The key of A minor has no sharps and no flats. For reference, here are the notes in the A minor scale:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
All the chords in the key of A minor are made up of these seven notes, and each note gets to be the root note for one of the chords, thus making seven triad chords in this key.
- A Minor
- B Diminished
- C Major
- D Minor
- E Minor
- F Major
- G Major
Note: In this article I’m using banjo chord charts that I created using Microsoft Paint. Here are all the banjo chord charts that are free to use personally and commercially under Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License.
i Chord — A Minor or A Minor Seventh
The first chord (i) in the key of A minor is the A minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the A minor chord on banjo.
The A minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the i chord in the key of A minor. Below is my favorite way to play the A minor seventh chord.
iidim Chord — B Diminished or B Minor Seventh Flat Five
The second chord (iidim) in the key of A minor is the B diminished chord. Below is my preferred way to play the B diminished chord on banjo.
The B minor seventh flat five chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the iidim chord in the key of A minor. Below is my favorite way to play the B minor seventh flat five chord.
III Chord — C Major or C Major Seventh
The third chord (III) in the key of A minor is the C major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the C major chord on banjo.
The C major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the III chord in the key of A minor. Below is my favorite way to play the C major seventh chord.
iv Chord — D Minor or D Minor Seventh
The fourth chord (iv) in the key of A minor is the D minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the D minor chord on banjo.
The D minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the iv chord in the key of A minor. Below is my favorite way to play the D minor seventh chord.
v Chord — E Minor or E Minor Seventh
The fifth chord (v) in the key of A minor is the E minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the E minor chord on banjo.
The E minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the v chord in the key of A minor. Below is my favorite way to play the E minor seventh chord.
VI Chord — F Major or F Major Seventh
The sixth chord (VI) in the key of A minor is the F major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the F major chord on banjo.
The F major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the VI chord in the key of A minor. Below is my favorite way to play the F major seventh chord.
VII Chord — G Major or G Dominant Seventh
The seventh chord (VII) in the key of A minor is the G major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the G major chord on banjo.
The G dominant seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the VII chord in the key of A minor. Below is my favorite way to play the G dominant seventh chord.
Chord Progressions in the Key of A Minor
Here are 10 chord progressions in the key of A Minor that you can experiment with. I have included banjo tablature to make playing the chords easier for you.
1. A Minor, D Minor, E Minor
D| --2---2-----7---7-----9---9---
B| --1---1-----6---6-----8---8---
G| --2---2-----7---7-----9---9---
D| --2---2-----7---7-----9---9---
G| ------------------------------
2. A Minor, D Minor, F Major, E Minor
D| --2---2-----7---7-----10--10----9---9---
B| --1---1-----6---6-----10--10----8---8---
G| --2---2-----7---7-----10--10----9---9---
D| --2---2-----7---7-----10--10----9---9---
G| ----------------------------------------
3. A Minor, F Major, C Major, D Minor
D| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----7---7---
B| --1---1-----10--10----5---5-----6---6---
G| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----7---7---
D| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----7---7---
G| ----------------------------------------
4. A Minor, G Major, F Major
D| --2---2-----0---0-----10--10--
B| --1---1-----0---0-----10--10--
G| --2---2-----0---0-----10--10--
D| --2---2-----0---0-----10--10--
G| ------------------------------
5. A Minor, D Minor, C Major, F Major
D| --2---2-----7---7-----5---5-----10--10--
B| --1---1-----6---6-----5---5-----10--10--
G| --2---2-----7---7-----5---5-----10--10--
D| --2---2-----7---7-----5---5-----10--10--
G| ----------------------------------------
6. A Minor, B Diminished, E Minor, A Minor
D| --2---2-----3---3-----9---9-----2---2---
B| --1---1-----3---3-----8---8-----1---1---
G| --2---2-----4---4-----9---9-----2---2---
D| --2---2-----3---3-----9---9-----2---2---
G| ----------------------------------------
7. F Major, G Major, A Minor
D| --10--10----0---0-----2---2---
B| --10--10----0---0-----1---1---
G| --10--10----0---0-----2---2---
D| --10--10----0---0-----2---2---
G| ------------------------------
8. A Minor, F Major, C Major, G Major
D| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
B| --1---1-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
G| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
D| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
G| ----------------------------------------
9. A Minor, F Major, A Minor, F Major
D| --2---2-----10--10----2---2-----10--10--
B| --1---1-----10--10----1---1-----10--10--
G| --2---2-----10--10----2---2-----10--10--
D| --2---2-----10--10----2---2-----10--10--
G| ----------------------------------------
10. A Minor, E Minor, A Minor, D Minor
D| --2---2-----9---9-----2---2-----7---7---
B| --1---1-----8---8-----1---1-----6---6---
G| --2---2-----9---9-----2---2-----7---7---
D| --2---2-----9---9-----2---2-----7---7---
G| ----------------------------------------
11. A Minor, C Major, G Major, A Minor
D| --2---2-----5---5-----0---0-----2---2---
B| --1---1-----5---5-----0---0-----1---1---
G| --2---2-----5---5-----0---0-----2---2---
D| --2---2-----5---5-----0---0-----2---2---
G| ----------------------------------------
12. A Minor, F Major, C Major, D Minor
D| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----7---7---
B| --1---1-----10--10----5---5-----6---6---
G| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----7---7---
D| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----7---7---
G| ----------------------------------------
