The key of E minor on mandolin
E F♯ G A B C D — and everything inside it.
The key of E minor on mandolin: the scale, the chord on every degree, the seventh chords and the pentatonics — drawn above, each a tap away. The row of chips over the mandolin is the key’s chords; the dropdown switches it to seventh chords or pentatonics, the shape menu draws a chord as one grip at a time, and a tap on any note finds the chords that hold it. For the why, read chords in a key, the minor scale.
The notes of E minor
E minor is E F♯ G A B C D: the minor scale on E, seven notes, labeled 1 to 7 on the mandolin above. The scale on its own, in every position, is on its page.
The chords in E minor
The triad on each degree, stacked from the key’s own notes; the numeral’s case is the chord’s quality. The explorer above draws the six you can rest on.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | Em | E G B |
| ii° | F♯° — passed through, not rested on | F♯ A C |
| III | G | G B D |
| iv | Am | A C E |
| v | Bm | B D F♯ |
| VI | C | C E G |
| VII | D | D F♯ A |
The seventh chords in E minor
One more third on each — the row on “Tetrads” above.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | Em7 | E G B D |
| iiø7 | F♯m7♭5 — passed through, not rested on | F♯ A C E |
| IIImaj7 | Gmaj7 | G B D F♯ |
| iv7 | Am7 | A C E G |
| v7 | Bm7 | B D F♯ A |
| VImaj7 | Cmaj7 | C E G B |
| VII7 | D7 | D F♯ A C |
The pentatonics in E minor
The five-note scale on each degree that fits inside the key — major where the degree’s chord is major, minor where it is minor. The row on “Pentatonics” above.
| Degree | Scale | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | Em pent | E G A B D |
| ii | F♯m pent — not in the key | F♯ A B D♭ E |
| III | G pent | G A B D E |
| iv | Am pent | A C D E G |
| v | Bm pent | B D E F♯ A |
| VI | C pent | C D E G A |
| VII | D pent | D E F♯ A B |
The same notes from another home
Relative major: G major. Parallel major, the same root with different notes: E major.