannot do
- Only major and minor keys. Dorian, Mixolydian and the other modes are not covered: a song in D Mixolydian (D, C, G) uses the chords of G major and will look like G major here.
- Finding a key from chord names is a best fit, not a certainty. A chord list cannot tell a key from its relative major, which shares every chord; the melody and where the song comes to rest decide it.
- Songs change key. A bridge or a last chorus a step higher is a new key, with its own page.
- The sound is a simple synthesised tone made in your browser, each chord in root position, not a recorded piano or guitar.