Chords in the Key of C# Minor
Every diatonic triad and seventh chord in C# minor, with the progressions built from them. Free. No sign-up.
Key facts
Diatonic triads
Seventh chords
Stack one more scale tone on each triad and you get the seventh chords — same key, more color.
| Degree | Chord | Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | C#m7 | minor 7th | C# · E · G# · B |
| iiø7 | D#m7b5 | half-diminished | D# · F# · A · C# |
| IIImaj7 | Emaj7 | major 7th | E · G# · B · D# |
| iv7 | F#m7 | minor 7th | F# · A · C# · E |
| v7 | G#m7 | minor 7th | G# · B · D# · F# |
| VImaj7 | Amaj7 | major 7th | A · C# · E · G# |
| VII7 | B7 | dominant 7th | B · D# · F# · A |
Common progressions in C# minor
i–VI–III–VII
C#m – A – E – B
The minor pop loop — same four chords as the major axis, started from the minor side.
i–iv–v
C#m – F#m – G#m
The minor blues shape — all three chords stay minor in the natural scale.
i–VII–VI
C#m – B – A
The descending rock lament, one whole step at a time.
i–iv–VII–III
C#m – F#m – B – E
A circle-of-fifths descent — each root falls a fifth to the next.
How the key of C# minor works
C# Minor carries four sharps (F#, C#, G# and D#). The scale runs C#–D#–E–F#–G#–A–B, and stacking every other note of that scale builds the seven chords above — every chord tone comes from those same seven notes.
E Major is the relative major: identical key signature, identical seven chords. Treat E — the III chord here — as home base and you are in E major without changing a note.
The parallel major, Db Major (listed here in its enharmonic spelling), keeps the same root but raises the third, sixth, and seventh — its signature shifts to five flats (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db and Gb). Moving a section from minor to parallel major is one of the oldest brightness tricks in songwriting.
Keep practicing
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