G# minor the chords in the key
- Scale
- G# A# B C# D# E F#
- Key signature
- five sharps: F# C# G# D# A#
- Relative major
- B major
- Also written
- Ab minor (seven flats: Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb Fb): the same sounds, spelled from Ab
The seven chords
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | G#m | G# B D# | |
| ii° | A#dim | A# C# E | |
| III | B | B D# F# | |
| iv | C#m | C# E G# | |
| v | D#m (same notes, spelled Ebm on its chord page) | D# F# A# | |
| VI | E | E G# B | |
| VII | F# | F# A# C# |
Seventh chords
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | G#m7 | G# B D# F# | |
| iiø7 | A#m7b5 | A# C# E G# | |
| IIImaj7 | Bmaj7 | B D# F# A# | |
| iv7 | C#m7 | C# E G# B | |
| v7 | D#m7 (same notes, spelled Ebm7 on its chord page) | D# F# A# C# | |
| VImaj7 | Emaj7 | E G# B D# | |
| VII7 | F#7 | F# A# C# E |
V and V7: the raised-seventh V most songs use
From the harmonic minor scale: the seventh note raised a semitone, F# to F##.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| V | D# (same notes, spelled Eb on its chord page) | D# F## A# | |
| V7 | D#7 (same notes, spelled Eb7 on its chord page) | D# F## A# C# |
Common progressions in G# minor
- i–iv–v straight from the natural minor scale(same notes on the chord pages: D#m is spelled Ebm)
- i–VI–III–VII the minor pop loop
- i–iv–V with the raised-seventh V, which pulls harder back to i(same notes on the chord pages: D# is spelled Eb)
On guitar
Capo 4. With a capo on fret 4, play the open shapes Em for G#m, Am for C#m, C for E: they sound as the i, iv, V and VI (G#m, C#m, D# and E). D# still has no open shape there; play it as a barre chord.
How the chords of G# minor work
G# minor uses the notes G# A# B C# D# E F#, five sharps: F# C# G# D# A#: the natural minor scale, the same notes as B major, its relative major. Its chords from the scale are i G#m, ii° A#dim, III B, iv C#m, v D#m, VI E, VII F#.
In practice most songs in G# minor play D# or D#7 as the V chord instead of D#m: raising F# to F## gives a note a semitone below G# that pulls back to it. That raised seventh comes from the harmonic minor scale (G# A# B C# D# E F##). So a song with both F# and D# in it is still in G# minor, and the finder counts D# and D#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.