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A minor

A minor has no sharps or flats. Its scale is A B C D E F G, its chords are Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F and G, and its relative major is C major.

Make a beat in A minorWrite a melody in this key

Opens the free editor with a trap beat on Am F C G. No account needed to start.

The A minor scale

Whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole: the half steps come between B and C, and between E and F.

A B C D E F G A

ABCDEFGA

On the piano, A minor uses only the white keys.

The notes of A minor by scale degree
DegreeNoteName
1ATonic
2BSupertonic
3CMediant
4DSubdominant
5EDominant
6FSubmediant
7GSubtonic

The raised seventh

Many songs in A minor raise G to G♯. That makes the harmonic minor scale, A B C D E F G♯, and turns the fifth chord from Em into E major, which pulls hard back to Am. The editor’s minor progressions play the fifth chord that way.

Chords in A minor

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. The Roman numeral says which note it starts on: capitals are major, small letters minor.

iAm
ii°Bdim
IIIC
ivDm
vEm
VIF
VIIG

Which chords sound happy or sad

Dark

Am Dm Em

i, iv, v. The minor chords. Am is home, and the key’s sad colour.

Lifting

C F G

III, VI, VII. The major chords, which bring light into a minor song.

Tense

Bdim

ii°. Diminished: tense and unstable, so most minor songs use it only in passing.

A progression in A minor

The epic minor · i–VI–III–VII
Am
F
C
G
Hear it as

More progressions in A minor

Key signature and related keys

Key signature

No sharps or flats

C major and A minor are the only keys with none: every note is a white key.

Relative major

C major

The same seven notes and key signature, starting on C.

Parallel major

A major

The same home note, with 3 sharps. Borrowing a chord from it makes a part sound brighter.

Next to it on the circle of fifths

Keys next to each other share six of their seven notes. See them all on the circle of fifths.

A minor in beats

The editor’s starter beats for these styles are written in A minor. Each opens the free editor with its own drums, bass and chords at its usual tempo, no account needed.

Trap · 140 BPMAmapiano · 113 BPMReggaeton · 94 BPM3Step · 118 BPMAfro house · 122 BPMBachata · 128 BPMBreakbeat · 128 BPMCorridos tumbados · 112 BPM

And 11 more of the editor’s styles start in A minor.

Questions about A minor

Does A minor have any sharps or flats?

No. A minor uses only the white keys: A B C D E F G. C major, its relative major, has none either, and they are the only two keys without any.

What is the relative major of A minor?

C major. It uses the same seven notes and the same key signature as A minor, but starts on C, the third note of the scale. The two share every chord, which is why songs move between them so easily.

What chords are in A minor?

Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F and G: one built on each note of the scale (i, ii°, III, iv, v, VI, VII). Many songs play the fifth chord as E major instead of Em: its G♯ pulls hard back to Am.

What is a common chord progression in A minor?

i–VI–III–VII: Am, F, C and G. It is the minor key’s best-known loop, heard in anthems, EDM and film, and it is the one the beat on this page plays.

Every key

Major keys
C majorG majorD majorA majorE majorB majorF♯ majorD♭ majorA♭ majorE♭ majorB♭ majorF major
Minor keys
A minorE minorB minorF♯ minorC♯ minorG♯ minorD♯ minorB♭ minorF minorC minorG minorD minor

Build a song in A minor

Start with the beat, then add chords, a melody and your voice in the editor, part by part.

Make a beat in A minorAll music keys

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