The Key of A minor
A minor is A – B – C – D – E – F – G.
Why this key
A minor is C major's relative minor: same notes, different centre, and no sharps or flats. It is the minor key beginners meet first, and on a guitar the open Am, Dm and Em shapes make it as easy as G major is in the majors.
Every chord in A minor
Seven chords, built on each note of the scale in turn.
| Numeral | Chord | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| i | Am | minor |
| ii° | Bdim | dim |
| ♭III | C | major |
| iv | Dm | minor |
| v | Em | minor |
| ♭VI | F | major |
| ♭VII | G | major |
The scale, on the neck
A natural minor — A B C D E F G.
A Natural Minor (Aeolian)
the plain minor scaleNotesABCDEFG
Chord-Scale Reference §3 / §7.4
Want more?
Hear these chords, change the key, and see every voicing in Turnaround