Minor key
E minor
Its seven chords: Em, F♯dim, G, Am, Bm, C, D.
- E1
- F♯2
- G3
- A4
- B5
- C6
- D7
| Degree | Triad | Seventh chord | Notes of the seventh chord |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 E | i Em | i7 Em7 | E G B D |
| 2 F♯ | ii° F♯dim | iiø7 F♯m7♭5 | F♯ A C E |
| 3 G | III G | IIImaj7 Gmaj7 | G B D F♯ |
| 4 A | iv Am | iv7 Am7 | A C E G |
| 5 B | v Bm | v7 Bm7 | B D F♯ A |
| 6 C | VI C | VImaj7 Cmaj7 | C E G B |
| 7 D | VII D | VII7 D7 | D F♯ A C |
| Harmonic minor | V B | B D♯ F♯ | |
| Harmonic minor | V7 B7 | B D♯ F♯ A | |
| Harmonic minor | vii°7 D♯dim7 | D♯ F♯ A C | |
- i–iv–V–i
- Em
- Am
- B
- Em
- i–VI–III–VII
- Em
- C
- G
- D
- i–VII–VI–V
- Em
- D
- C
- B
- ii°–V7–i
- F♯dim
- B7
- Em
About E minor
The scale of E minor runs E – F♯ – G – A – B – C – D, and the key has 1♯ in the signature (F♯). Those seven notes are the raw material of everything on this page: each chord below is stacked from them alone, which is why the chords of E minor fit together so naturally.
In E minor you will mostly hear Em, Am and B. The natural minor scale would make the fifth chord minor, but players nearly always raise the seventh note to D♯, which turns it into B (or B7 with a seventh) and gives the key its strong pull home.
E minor shares every note with G major, its relative key, so the two have the same signature and the same seven chords. If the chords of a piece fit both lists, listen for the chord it starts and ends on to decide which key you are in. Not to be confused with E major, the parallel key on the same home note.
Minor keys have three common forms of their scale: natural, harmonic (with the raised seventh, D♯) and melodic. The table shows the natural chords and, below them, the chords borrowed from the harmonic form: B, B7 and the diminished seventh.
Guitarists like E minor: 5 of its chords have easy open shapes, so you can play most progressions here without a single barre chord.
A good way to learn E minor: play the chords up the scale, then pick two progressions from this page and loop them for a few minutes with a metronome, first at 60 BPM, then faster.