Chord progressions in minor keys
Adapted from The Complete Singer-Songwriter.
Minor keys are often said to be brooding and sad, but not all minor key songs are as bleak as, say, “Death Don’t Have No Mercy.”
They can also be soothing (George Gershwin’s “Summertime”), funky (the Commodores’ “Brick House”), or upbeat and rocking (Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing”). Chord progressions in minor keys provide a rich set of musical possibilities and should be part of every songwriter’s palette.
So let’s look at the diatonic chords in minor keys, and at common progressions and classic songs using those chords. For an intro to diatonic chords, see this lesson on major keys (in my book The Complete Singer-Songwriter you’ll find a more in-depth discussion plus charts of diatonic chords in all major and minor keys).
As with major keys, we find the diatonic chords in minor keys by stacking notes from a scale. Minor keys are a little more complicated, though, in that there’s more than one type of minor scale. We have the natural minor scale as well as harmonic minor (in which the seventh is raised a half step) and melodic minor (in which the sixth and seventh are raised).
Without getting too far into the weeds, I’ll just say depending on which minor scale we’re using, we get slightly different chords. That’s why this list of diatonic chords has a few alternatives. I’m including the chord types you’re most likely to encounter.
i
ii° or ii
♭III
iv or IV
v or V
♭VI
♭VII
The i, iv, and v are minor (written lowercase); the ii° is diminished (indicated with ° or dim); and the ♭III, ♭VI, and ♭VII are major (uppercase). As shown, the ii can be diminished or minor, and the IV and V can be major or minor.
Here, for example, are these chords in the key of A minor:
Am (i)
Bdim or Bm (ii° or ii)
C (♭III)
Dm or D (iv or IV)
Em or E (v or V)
F (♭VI)
G (♭VII)
In the following sections we’ll put these numbers to work and look at some common chord progressions and songs that use them. Check out the Spotify playlists to hear some classic examples of these songs in action.
Minor blues
The major I, IV, and V are the kingpins in major keys, and their minor equivalents also figure prominently in minor keys. In minor keys, the IV and V chords can be minor (written lowercase) or major (uppercase). You can see both variations in the following examples. Also notice that “The Thrill Is Gone” and “Unchain My Heart” use ♭VI–V instead of just V (more on the ♭VI chord below).
“Black Magic Woman,” Santana (Peter Green):
i v i iv
i v i
“Evil Ways,” Santana (Sonny Henry):
i IV repeats until ending V
“The Thrill Is Gone,” B. B. King (Roy Hawkins/Rick Darnell):
i iv i / ♭VI V i
“Unchain My Heart,” Ray Charles (Bobby Sharp):
i ♭VI i
iv i iv
♭VI V i
The ♭VII and ♭III
In minor key songs, the ♭VII (with a root one whole step, or two frets on the guitar, below the i) and the ♭III (one and a half steps, or three frets, up from the i) often play a central role. These two classics use the same combo of the i and the ♭VII.
“Masters of War,” Bob Dylan
“Working Class Hero,” John Lennon:
i ♭VII (occasional ♭VII IV i)
“Ain’t No Sunshine” uses the ♭VII along with the iv and v.
“Ain’t No Sunshine,” Bill Withers:
i v ♭VII i 2x
v iv i v ♭VII i
In a minor key, the ♭III is known as the relative major of i; these chords have two notes in common, so songs often move between them. In many songs the ♭III leads to the bVII.
“Jolene,” Dolly Parton:
i ♭III ♭VII i ♭VII i
“Another Brick in the Wall,” Pink Floyd:
verse i IV
chorus ♭III ♭VII i
The ♭VI
Another important chord in minor keys is the ♭VI. To conjure its sound, think of “Eleanor Rigby.”
“Eleanor Rigby,” the Beatles:
verse i ♭VI
Coming from the i, the ♭VI has an uplifting sound. Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence,” for instance, starts out with a somber i–♭VII–i (darkness is their old friend, after all) but then brightens when it goes to ♭VI–bIII.
“The Sound of Silence,” Simon and Garfunkel:
i ♭VII i
♭VI ♭III 3x
i ♭III ♭VII i
Descending from the i
In many minor songs where the ♭VI appears, the ♭VII is right with it. One classic sequence is i–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII, voiced so that the roots of the ♭VII and ♭VI are below the i.
“All Along the Watchtower,” Bob Dylan
“Stairway to Heaven” (climax), Led Zeppelin:
i ♭VII ♭VI ♭VII
In “Somebody That I Used to Know,” the verses bounce back and forth between i and ♭VII. In the chorus, the progression continues down to the ♭VI.
“Somebody That I Used to Know,” Gotye/Kimbra:
verse i ♭VII
chorus i ♭VII ♭VI ♭VII
Often, a descending i–♭VII–♭VI continues a half step lower, to the V. You can hear this sequence, for example, in the verses of “Stray Cat Strut” (in fact, the song modulates and follows the same descending pattern from the iv chord).
“Stray Cat Strut,” Stray Cats:
i ♭VII ♭VI V
Same pattern from iv
The ♭VI–V (or ♭VI–v) move also pops up in songs that don’t include the ♭VII.
“I Shot the Sheriff,” the Wailers:
chorus i iv
verse ♭VI v i
All together now
Finally, let’s fit these diatonic chords together in longer minor-key progressions.
“The House of the Rising Sun,” the Animals (traditional):
i ♭III IV ♭VI
i ♭III V
i ♭III IV ♭VI
i V i
“Hotel California,” the Eagles:
verse
i V ♭VII IV
♭VI ♭III iv V
chorus
♭VI ♭III V i
♭VI ♭III iv V
Notice how “Hotel California” uses both the major IV and minor iv. In the chorus, we have the brightening move to the ♭VI followed by the same sequence that ends the verse (♭III–iv–V). The only diatonic chord not used is the ii.
Writing in minor keys
As the songs and progressions above suggest, you can use minor keys for a wide range of moods and effects in your songwriting. They do have an edge that may be just right for an emotionally dark song, but don’t stereotype keys as “major = happy” and “minor = sad.”
If you marry heavy lyrics with heavy-sounding music, the result can be, well, heavy handed—the song bludgeons listeners rather than connecting with them. Instead, brighter major-key music might be worth trying for those same heavy lyrics—think of John Prine’s “Sam Stone,” with its tragic story of a drug-addicted veteran set over folky major-key fingerpicking.
Conversely, setting lighter lyrics to darker music might give a song a more complex quality. Songs, like life experiences, are often filled with conflicting emotions.
Dig deeper
For more on understanding chord progressions, see The Complete Singer-Songwriter.