My Chord Finder
Cm, one shape
Cm frets from the sixth string to the first: x 3 1 0 1 3.
Cm spelling: C, Eb, G.
Cm sounding notes: C3 (1), Eb3 (b3), G3 (5), C4 (1), G4 (5).
Cm open strings: third string, G3.
minor chords
minor chords are the root, a flat third and a fifth: 1, b3, 5. Below are all 12 roots with one guitar shape each, the seven chords a natural minor key gives you, and a measured C minor third that is 0.8 cents narrower than equal temperament.
How a minor chord is built
A minor chord is the root, the note three semitones above it, and the note seven semitones above it: 1, b3, 5. C minor spells C, Eb, G: C up to Eb is 3 semitones, a minor third, and Eb up to G is 4 semitones, a major third. C major spells C, E, G: 4 semitones then 3, so the same root and fifth take a major third, not a minor one.
The twelve minor chords
Each row is the first shape the guitar finder returns for that root in standard tuning. Every sounding pitch belongs to the chord, and every chord tone is present. The notes column spells each chord as that chord is written, so one pitch can carry a flat name in one row and a sharp name in another.
| Chord | Notes | Frets (6 to 1) | Sounding notes | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cm | C, Eb, G | x 3 1 0 1 3 | C3 (1), Eb3 (b3), G3 (5), C4 (1), G4 (5) | |
| C#m | C#, E, G# | x 4 6 6 5 4 | C#3 (1), G#3 (5), C#4 (1), E4 (b3), G#4 (5) | |
| Dm | D, F, A | x x 0 2 3 1 | D3 (1), A3 (5), D4 (1), F4 (b3) | |
| D#m | D#, F#, A# | x x 1 3 4 2 | D#3 (1), A#3 (5), D#4 (1), F#4 (b3) | |
| Em | E, G, B | 0 2 2 0 0 0 | E2 (1), B2 (5), E3 (1), G3 (b3), B3 (5), E4 (1) | |
| Fm | F, Ab, C | 1 3 3 1 1 1 | F2 (1), C3 (5), F3 (1), Ab3 (b3), C4 (5), F4 (1) | |
| F#m | F#, A, C# | 2 4 4 2 2 2 | F#2 (1), C#3 (5), F#3 (1), A3 (b3), C#4 (5), F#4 (1) | |
| Gm | G, Bb, D | 3 1 0 0 3 3 | G2 (1), Bb2 (b3), D3 (5), G3 (1), D4 (5), G4 (1) | |
| G#m | G#, B, D# | 4 6 6 4 4 4 | G#2 (1), D#3 (5), G#3 (1), B3 (b3), D#4 (5), G#4 (1) | |
| Am | A, C, E | x 0 2 2 1 0 | A2 (1), E3 (5), A3 (1), C4 (b3), E4 (5) | |
| A#m | A#, C#, E# | x 1 3 3 2 1 | A#2 (1), E#3 (5), A#3 (1), C#4 (b3), E#4 (5) | |
| Bm | B, D, F# | x 2 4 4 3 2 | B2 (1), F#3 (5), B3 (1), D4 (b3), F#4 (5) |
× mute · ○ open · green root · terracotta other chord tones
Numbers show a suggested finger: 1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 pinky. A bar means one finger holds several strings. Frets run from the sixth string, low E, to the first string, high E.
Every chord in a minor key
In A natural minor the seven chords come from stacking every other note of the scale. The numerals follow the chords rather than the key: lowercase is a minor chord, uppercase is major, and ° marks a diminished chord. The order of qualities is the same in every natural minor key, so the E minor column keeps the same seven numerals.
| Numeral | A minor | E minor |
|---|---|---|
| i | Am (A, C, E) | Em (E, G, B) |
| ii° | Bdim (B, D, F) | F#dim (F#, A, C) |
| III | C (C, E, G) | G (G, B, D) |
| iv | Dm (D, F, A) | Am (A, C, E) |
| v | Em (E, G, B) | Bm (B, D, F#) |
| VI | F (F, A, C) | C (C, E, G) |
| VII | G (G, B, D) | D (D, F#, A) |
Raise the seventh of the scale and the fifth chord turns major: E (E, G#, B) in A minor and B (B, D#, F#) in E minor. That major V is the chord that pulls back to i; the natural-minor v does not.
Common minor progressions
i–iv–v in A minor: Am, Dm, Em. Three minor chords in a row, with no major chord to brighten the loop.
i–VI–III–VII in A minor: Am, F, C, G. The seventh degree sits 2 semitones below the tonic, so the last chord leans back into the first.
i–iv–V in A minor: Am, Dm, E. The fifth chord here is the harmonic-minor one, E, G#, B, and it is the cadence that sounds finished.
A measured C minor third
These numbers come from a 1.2-second window that starts 7.20 seconds into the recording of Prelude No. 2 in C minor, BWV 847, played by Kimiko Ishizaka and released under CC0 1.0. In that window the analyser heard G, Eb and C as the three strongest pitch classes, and those are the three notes of a C minor chord: C, Eb, G. The fourth, F, was close behind C. Johann Sebastian Bach died in 1750, and Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier is dated 1722.
The root C4 is 263.17 Hz and the flat third Eb4 is 312.82 Hz. 312.82 ÷ 263.17 = 1.18866, and 1200 × log2(1.18866) = 299.21 cents. Equal temperament puts three semitones at 2^(3 ÷ 12) = 1.18921, which is 300.00 cents, so this minor third is -0.8 cents against it. A pure 6/5 minor third is 1.2, or 315.64 cents, and this one is -16.4 cents against that. C4 (MIDI 60) is 440 × 2^((60 − 69) ÷ 12) = 261.63 Hz.
The window is named by its time in the recording, not by a bar number, so this page attaches no bar number to any of the numbers above. It also does not claim that the chord is held as a pure three-note block: the recording keeps moving, and the analyser ranks the three chord tones above everything else in that window.
The recording is not embedded here; the Hear buttons play the site's sampled guitar. Credit and licence for the recording are on sound credits.
Where the other pages fit
Open chords is the open-position inventory, which includes the five open minors. Minor 7 chords adds a flat seventh, 1 b3 5 b7. Natural minor scale guitar and Harmonic minor scale guitar are the scale fingerings these chords come from. Guitar chords in a is the major-key set for one key; the tables above are what a minor key gives you.
Questions people ask about minor chords
What makes a chord minor?
One note: the third. C, E, G is major, and lowering the E by a semitone gives C, Eb, G, which is minor. The root and the fifth stay where they are.
What are the chords in a minor key?
In A natural minor: Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F, G. In E natural minor: Em, F#dim, G, Am, Bm, C, D. The numerals run i, ii°, III, iv, v, VI, VII in both.
Why do minor songs end on a major chord?
Raise the seventh of the scale and the fifth chord turns major: E (E, G#, B) in A minor and B (B, D#, F#) in E minor. That major V is the chord that pulls back to i; the natural-minor v does not.
What is the cents number on this page?
The root C4 is 263.17 Hz and the flat third Eb4 is 312.82 Hz. 312.82 ÷ 263.17 = 1.18866, and 1200 × log2(1.18866) = 299.21 cents. Equal temperament puts three semitones at 2^(3 ÷ 12) = 1.18921, which is 300.00 cents, so this minor third is -0.8 cents against it. A pure 6/5 minor third is 1.2, or 315.64 cents, and this one is -16.4 cents against that. C4 (MIDI 60) is 440 × 2^((60 − 69) ÷ 12) = 261.63 Hz.