If you know the major scale across the fretboard, it is possible to create minor chords by flattening out its third and fifth notes – this process is known as diminishing triad.
As our first minor scale, we’ll study the natural A minor scale. It has a flexible shape that can be placed anywhere along your neck.
A Minor Scale
Minor scales offer even more vibrant chord possibilities than their major counterparts, and can coexist in songs by harmonizing melody while supporting harmony; major chords may provide harmony while minor ones complement melody.
The A natural minor scale, also known as Aeolian mode, contains all of the same notes found in C major without flats or sharps; however, the order of notes differs by beginning from scale degree six (i – vi – iv – va).
Chords in the A minor scale can be easily constructed by adding thirds and fifths to any individual scale degree, and then shifting those triads up or down the fretboard until you find one that best matches your composition.
Harmonic and melodic minor scales are variants of A minor scales that differ by raising or lowering one of its degrees in respective intervals, altering its sound through chord formation.
I-IV-V-I (1 4 5 1 1) progression can be found throughout A minor key songs from various genres. From classic rock tracks like U2’s “One” and R.E.M’s “Losing My Religion” to contemporary pop tracks from Paramore such as “Ain’t It Fun” and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”.
B Minor Scale
As opposed to major scales, minor scale intervals are flat or half-step lower compared to major ones – giving a minor scale its characteristic saddening sound. In this lesson we’ll look at all of the notes in B minor scale and learn to play them on guitar as well as diatonic chords that complement this key.
B Minor shares its key signature with D Major; therefore it can be thought of as its relative major.
Here’s a diagram demonstrating the B natural minor scale written out in both ascending and descending form, using the treble clef notation. As can be seen, its key signature contains two sharps (F# and C#).
If you want to practice playing the B minor harmonic in your right hand, begin with your thumb on B and use each finger individually to reach D, E and end on B – without creating bad habits during practice! Make sure to practice by starting on each B until all four fingers reach D before moving to E then E again before ending on B with pinky. Taking care not to create bad habits when practicing is key!
B minor is the relative minor of D major, meaning there are multiple chords associated with it – including A minor triad and 7th chord. For more information about chords in minor scale, check out our article about them!
C Minor Scale
C minor is the relative minor key of E flat’s major scale; thus chords in this key share the same notes with its counterpart but are arranged differently. Chords composed in this key can include triads and seventh chords formed using any three notes from its scale; similarly a tonic chord such as Cm7 forms seventh chords within this minor key.
C Minor scale notes provide the basis of many common chords. Triads tend to be preferred as an approach for creating minor key chords; however, you could also create other types of chords using harmonic and melodic minor scales.
To play a C minor chord, place your index finger on the 8th fret of the low E string and use your middle finger to fret the note at 9th fret on this same string before using your ring finger as needed to play 10th fret on another string in your left hand. Repeat these steps for all remaining strings with appropriate fingers as necessary.
D Minor Scale
As a beginner guitarist, this chord should be one of your initial barre chord shapes to learn early on. Based on an A minor shape transposed to the fifth fret, to play it you should barre all four strings with your index finger (1) before placing your ring finger (3) on the seventh fret of fourth string D and pinky on seventh fret of third string G respectively – then play! For an exciting percussive strumming experience try barring all four strings simultaneously while keeping down a barre and striking your two and three fingers to percussively strike all four strings simultaneously while holding down – for some fun percussive strumming experience try barring all four strings while holding down and holding down its barre.
D Minor is a key with a flat (Bb) in its Circle of Fifths and contains the notes D, E, F, G, A B C. Each note in this scale has an interdependent interval relationship that gives every chord its individual sound.
Learning different chord shapes in a minor key can expand your repertoire when playing songs, giving you more options when creating dynamic and varied soundscapes. Rocksmith+ provides over 6,000 songs where you can practice these various chords shapes; be patient as mastering new ones requires time and dedication – take regular breaks, take precautions to prevent overstretching fingers or wrists and enjoy!
E Minor Scale
E Minor Scale chord progressions are highly sought-after and can create a variety of emotive tones in music ranging from melancholic and introspective to powerful and uplifting. By learning these chord progressions you will develop your own musical vocabulary.
E minor features a key signature of one sharp, meaning all notes will be played one octave lower than in major scale. While it can initially be confusing, once you master this style it becomes much simpler and faster to learn and play.
Chords in an E Minor Scale are formed by stacking thirds. This method utilizes three notes; they include the root note, minor third and perfect fifth notes. When starting on any note in an E Minor Scale chord progression, these will all be utilized. Starting on its root note means using minor third which lies one half step below major third and perfect fifth which lies an octave beneath root note – so all three elements come into play!
Keep in mind that minor chords sound differently from major ones due to being created from different patterns of intervals – to see this in action, check out the diagram below.
This diagram displays the E melodic minor scale in seventh position, starting from its open E sixth string all the way to its twelfth fret on its first string and featuring various accidentals (sharps and flats). If you would like more information about how to read chord charts, click here.
F Minor Scale
F Minor is the relative minor of Ab Major and, like any natural minor scale, contains four flats – making it challenging for beginner players who may be unfamiliar with having flats in their chord progressions. But F minor can still make for an excellent key to learn due to its many bluesy chords.
Minor scale chords include tonic, IV and V chords – these provide stability and resolution while tension and contrast from an IIV chord can add variety and depth. Use of secondary dominant chords can further add variety and depth.
F minor allows you to utilize both natural minor scale as well as its counterpart harmonic minor scale, with each degree raised half step for added drama and bluesy feel in your progressions.
Try playing some F minor chords to gain an understanding of their sound and key. There are multiple approaches for playing F minor chords; choose the style which feels most comfortable for you – for instance if barre chords are your preferred style then barre the second fret of E string while placing two fingers on its fourth fret, this would create barre chords.