Chord category
Minor chords
Minor chords bring the softer, more melancholic colour. They are written with a lowercase m (Cm, Dm…) and include variants like m7, m9 and m6.
Theory
A minor triad has the root, the minor third and the perfect fifth — the 1st, flattened 3rd and 5th of the scale.
Formula and steps
Degrees
1 – ♭3 – 5
Steps (semitones)
3 – 4
How they are used
They carry the emotional weight: they drive ballads, introspective passages and much of pop, jazz and classical music.
Progressions (roman numerals)
- i – iv – v
- i – ♭VI – ♭VII
- i – iv – ♭VII – ♭III
Example sequences
- Cm – Fm – Gm
- Am – Dm – Em
- Cm – A♭ – E♭ – B♭