For guitarists venturing beyond the basics, Minor Guitar Chords are indispensable. Alongside their major counterparts, they form the backbone of countless songs across genres. Understanding and mastering minor chords unlocks a richer, more emotive palette for your playing. This guide will delve into the world of minor chords, covering their construction, common shapes, and how to use them in your musical journey.
What are Minor Chords?
At their core, a minor chord is a triad, meaning it’s built from three notes. These notes are defined by their relationship to the root note of the chord:
- Root Note: This is the fundamental note that gives the chord its name (e.g., C in Cm, Am in Am).
- Minor Third: This note is three half steps (semitones) above the root. It’s what gives minor chords their characteristically sad or melancholic sound.
- Perfect Fifth: This note is seven half steps above the root. It provides stability and consonance to the chord.
While understanding the theory behind intervals like “minor third” and “perfect fifth” is beneficial for deeper musical knowledge, it’s not essential for simply playing minor chords on the guitar. What’s crucial is recognizing the shapes and sounds of these chords.
Minor chords are denoted by the root note letter followed by a lowercase “m” (e.g., Cm, Dm, Em). It’s also important to note that “minor” is a family of chords, extending beyond these basic triads to include richer variations like minor 7th, minor 9th, and beyond, which add color and complexity to your playing. We’ll touch on these extensions later.
Basic Minor Chord Shapes
Let’s explore the most fundamental minor guitar chords and their common open position shapes. These are the chords every guitarist should learn early on.
Cm
Cm chord diagram
Dm
Dm chord diagram
Em
Em chord diagram
Fm
Fm chord diagram
Gm
Gm chord diagram
Am
Am chord diagram
Bm
Bm chord diagram
To solidify your understanding and muscle memory, consider practicing these minor chord exercises.
Minor Chords with Sharps and Flats
The musical alphabet contains twelve distinct notes, and minor chords exist for each of them, including sharps (#) and flats (♭). Sharps raise a note by a half step, while flats lower it by a half step. This means chords like C#m (C sharp minor) and D♭m (D flat minor) represent the same pitch but are named differently depending on the musical context.
Here are diagrams for the basic minor chords with sharp or flat roots:
C#m / D♭m
C sharp minor / D flat minor chord diagram
D#m / E♭m
D sharp minor / E flat minor chord diagram
F#m / G♭m
F sharp minor / G flat minor chord diagram
G#m / A♭m
G sharp minor / A flat minor chord diagram
A#m / B♭m
A sharp minor / B flat minor chord diagram
It’s worth noting that some of the presented chord shapes, particularly Cm, Fm, Bm, C#m/D♭m, D#m/E♭m, F#m/G♭m, are often played using barre chords or with a capo. Barre chords are movable shapes that allow you to play the same chord voicing in different positions on the neck. Exploring these alternative shapes will expand your versatility and make playing in different keys easier. Clicking on the links below each chord diagram in the original article may provide more alternatives, including barre chord shapes and capo positions for certain chords.
Deeper Dive: Notes in Minor Chords and Extensions
Understanding the notes that constitute minor chords and their extensions can significantly enhance your musical comprehension. Let’s break down the note composition of basic minor chords and some common extensions.
Numbers of Notes in Minor Chord Types
- Cm: 3 notes
- Cm7: 4 notes
- Cm6: 4 notes
- Cm9: 5 notes
- Cm11: 6 notes
- Cm13: 7 notes
Notes in Common Minor Chord Extensions
| Chord | Notes |
|---|---|
| Cm7 | C – E♭ – G – B♭ |
| C#m7 | C# – E – G# – B |
| Dm7 | D – F – A – C |
| D#m7 | D# – F# – A# – C# |
| Em7 | E – G – B – D |
| Fm7 | F – A♭ – C – E♭ |
| F#m7 | F# – A – C# – E |
| Gm7 | G – B♭ – D – F |
| G#m7 | G# – B – D# – F# |
| Am7 | A – C – E – G |
| A#m7 | A# – C# – F – G# |
| Bm7 | B – D – F# – A |
| Cm6 | C – E♭ – G – A |
| Dm6 | D – F – A – B |
| Em6 | E – G – B – C# |
| Fm6 | F – A♭ – C – D |
| Gm6 | G – B♭ – D – E |
| Am6 | A – C – E – F# |
| Bm6 | B – D – F# – G# |
| Cm9 | C – E♭ – G – B♭ – D |
| Dm9 | D – F – A – C – E |
| Em9 | E – G – B – D – F# |
| Fm9 | F – A♭ – C – E♭ – G |
| Gm9 | G – B♭ – D – F – A |
| Am9 | A – C – E – G – B |
| Bm9 | B – D – F# – A – C# |
| Cm11 | C – E♭ – G – B♭ – D – F |
| Dm11 | D – F – A – C – E – G |
| Em11 | E – G – B – D – F# – A |
| Fm11 | F – A♭ – C – E♭ – G – B♭ |
| Gm11 | G – B♭ – D – F – A – C |
| Am11 | A – C – E – G – B – D |
| Bm11 | B – D – F# – A – C# – E |
| Cm13 | C – E♭ – G – B♭ – D – F – A |
| Dm13 | D – F – A – C – E – G – B |
| Em13 | E – G – B – D – F# – A – C# |
| Fm13 | F – A♭ – C – E♭ – G – B♭ – D |
| Gm13 | G – B♭ – D – F – A – C – E |
| Am13 | A – C – E – G – B – D – F# |
| Bm13 | B – D – F# – A – C# – E – G# |
Explore diagrams for these extended minor chords: minor 7th chords, minor 6th chords, minor 9th chords, minor 11th chords, and minor 13th chords.
Using Minor Chords in Progressions
Minor chords rarely exist in isolation. They gain their musical power and emotional impact when used in sequences with other chords, often alongside major chords and other chord types. Here are some common and effective chord progressions featuring minor chords:
- Em – Am – D – G
- Gm – B♭ – Dm – F
- Am – G – C – E
- C – Dm – Em – Am
Experiment with these progressions and listen to how the minor chords contribute to the overall mood.
Minor Keys and Chord Charts
When writing songs or creating chord progressions in a minor key, understanding the typical chords used within that key is essential. The following charts provide a useful guide to the diatonic chords in minor keys.
| Key | I | II | III | IV | V | VI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A#m | A#m | C# | D#m | E#m | F# | G# |
| D#m | D#m | F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# |
| G#m | G#m | B | C#m | D#m | E | F# |
| C#m | C#m | E | F#m | G#m | A | B |
| F#m | F#m | A | Bm | C#m | D | E |
| Bm | Bm | D | Em | F#m | G | A |
| Em | Em | G | Am | Bm | C | D |
| Am | Am | C | Dm | Em | F | G |
| Dm | Dm | F | Gm | Am | B♭ | C |
| Gm | Gm | B♭ | Cm | Dm | E♭ | F |
| Cm | Cm | E♭ | Fm | Gm | A♭ | B♭ |
| Fm | Fm | A♭ | B♭m | Cm | D♭ | E♭ |
| B♭m | B♭m | D♭ | E♭m | Fm | G♭ | A♭ |
| E♭m | E♭m | G♭ | A♭m | B♭m | C♭ | D♭ |
| A♭m | A♭m | C♭ | D♭m | E♭m | F♭ | G♭ |
Note: C♭ = B, E# = F, F♭ = E
How to read this chart: If you want to write in E minor, locate “Em” in the first column. The chords in that row (G, Am, Bm, C, and D) are the diatonic chords commonly used in the key of E minor.
An alternative perspective on minor key chord charts emphasizes the dominant V chord often being played as major or dominant 7th, even in minor keys.
| Key | I | II | III | IV | V | VI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A#m | A#m | C# | D#m | E# | F# | G# |
| D#m | D#m | F# | G#m | A# | B | C# |
| G#m | G#m | B | C#m | D# | E | F# |
| C#m | C#m | E | F#m | G# | A | B |
| F#m | F#m | A | Bm | C# | D | E |
| Bm | Bm | D | Em | F# | G | A |
| Em | Em | G | Am | B | C | D |
| Am | Am | C | Dm | E | F | G |
| Dm | Dm | F | Gm | A | B♭ | C |
| Gm | Gm | B♭ | Cm | D | E♭ | F |
| Cm | Cm | E♭ | Fm | G | A♭ | B♭ |
| Fm | Fm | A♭ | B♭m | C | D♭ | E♭ |
| B♭m | B♭m | D♭ | E♭m | F | G♭ | A♭ |
| E♭m | E♭m | G♭ | A♭m | B♭ | C♭ | D♭ |
| A♭m | A♭m | C♭ | D♭m | E♭ | F♭ | G♭ |
The key difference is the V chord (fifth chord in the key), which is shown as major in this chart. In minor keys, the V chord is often major to create a stronger resolution back to the tonic (I chord). This is because the major V chord contains a leading tone (the 7th degree of the scale raised by a half step) that strongly pulls towards the tonic.
For example, in A minor, the diatonic V chord is Em. However, it’s very common to use E major instead. An example progression is: Am – Dm – Am – E. The E major chord creates a more powerful resolution back to the Am.
Expand Your Chord Vocabulary
To further enrich your guitar playing and songwriting, consider exploring resources like The Chord Chart Poster, which offers a curated selection of over 100 essential guitar chords.
Continue your exploration of chord types and expand your musical knowledge by visiting the chord types overview.
