Chords in the Key of C# Minor
The key of C# minor contains seven chords: C#m, D#dim, E, F#m, G#m, A and B. It uses four sharps, F#, C#, G# and D#, the same key signature as E major, and most songs in it rest on C#m and lean on A, E and B.
The seven chords on guitar
Each chord below opens its own page, with more shapes up the neck, audio for every voicing and a printable chart. Tap the play button on any card to hear it.
The seven chords on piano
The same seven chords on a keyboard, in root position. Each one opens its own page, with every inversion and the finger numbers for both hands.
iC#mC♯ E G♯ 
the home chord
ii°D#dimE♭ G♭ A 
the tense one, used sparingly, filed as Ebdim
IIIEE G♯ B 
the relative major, the bright lift
ivF#mF♯ A C♯ 
the darker step away from home
vG#mG♯ B D♯ 
the pull home, usually played major
VIAA C♯ E 
the warm place to rest
VIIBB D♯ F♯ 
a step below home, the rock cadence
The seventh chords in C# minor
Add one more note to each chord and the key gains its seventh chords, which is where most jazz and a good deal of soul begins.
Common progressions in C# minor
- i - VI - III - VII
C#m A E B
The most used loop in minor key pop and rock. Three of the four chords are easy on guitar, so the only real work is the C#m barre, and with a capo at the fourth fret it becomes Am, F, C, G.
- i - iv - v
C#m F#m G#m
The plain sad one, all three chords minor. In practice most songs raise the last chord to G# or G#7 so it pulls back to C#m instead of drifting. All three are barres in open position.
- i - VII - VI
C#m B A
A step down from the home chord and then another, which is the sound of a great deal of minor key rock and folk. It never resolves upward, it just falls and starts again.
- i - iv - VII - III
C#m F#m B E
This one moves a long way from home and comes back through E, the relative major. Useful for a chorus that needs to feel brighter than the verse.
Why these seven chords
On a stave, C# minor is written with four sharps, F#, C#, G# and D#, which is how a reader knows the key before playing a note.
C# minor is the natural minor scale starting on C#, so the chords come out in the order i, ii diminished, III, iv, v, VI, VII: C#m, D#dim, E, F#m, G#m, A and B. Three are minor, three are major and one, D#dim, is diminished and turns up rarely in songs.
One chord you will meet is not on that list. The v chord is G#m in the natural minor scale, but songs constantly play it major, as G# or G#7. Raising its third to B# gives the note a half step below C#, and that leading note is what makes the return to C#m feel final. That raised version comes from the harmonic minor scale, and it is worth knowing that a chart showing G#7 in a C# minor song is not a mistake.
On guitar
This key splits in two on the guitar. E and A are open shapes, B is a two finger barre at the second fret or the easier open B7, and D#dim is a small three string shape most players never need. The problem is that all three minors are barres: C#m at the fourth fret on the A string, F#m at the second fret, G#m at the fourth. In a key whose home chord is minor, that means the chord you return to most is the hardest one.
The practical route is a capo at the fourth fret playing A minor shapes. Am becomes C#m, Dm becomes F#m, Em becomes G#m, C becomes E, F becomes A and G becomes B. That turns the whole key into the shapes a beginner already owns, with only the F shape left as a barre, and it is why so many recorded songs in C# minor were played with a capo rather than up the neck.
On piano
The C# minor scale uses four black keys, C#, D#, F# and G#, and three white ones, E, A and B. That is a good grip for the hand: the long fingers sit up on the black keys and the thumb falls naturally on E, A and B, so the hand does not have to shuffle. The tonic chord C#m is C#, E and G#, black, white, black.
The awkward one is D#dim, D#, F# and A, because the hand has to reach out to a white key from two black ones. B and E are easy shapes to drop into, which is part of why progressions in this key often move C#m to A to E. Every triad and seventh here is shown in all of its inversions with fingering for both hands, which is the quickest way to find a version that does not make you jump.
Questions about the key of C# Minor
What are the 7 chords in the key of C# minor?
C#m, D#dim, E, F#m, G#m, A and B. C#m, F#m and G#m are minor, E, A and B are major, and D#dim is diminished.
What is the relative major of C# minor?
E major. It has the same four sharps and exactly the same seven chords. The only difference is which chord feels like home, E rather than C#m.
Why do songs in C# minor use G# or G#7 instead of G#m?
Because the major version contains B#, the note a half step under C#, and that pull back to the home chord is much stronger. It comes from the harmonic minor scale and is the one common chord in the key that is not in the list of seven.
Can I play the key of C# minor without barre chords?
Not in open position, since C#m, F#m and G#m are all barres. Put a capo at the fourth fret and play A minor shapes instead: Am, Dm, Em, C, F and G give you the whole key.
What key signature does C# minor have?
Four sharps: F#, C#, G# and D#. Sheet music in C# minor and in E major look identical at the key signature.
What do the numbers next to each chord mean?
They are each chord's place in the key, written as Roman numerals. In C# minor the i is C#m, the iv is F#m and the v is G#m. The numbering holds in every key, so the v of A minor is Em. That is why progressions get written as numerals like i, VI, III, VII: learn one and you have it in all twelve minor keys.
Why are some numerals capitals and some lowercase?
The case tells you the chord quality. Lowercase are minor, which in C# minor means C#m, F#m and G#m. Capitals are major: E, A and B. The small circle on ii° means diminished, and here that is D#dim.
What is the relative major of C# minor?
E major. It is written with four sharps, F#, C#, G# and D#, the same signature as C# minor, and it contains the same seven chords. Only the chord that sounds like home changes, from C#m to E.
The relative major
E major is written with the same four sharps, F#, C#, G# and D# and contains the same seven chords as C# minor. What changes is which one sounds like home, so the same shapes can be played brighter without learning anything new. Chords in the key of E