Chords of a minor key

A minor key has its own family of chords. It is the same family as the relative major, with one important change near the top.

From the natural minor

From the natural minor scale the diatonic triads are i – ii° – III – iv – v – VI – VII: in Am, Am B° C Dm Em F G; in Cm, Cm D° E♭ Fm Gm A♭ B♭. These are the same chords as the relative major (lesson 6.2), starting from a different place: Am’s chords are C major’s chords starting from Am. The numerals are counted from the minor tonic: III, VI and VII are the major chords on the ♭3, ♭6 and ♭7 of the minor scale.

Why V is usually major

With the natural minor, the v chord is minor. It lacks the leading tone and pulls weakly to i. So minor keys very often use the harmonic minor’s raised 7th for the dominant: V becomes major (E in Am, G in Cm) and vii° is built on the leading tone (G♯° in Am).

In practice a minor key mixes both: i, ii°, III, iv, V (or v), VI, VII (the natural one, a whole step below i), and sometimes vii°. This is minor key harmony.