The key of C minor on piano
C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ — and everything inside it.
The key of C minor on piano: 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 piano 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 C minor
C minor is C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭: the minor scale on C, seven notes, labeled 1 to 7 on the piano above. The scale on its own, in every position, is on its page.
The chords in C 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 | Cm | C E♭ G |
| ii° | D° — passed through, not rested on | D F A♭ |
| III | E♭ | E♭ G B♭ |
| iv | Fm | F A♭ C |
| v | Gm | G B♭ D |
| VI | A♭ | A♭ C E♭ |
| VII | B♭ | B♭ D F |
The seventh chords in C minor
One more third on each — the row on “Tetrads” above.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | Cm7 | C E♭ G B♭ |
| iiø7 | Dm7♭5 — passed through, not rested on | D F A♭ C |
| IIImaj7 | E♭maj7 | E♭ G B♭ D |
| iv7 | Fm7 | F A♭ C E♭ |
| v7 | Gm7 | G B♭ D F |
| VImaj7 | A♭maj7 | A♭ C E♭ G |
| VII7 | B♭7 | B♭ D F A♭ |
The pentatonics in C 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 | Cm pent | C E♭ F G B♭ |
| ii | Dm pent — not in the key | D F G A C |
| III | E♭ pent | E♭ F G B♭ C |
| iv | Fm pent | F A♭ B♭ C E♭ |
| v | Gm pent | G B♭ C D F |
| VI | A♭ pent | A♭ B♭ C E♭ F |
| VII | B♭ pent | B♭ C D F G |
The same notes from another home
Relative major: E♭ major. Parallel major, the same root with different notes: C major.