Minor key
C sharp minor
Its seven chords: C♯m, D♯dim, E, F♯m, G♯m, A, B.
- C♯1
- D♯2
- E3
- F♯4
- G♯5
- A6
- B7
| Degree | Triad | Seventh chord | Notes of the seventh chord |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 C♯ | i C♯m | i7 C♯m7 | C♯ E G♯ B |
| 2 D♯ | ii° D♯dim | iiø7 D♯m7♭5 | D♯ F♯ A C♯ |
| 3 E | III E | IIImaj7 Emaj7 | E G♯ B D♯ |
| 4 F♯ | iv F♯m | iv7 F♯m7 | F♯ A C♯ E |
| 5 G♯ | v G♯m | v7 G♯m7 | G♯ B D♯ F♯ |
| 6 A | VI A | VImaj7 Amaj7 | A C♯ E G♯ |
| 7 B | VII B | VII7 B7 | B D♯ F♯ A |
| Harmonic minor | V G♯ | G♯ B♯ D♯ | |
| Harmonic minor | V7 G♯7 | G♯ B♯ D♯ F♯ | |
| Harmonic minor | vii°7 B♯dim7 | B♯ D♯ F♯ A | |
- i–iv–V–i
- C♯m
- F♯m
- G♯
- C♯m
- i–VI–III–VII
- C♯m
- A
- E
- B
- i–VII–VI–V
- C♯m
- B
- A
- G♯
- ii°–V7–i
- D♯dim
- G♯7
- C♯m
About C sharp minor
Play C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B and back to the first note again, and you have the scale of C sharp minor. With 4♯ in the signature (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯), it is easy to read once you know the signature. Every chord in the table above is made only from these notes.
Three chords hold C sharp minor together: the tonic C♯m, the subdominant F♯m and the dominant G♯. The last one is borrowed from the harmonic minor scale: raising the seventh note to B♯ creates a leading tone that resolves up by a half step to the home note.
Starting the same scale from E gives E major, the relative key. Borrowing a chord from D flat major, the parallel key, is a classic way to add colour: a minor chord in a major key, or a major chord in a minor one, for a moment.
The neighbouring minor keys are G sharp minor and F sharp minor; each is one note away from C sharp minor. The ii chord of the key, D♯dim, is diminished, and in jazz it is often played as a half-diminished chord leading to G♯.
If the barre chords of C sharp minor are hard for you, use a capo on fret 4: the shapes Am, C, Dm, Em, F, G then sound in the right key.
Practise the key in three steps: the scale up and down, the seven chords in order, then one of the progressions above until the changes feel automatic. Ten minutes is enough.