Chords in the Key of A Minor — Guitar Chord Chart

Guitar Chords in the Key of A Minor

The key of A minor has no sharps or flats, and its seven chords are Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F, G. Start with Am, Dm, Em: they are the three a song in A minor cannot do without. Every diagram below plays when you press it.

The seven chords of A minor

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. Capital numerals are major chords, small ones minor, and ° is diminished.

iAmx02210the home chord
ii°Bdimx20431rare — a passing chord
IIICx32010the relative major
ivDmxx0231the step away from home
vEm022000the natural, gentler dominant
VIF133211bright against the minor home
VIIG320003a whole step under home

The three to learn first

Am is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. Dm is the step away, and Em is the one that pulls back home. On guitar they are x02210, xx0231 and 022000: Am with three fingers, Dm with three fingers and Em with two fingers.

Progressions in A minor

The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.

i – iv – V7Am – Dm – E7

The minor three-chord song, with the major dominant.

i – VI – III – VIIAm – F – C – G

The four-chord pop progression, started from its minor chord.

i – VII – VI – V7Am – G – F – E7

The descending “Andalusian” line.

The sevenths

Four-note versions of the same chords. E7 is the one worth learning first: it is Em with one note added, and it pulls toward Am harder than the plain chord does.

V7E7020100the major dominant, borrowed from the harmonic minor
i7Am7x02010home, softened
iv7Dm7xx0211the step away, softened

The scale behind the chords

A minor is the notes A – B – C – D – E – F – G. Every chord above uses only those seven notes (except E7, which raises the seventh), which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in A minor fits over any of them. Its relative major is C major, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.

The nearest keys are a fifth either side: E minor and D minor. Each shares six of this key’s seven notes, which is why songs change key to them so often.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of A minor?

Am (i), Bdim (ii°), C (III), Dm (iv), Em (v), F (VI), G (VII). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the A minor scale — A, B, C, D, E, F, G — using only notes of that scale. Songs in A minor also use E7, the major dominant, which borrows one note from outside it.

What are the three main chords in A minor?

Am, Dm and Em — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. Am is home, Dm moves away from it and Em pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.

What is the relative major of A minor?

C major. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is III in A minor is the home chord of C major. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.

Is A minor an easy key on guitar?

2 of its six everyday chords — Bdim and F — need a barre or four fingers on guitar.

Strum them yourself

The playable guitar puts the chords of a key in a row: tap one to hold it, and drag across the strings.

Play the Virtual Guitar