B minor the chords in the key
- Scale
- B C# D E F# G A
- Key signature
- two sharps: F# C#
- Relative major
- D major
The seven chords
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | B D F# | |
| ii° | C#dim | C# E G | |
| III | D | D F# A | |
| iv | Em | E G B | |
| v | F#m | F# A C# | |
| VI | G | G B D | |
| VII | A | A C# E |
Seventh chords
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Bm7 | B D F# A | |
| iiø7 | C#m7b5 | C# E G B | |
| IIImaj7 | Dmaj7 | D F# A C# | |
| iv7 | Em7 | E G B D | |
| v7 | F#m7 | F# A C# E | |
| VImaj7 | Gmaj7 | G B D F# | |
| VII7 | A7 | A C# E G |
V and V7: the raised-seventh V most songs use
From the harmonic minor scale: the seventh note raised a semitone, A to A#.
Common progressions in B 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
Capo 2. With a capo on fret 2, play the open shapes Am for Bm, Dm for Em, E for F#: they sound as the i, iv and V (Bm, Em and F#). The VI chord, G, does not become an open shape at that fret.
How the chords of B minor work
B minor uses the notes B C# D E F# G A, two sharps: F# C#: the natural minor scale, the same notes as D major, its relative major. Its chords from the scale are i Bm, ii° C#dim, III D, iv Em, v F#m, VI G, VII A.
In practice most songs in B minor play F# or F#7 as the V chord instead of F#m: raising A to A# gives a note a semitone below B that pulls back to it. That raised seventh comes from the harmonic minor scale (B C# D E F# G A#). So a song with both A and F# in it is still in B minor, and the finder counts F# and F#7 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.