In this article, I show examples of songs that use only 1 of the scales for harmony. I also have examples that use a combination of the 3 scales. Finally, I have notes on things to consider when writing a song in a minor key.

Songwriting with minor scales

The fact that there are 3 minor scales can confuse beginner songwriters, but don’t make it more complicated than it actually is. When it comes to writing songs, most people start out by playing chords (harmony) from a particular scale.

Your first choice is the natural minor scale which is also called the relative minor or Aeolian mode. It has the same notes and builds the same chords s the major scale a minor 3rd above the tonic. Of you can look at it as the major scale built on the minor 3rd of the minor triad.

So for A natural minor, that would be C major. I wrote articles on the chords built from each scale degree in C major where I also created open guitar chords for each chord. Also, check out my Chords From Scales article to see all the chord types built from the major scale.

When it comes to the possible chords built from the harmonic and melodic minor scales, take a look at my articles D Harmonic Minor Chords and 73 Chords From D Melodic Minor.

In those articles, I list ALL the possible chords and whittle that list down to the most important chords to use to write a song in just those minor scales.

Below I analyze 48 popular songs that use the various minor scales for the chords of the song. I list the chords used in each section used for all the songs so you know what you have to work with. But first, let me cover the basic chords that can be built from all 3 scales.

Minor scale chords

There are certain chord types I did not see in the popular minor key songs I analyzed. None of the songs used a diminished chord with the exception of one song with a dim7 on the 7th scale degree. I also only saw one augmented chord (augmented triad) on the vii.

Here is a list of the only 7th chords and adds/extensions used in the songs below:

Sevenths: m7, m-maj7, 7, 7sus, maj7, dim7
Adds/Extensions: m6, m9, m11, 6 add9, 9, 7#9, maj9

Some of those chords only occur in one song.

Here is my list of chords you want to consider using the tonic (1st) of the minor scale as a reference and expressing all other chords as intervals away from the tonic. These are chords available from all 3 minor scales.

Tonic minor: minor triad, m add9, m7, m-maj7, sus, sus2
M2, Major 2nd: minor triad, m6, m7
m3, Minor 3rd: major, maj7, +
P4, Perfect 4th: m, m add9, m7, major, 6, 7
P5, Perfect 5th: m, m7, 7, 9, 7#9, 7♭9, sus, 7sus, aug, 7#5
m6, Minor 6th: major, maj7, minor triad
m7, Minor 7th: major, add9
M7, Major 7th: dim, dim7, +, 7alt

There are many other chords that you could use if you want to but stick to the basics until you have more experience with songs in a minor key.

Also, NO ONE seems to use the minor triad version of the flat 6 chord. That’s a totally missed opportunity if you ask me. Normally that chord is expressed as a major or major 7th chord. The major 7th of the harmonic & melodic minor scale turns it into a minor chord. The minor 3rd of the flat 6 is the leading tone and it has a slight resolve tendency to the tonic minor.

Natural minor scale songs & notes on the chord progressions

Eight of the 28 songs use the natural minor scale as the source for the chords which beats out the natural minor & melodic minor combination by 1 song. So using chords just from the natural minor seems to be the most popular source for songs in a minor key.

I think I have the actual chord progressions with a few exceptions. This is for all the songs in this article. I did not include any repeats such as playing the first set of chords 2 or more times, I just list the chords in order as they appear in the songs.

Also, I briefly played all of them and they sounded correct, but there may be some small errors. Let me know and I’ll make changes. This is just a guideline source of potential minor chord progressions. Finally, I use the symbol “|” as a separator of verse to chorus to bridge, so look for that change.

Natural Minor Progressions

Here are the 8 popular songs, that I like, that use chords ONLY from the natural minor scale.

All Along the watchtower, Bob Dylan:
Am > G > F > G

I Shot the Sheriff, Bob Marley:
Gm > Cm | E♭maj7 > Dm7 > Gm

Jolene, Dolly Parton:
C#m > E > B > C#m > B > C#m | C#m > E > B > C#m > B > G#m > C#m

Heart Of Gold, Neil Young:
Em > C > D > G | Em > G > C > G | Em > D

Ain’t No Sunshine, Bill Withers:
Am > Em > G > Em > Dm

Sound of Silence, Simon & Garfunkel:
Dm > C > Dm > F > B♭ > F > Dm > F > C

Hurricane, Bob Dylan:
Am > F > C > Dm > Em > G

The Night They Drove old Dixie Down, The Band:
Am > C/G > F-F/E > Dm > Am| Am > F > C > Dm
| Am > F > C > Dm > D > | C > Fmaj7 > C > Am > Gsus > F > C

The only chords used in the songs above are tonic minor, ♭III, iv, v, ♭VI, ♭VI maj7, and ♭VII. I think you could also try add9, m add9 and sus chords on the degrees that build them. Just keep the tonic minor chord the main focus.

Harmonic minor & Melodic minor only songs

There are only 3 songs in this list which means that using just the harmonic or melodic minor scale is the least common method of writing songs in a minor key.

Harmonic Minor

The Thrill Is Gone, B.B. King:
Bm > Em > Bm > G > F#7 > Bm

Black Magic Woman, Santana:
Dm > A7 > Gm6

Melodic Minor

Oye Como Va, Santana:
Am7 > D9

There are not a lot of chords used here. The B.B. King song is a really nice blues progression in B harmonic minor. Oye Como Va by Carlos Santana is a two-chord song which I should have include in my Two-Chord Songs article but it is technically A melodic minor.

Definitely check my two D minor articles linked above because I think you can use either one of those scales to write a full song. There are great chords from each scale if you want a more complex harmony.

Natural & harmonic minor scale songs

I could only find 3 examples of minor songs (that I like) that use chords from the natural minor and harmonic minor scales.

Jack-A-Roe, Traditional (Grateful Dead version):
Am > C > E | Am > C > F > C | Am > E > Am > Am

I’m only Sleeping, Beatles:
Em > Am > G > C > G > B7 | G > Am > Bm | Am > Cmaj7

California Dreamin’, The Mamas & The Papas:
Am > G > F > G > E7sus > E7 | C > E7 > Am > F > E7sus > E

Finally, a sus4 chord in California Dreamin’ – don’t forget about those suspended chords!

Natural & melodic minor scale songs

The combination of natural and melodic minor seems to be the 2nd most common method of writing songs in a minor key. Take a look at these songs to get some good ideas.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Beatles:
Am > Am7 > D9 > F > Am > G > D > E > A > C#m > F#m > Bm > E

Hotel California, Eagles:
Bm > F#7 > A > E > G > D > Em > F# | G > D > F#7 > Bm > | G > D > Em > F#

Summertime, Janis Joplin version:
Am > Dm6 > Am > Dm > E7 > F > Em > Am > Dm6 > | C > Dm > E7

Babe, I’m gonna leave you, Led Zeppelin:
Am > Am7 > D7 > F6 > E > | F > E | Am > Dm

Another Brick in the Wall, Pink Floyd:
Dm > G | F > C > Dm

Paint it Black, The Rolling Stones:
Em > B7 | Em > D > G > D > Em | Em > D > G > D > A7 > B7

Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin:
Am > G#+ > C > D > Fmaj7 > G-Am| Am7 > Dsus > D > Am7 > Em > D-C | C > G > Am > C > G-F > Am

The chord types used in these songs are i, i7, ♭III, iv, iv6, IV, IV7, IV9, IVsus, v, V, V7, ♭VI, ♭VI maj7, ♭VII, and VII+.

Using chords from all 3 minor scales

These 4 songs use chords from all 3 minor scales. I would skip the Dylan and Beatles tunes as there are a lot of chords and chord changes in them – keep it simple.

House of the Risin Sun, Animals:
Am > C > D > F > E > E7

I, Me, Mine, Beatles:
Am > D > G > E > Dm > Em > Dm7 > G#dim7 > F > Am-maj7 > C > Am6 > Fmaj7 > A7 > D7 > E7

Subterranean Homesick Blues, Bob Dylan:
Am > F > Am6 > Am7 > Am6 > F > Am > C… > E > Dm6 > Am > F7
| Am > F > Am6 > E > Dm6 > E > Dm6 > Am > F7 > Am

Moondance, Van Morrison:
Am7 > Bm7 | Dm7 > Am7 > E7 | Am > Dm7 > E7

These songs use the following chord types: tonic minors (m, m-maj7, m6, m7), ii m7, ♭III, iv, iv6, iv7, IV, v, V, V7, ♭VI, ♭VImaj7, ♭VI7, and vii dim7.

Songs with minor scale & minor mode chords

These songs are a little difficult to peg down as to the scales used.

Horse With No Name seems to be in Natural minor and Dorian mode. The Allman Brothers version of Elizabeth Reed is a combination of natural, melodic and “I-don’t-know”. Heard it Thru the Grapevine is either Dm melodic minor with a key change to Bm harmonic, or Dm melodic to Bm Phrygian.

Horse With No Name, America:
Em > D6/9 | Em9 > Dmaj9

In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Allman Brothers version:
Am9 > Am7 > Am9 > D | Am > D > Bm > C > Am7 > Dm > Em > C > E7#9 >
| Adim7 | Am7 > Cm7 | G#m > Am > Am > Bm > B > C

Heard it thru the grapevine, Marvin Gaye (CCR version):
Dm > A > G | Bm > G | Dm > G | Dm > G

Other minor key songs

I did not look at the chord progression for the following songs. If you like any of them, then check them out for additional ideas.

Beatles: Glass Onion, I Want You

Grateful Dead: Estimated Prophet

Folk Song Encyclopedia (Nirvana): In the Pines

The Searchers: Love Potion #9

Traffic: Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

The Commodores: Brickhouse

Things to consider when writing a minor key song

Here are a handful of points to keep in mind:

1. Consider changing to a major key for the chorus and/or bridge section. Use either the relative or parallel major for that.

2. Only use diminished chords built on the 7th scale degree. The same goes for 7alt chords with the exception of the 7♭9 or 7#9 on the 5th. Hopefully, you know that a 7#9 chord is the combination of a 7 and m7 chord (v7 & V7).

3. You are most likely going to use a minor 1 chord and either a minor or major 4 & 5 chord. That leaves the chords built on the 2, 3, 6 and 7. Just try various chord combinations to see what sounds good to you.

4. For minor blues, you could use the ♭6 to 5 move in The Thrill Is Gone which I believe is common in minor blues. Or just do a minor for the 1 & 4 and go with a dominant 7th on the 5 chord.

Final Thoughts

If you can’t write a song using any of the minor scales after all the information in this article, then consider switching to painting or creative writing. Seriously, just slap together 3 -7 chords and try writing a song in a minor key song. You now have plenty of song examples and chords to choose from so just try something.

If you want sheet music for any of the songs listed, then check out Music Notes. Their sheet music is pretty good but I’ve noticed songs are not in the correct keys.

The post Writing Minor Scale Songs (All 3 Minor Scales) appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

The melodic minor scale in detail

There are 3 minor scales (not counting minor modes): natural, harmonic and melodic. The melodic minor scale is the least common of the 3 but is used by jazz musicians and film composers. One confusing aspect of the melodic minor scale is that it has different scale degrees ascending vs. descending.

Read my Music Intervals article if you do not know your intervals so you understand the following paragraphs.

The harmonic minor scale has the interval of an augmented 2nd or minor 3rd between the 6th an 7th scale degrees. Because of the minor 3rd interval, either the 6th is raised (ascending melodic minor) or the 7th is lowered (descending version) to make the scale more “melodic”.

And yes, the descending version is the same as the natural minor. It depends on the notes in the melody and/or harmony as to which form is used. However, the ascending & descending versions are only played in classical music.

In jazz, the melodic minor is known as the jazz minor and they only use the ascending version. That is what I consider as the “melodic minor” and is what I cover in this article. Let’s compare the natural & melodic minor scales along with the major scale.

Interval, formula and scale degree comparisons

Just so you know, “W” stands for a whole step or whole tone, “H” stands for half-step or semitone.

Natural minor scale formula = W-H-W-W-H-W-W
Melodic minor scale formula = W-H-W-W-W-W-H

Natural minor scale degrees = 1-2-♭3-4-5-♭6-♭7-8
Melodic minor scale degrees =  1-2-♭3-4-5-6-7-8
Major scale degrees =  1-2-♭3-4-5-6-7-8

Natural minor intervals = R-M2-m3-P4-P5-m6-m7
Melodic minor intervals = R-M2-m3-P4-P5-M6-M7
Major scale intervals = R-M2-M3-P4-P5-M6-M7

Notice how the melodic minor has the same intervals as the major scale with the exception of a minor 3rd. That’s probably easier to remember if you already know the major scale (which you should). Here is a comparison with the actual notes for the scales in the key of D:

D Natural minor notes = D-E-F-G-A-B♭-C
D Melodic minor notes = D-E-F-G-A-B-C#
D Major scale notes = D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#

Application of the melodic minor scale

It’s common to use the melodic minor scale for soloing when you see a major V chord in a minor key song or over a 7alt chord. The 7th sale degree builds 7alt chords can you will see them in songs that are not in a minor key.

You can also use it over chords such as  m-maj7, maj7#5, m9♭5, 7#5#5 and others are chords from the scale. The Lydian Dominant mode built on the 4th scale degree is also a great choice for 7#11 chords.

If you’d like to learn more about the melodic minor and the other minor scales, then check out the Wikipedia Minor Scale page. Also, read my articles on the D Harmonic Minor Scale as a comparison, and Writing Minor Scale Songs where I have song examples of all 3 minor scales.

D melodic minor triads and open scale shapes

Here is sheet music and tab for a one-octave D melodic minor scale and across all 6 strings in open position:

The degrees of the melodic minor scale build the following triads and sevenths:

Melodic minor scale triads: i, ii, ♭III+, IV, V, vi^o, vii^o
Melodic minor scale 7ths: m-maj7, m7, maj7#5, 7, 7,m7♭5, m7♭5

D melodic minor triads: Dm, Em, F+, G, A, Bdim & C#dim.
D melodic minor sevenths: Dm-maj7, Em7, Fmaj7#5, G7, G7, Bm7♭5, C#m7♭5

However, because of the option to choose different chord tones, the notes G, A & C# build additional 7th chords. The same thing happens with the harmonic minor scale. Let’s look at all the chords now.

D chords from the D melodic minor scale

The chords on the tonic are similar for the D harmonic minor but the major 6th enables you to build 3 additional chords.

E chords from the D melodic minor scale

I prefer the melodic minor scale because you get a minor chord built on the 2nd scale degree. That is way better than the diminished triad from the harmonic minor scale.

F chords from the D melodic minor

Well, you only have two chors that can be built on the flat 3rd of the D melodic minor scale, same as for the harmonic minor scale.

G chords from D melodic minor

With the major 6th interval, the 4th scale degree builds a major chord as opposed to a minor chord in the other minor scales. The mode built on this scale degree is called the Lydian Dominant or Mixolydian #11. You have 19 chords to choose from here.

A chords from D melodic minor

Here are the chords built on the 5th scale degree and its mode is called Mixolydian ♭6.

B chords from D melodic minor

This is the first mode where you can build a m9♭5 chord. As a matter of fact, this may be the only scale mode that builds that chord, but don’t quote me on that. The problem though is that the tritone B-F wants to resolve to a C major chords, not Dm.

C# chords

The 7th scale degree builts diminished chords but also what is known as 7alt chords. You can use the diminished chords to resolve to D minor but try the altered dominant 7ths as well. Some people prefer to notate the 7♭5♭13 chord as 7#5#11. Both are valid names.

Useful chords from D melodic minor

So that is chord overload but I wanted to list all the possible chords that you have available to you. The tritone that wants to resolve to D minor is G-C#. You can use the chords with the B-F tritone in them but I’d stay away from them if this is your first time using this scale.

Here are my recommended chords to use in your songs:

D chords:

All are good options except doe Dm6, Dm6 add9, Dm13, and Dm9-maj7. If you are into jazz, then I’m sure you’ll be using the m6 chords but they do not work so well for other popular genres. It’s your music though, try them if you like them.

E chords: All the E chords are good so pick your favorites.

F chords: The augmented triad is good, but skip the Fmaj7#5.

G chords:

My suggested chords ae G, G6, G add9, and the G7 chords with a C# in them. You could also pull off G7, G9, and G13, but try G7#11 and/or G7♭5 for a stronger tendency to resolve to D minor.

A chords:

I like all of them. You can skip the A add9/11, A7♭13, A9/11, and A9#5. They are advanced chords. Look into them if you want but otherwise just stick to the basics.

B chords: Don’t use any of them unless you are going to modulate to C major or A minor.

C# chords: Every chord built on the 7th sale degree will resolve perfectly to D minor – all good.

Now let’s whittle that list down to just the basics. Feel free to add other chord types that you like but you should start out focusing on these.

D chords: Dm, Dm-maj7, Dsus, Dsus2
E chords: Em, Em7, Esus, E7sus
F chords: F+
G chords: G, G6, G add9, G7, G9, G13, G7♭5 or G7#11
A chords: A, A add9, A7, A9, Asus2, Asus, A7sus, A+, A7#5
B chords: none
C# chords: All/any of them

Examples of D melodic minor chord progressions

Here are simple chord progressions using my suggested chords in the section above:

Idea #1: Dm > G > Dm > G > Em > Esus > A7 > A7#5 > (Dm-maj7 – Dm) > Dm > (Dm-maj7 – Dm) > Dm

I played this in 2/2 or cut time with the Dm-maj7 only lasting for a half of a beat or so. I put the emphasis on the D minor chord.

Idea #2: Dm – Dsus > Dm – Dsus> G7 > Dm – Dsus > Dm – Dsus > A7 > G7 > Dm > C#7#5#9

That one has a 12-bar blues feel but I was varying the # of beats each time through. I’ll have to work on it some more.

Those 2 progressions took me a few minutes to come up with after scanning the tables above. Come up with a basic progression that sounds good to you or use and modify the ones above. But the question is, can you use only chords from D melodic minor scale to write a chorus AND bridge as well?

Final thoughts

I believe that you can use only the chords built from the D melodic minor scale to write a song in D minor. And that goes for any melodic minor key. I know you can do the same with the harmonic minor scale chords. It is more difficult though to use ONLY the chords from one minor scale if you intend on having a verse, chorus and bridge section.

By the way, I added up the total number of chords incorrectly plus I missed 2 chords – oops! The chords I missed are E7sus ♭9 and E13sus ♭9 which makes only 68 chords. If you add in D5, E5, G5 & A5 then that’s 72 and off by one of 73 in the title. Google already indexed the article so I can’t change the title. Sorry about the mistake.

In my next article, I’m going to bring together the chords from all 3 D minor scales: D melodic minor, D harmonic minor & D natural minor. I’ll analyze well-known songs in a minor key to help you write songs in a minor key using any chords from all 3 minor scales.

The post 73 Chords From D Melodic Minor Scale appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

I cover the harmonic minor scale in general and cover all 52 chords that can be built from the D harmonic minor scale. Finally, I give my opinion on the chords to use in writing a song in D harmonic minor.

The harmonic minor scale in detail

The harmonic minor scale differs from the natural minor by one note – the 7th scale degree. D natural minor is the relative minor of F major and you use it to build the harmonic minor scale on the note D.

Make sure to read my Music Intervals article if you are not familiar with intervals. Here is a comparison of the of the two scales:

Natural minor scale formula = W-H-W-W-H-W-W
Harmonic minor scale formula = W-H-W-W-H-A2-H

Hopefully, you know that “W” stands for whole step and “H” for half step. The “A2” is for the augmented 2nd interval between the 6th & 7th sale degrees. You could also notate that as m3 for minor 3rd or W+1/2 for a whole step plus a half step.

Natural minor scale degrees = 1-2-♭3-4-5-♭6-♭7
Harmonic minor scale degrees =  1-2-♭3-4-5-♭6-7

Natural minor intervals = R-M2-m3-P4-P5-m6-m7
Harmonic minor intervals = R-M2-m3-P4-P5-m6-M7

D Natural minor notes = D-E-F-G-A-B♭-C
D Harmonic minor notes = D-E-F-G-A-B♭-C#

The key signature for the harmonic minor is the same as for the natural minor with accidentals used to notate wherever the major 7th occurs.

It’s the raised 7th that distinguishes the harmonic minor from the natural minor scale. The major 7th allows the 5th scale degree to be a major chord and therefore a dominant 7th. But that 7th also creates a fully diminished 7th chord and other eerie chords.

If you’d like to learn more about the harmonic minor and the other minor scales, then check out the Wikipedia Minor Scale page and The Minor Scales article from Music Theory Academie.

D harmonic minor triads and open scale shapes

The following triads can be built from the harmonic minor scale, but note that I express the chords in roman numerals differently than everyone else.

I prefer to use ♭III+ and ♭VI instead of III+ and VI respectively. Every other website expresses the chords for the 3rd & 6th scale degrees without the flat symbol. That doesn’t make sense to me, so I add the flat symbol so that I know the scale degree number and its interval distance away from the tonic.

Harmonic minor scale triads: i, ii^o, ♭III+, iv, V, ♭VI, vii^o

The triads in D harmonic minor are D minor, E diminished, F augmented, G minor, A major, B♭ major, and C# diminished.

Below is a one-octave D harmonic minor scale starting on the open D string.

Here is the full scale for all open strings. Note that all the open strings can be played with the exception of the B string.

The C# should be notated with just a sharp accidental, not a double sharp. I’m not sure why my music program does that. And I had to notate the final 3 notes as a triplet to fit all the notes in 2 measures.

Actual minor key chord progressions borrow chords from all 3 minor scales. Take a look at my articles on D Melodic Minor Scale Chords and Writing Minor Scale Songs where I have my “suggested” chords list.

Let’s get into the chords. I believe I built every possible chord type from the scale. Let me know if I missed any and I’ll add them to the article.

D chords from the D harmonic minor scale

You can build 6 chords on the tonic of the scale – 4 minors and 2 suspended chords.

E & F chords from the D harmonic minor scale

I combined the chords for the 2nd and 3rd scale degrees since there are so few of them.

The fully diminished 7th chord and augmented triad are symmetrical chords which means that each note in the chord can be the root note of the same chord type/name: Edim7 = Gdim7 = B♭dim7 = C#dim7, and F+ (augmented) = A+ = C#+.

So that is a total of 6 possible chords for those two scale degrees. One thing you want to keep in mind is the two sets of tritones in the scale. They have different resolution tendencies so you want to stay away from the tritone that wants to resolve to F major.

G chords from D harmonic minor

You can build minor or diminished chords on the 4th scale degree by using either the perfect 5th D or the diminished 5th C# (or D♭). G builds the 2nd of the 4 fully diminished 7th chords in the scale and a total of 12 chords.

A chords from D harmonic minor

There is no shortage of dominant V chords here. All of the chords below will resolve to D minor, some better than others.

B♭ chords from D harmonic minor scale

I think the B♭ major chords sound great following the D minor triad, especially with some open strings. The 6th scale degree builds major, minor and diminished chords – 11 in total.

C# chords

Here are the leading tone chords in D harmonic minor. They act the same as the diminished chords from the major scale in that they want to resolve to the tonic of the scale.

Useful chords from D harmonic minor

So you are probably thinking that was overkill, and you’d be right, but they are all of your possible chord choices. Let’s narrow the chord choices down a little.

First off, any chord that has both notes of the tritone from F major (B♭-E) should be avoided unless you have a section that modulates to F major. The exception would be any chord that contains both tritones: all 4 dim7 chords, A7♭9, A7♭13, A7♭9♭13, and A11♭9. Those chords resolve to both F major and D minor.

Here are the only chords you want to consider using, especially if this is your first time writing a song in a minor key:

D chords:

All are good options except Dm9-maj7. I think the minor-major 7th chord is harsh but it makes a good chord going to the minor triad – Dm-maj7 > Dm. And remember the D minor chord should be the focus, so don’t overuse the suspended chords.

E chords: none except maybe Edim7

F chords: The augmented triad is good, but I’m not a fan of the maj7#5 chord.

G chords:

Definitely don’t play Gm6, Gm6 add9, or Gm13. I think Gm, Gm add9, Gm7 and maybe Gm9 would be great choices. The Gdim7 is good, but the other Gdim chords don’t sound right, even though they have the G & C# tritone in them.

A chords:

Stay away from A11, A11♭9, A7♭13, A7#5♭9, and A7♭9♭13. They either sound nasty or are advanced jazz chors. Just stick to the basics.

B♭ chords:

Don’t play the maj7#11 or maj13#11 since they have the tritone from F major in them. You could try the minor chords and see if you like them, but otherwise stick with the major chors – they sound great.

C# chords: All of them resolve to D minor so take your pick – all good.

Possible chord progressions

The common jazz progression would be ii-V-i or m7♭5 on the 2nd to a dominant 7th and then a tonic m-maj7. You could try that as a short progression but let’s look at some regular chord progressions:

Idea #1: Dm > B♭ or B♭6 > Gsus2 > Asus > A7sus > Dm-maj7 > Dm

Idea #2: Dm > B♭maj7 > Gm add9 > A7 > A7sus > Dm

Idea #3: Dm > Dsus2 > Dsus > Dsus2 > Gm7 > Gm9 > Gm7 > B♭maj7 #11 > A7#5 > C#dim7 > Dm

They all sound great to me. Who says you need chords from the other minor scales. It’s a little hard to hold but you could try a B♭6 as x-1-0-0-3-1. Have fun and just try a bunch of chords and see what you can do.

Final thoughts

So now you know all the chords that can be built from the D harmonic minor scale. You have more than enough chords to write a song without borrowing chords from the natural or melodic minor scales. Although, it may be hard to not borrow chords for a song that has both a chorus and bridge unless your melody writing is top-notch. Give it a shot and see if you can write something that isn’t too droney or depressing!

The post D Harmonic Minor Scale Chords appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

That may seem like too many to choose from, but they offer you a lot of versatility in applying a minor sound in your guitar playing.

The open m7 guitar chord shapes I have are for m7, m9, m11, and m13 chords in the keys of D, E & A.

The m7 chord from major scales

Everyone should know the I, IV, and V major chords built on the 1st, 4th and 5th scale degrees in every major scale. Well, each major triad has its relative minor triad in the same scale.

For C major, that would be Dm, Em, and Am which are the relative minors for F, G, and C major respectively. Those minor chords are built on the 2nd, 3rd and 6th scale degrees.

Each minor chord is associated with a minor mode and they have slightly different intervals. The intervals in common to each minor chord/mode are the 1st, minor 3rd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, and minor (♭7) 7th. Here are the intervals that define the minor modes in any major key (C major for this example):

D Dorian: associated with the Dm triad and has both a major 2nd and major 6th.

E Phrygian: associated with the Em triad and has both a minor 2nd and minor 6th.

A Aeolian: associated with the Am triad and has a major 2nd but a minor 6th.

Write out the notes for C major then reorder the scale starting first on D, then E, and finally A. Then make a note of the intervals for each mode/scale and you’ll understand how scales and modes relate to chords.

If you don’t know or understand intervals then read my Music Intervals article first. Below are the 4 types of minor 7th chords that can be built from the major scale:

Minor 7th chord

Chord intervals: Root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh = R-m3-P5-m7 = 1-♭3-5-♭7
Alternate names: -7, mi7, min7
Equivalent chord: 6 on the ♭3, e.g. Dm7 = F6
Chord tendency: Use a m7 chord wherever and whenever it sounds good, but it does have a strong tendency to move to a major chord a whole step below, e.g. Dm7 > C but also going to Am or F also is smooth.
Scale degrees: the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th major scale degrees all build m7 chords.

Minor 9th chord

Chord intervals: Root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, major 2nd = R-m3-P5-m7-M2/9 = 1-♭3-5-♭7-9
Alternate names: -9, mi9, min9, m7(9)
Equivalent chord: maj13 on the ♭3, e.g. Dm9 = Fmaj13
Chord tendency: same as m7, Dm9 > C, Am or F
Scale degrees: the 2nd and 6th degrees build a m9 chord

Minor 11th chord

Chord intervals: Root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, perfect 4th = R-m3-P5-m7-P4/11 = 1-♭3-5-♭7-11
Alternate names: -11, mi11, min11, m7(11)
Equivalent chord: 6 add9 on the ♭3 and 9sus on the 4/11, e.g. Dm11 = F6 add9 = G9sus. This 5 note chord has all the notes of the minor pentatonic (Am11 = A minor pent) and the major pentatonic (C6 add9 = C major pent).
Chord tendency: same as m7 but also to the major on the P4, Dm11 > C, Am or F but also G. So for a smooth key change try Em11 to A major or Am11 to D major.
Scale degrees: the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th all build m11 chords

Minor 13th chord

Chord intervals: Root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, major 6th = R-m3-P5-m7-M6/13 = 1-♭3-5-♭7-13
Alternate names: -13, mi13, min13, m7(13)
Chord tendency: because of the tritone, it resolves best a whole step back, Dm13 > C
Scale degrees: only the 2nd degree builds a m13 chord

Special note on the m11 chord

A lot of jazz guys omit the perfect fifth in their m11 guitar chord voicings, but I don’t do that. A minor 11th chord without the perfect 5th equals a sus add9 on the ♭7 or a 7sus on the 11 (Dm11 no 5 = Csus add9 = G7sus). Though, I did include some of those closed voicings for anyone who is interested.

Open m7 guitar chord shapes for Dm (Dm7, Dm9, Dm11, Dm13)

I have 22 chord shapes for Dm7, Dm9, Dm11, and Dm13. And I have to mention the difference between the interval of a 4th versus an 11th.

Technically, the 11th should come after the 7th, but you don’t always have that option on the guitar. You’ll see it’s the 4th and not 11th in some voicings for the Dm11, Em11 and Am11 chords. I just want the chord tones and tendency and I am less interested in “correct” naming conventions.

Dm7 chord tones: D-F-A-C, equals F6
Dm9 chord tones: D-F-A-C-E, equals Fmaj13
Dm11 chord tones: D-F-A-C-G, equals F6 add9 & G9sus
Dm13 chord tones: D-F-A-C-B

Here is a chord diagram of the symbols I use in my chord blocks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes on the chord voicings

Dm7 chords: They all sound great so pick your favorite.
Dm9 chords: #4 sounds great but #3 is one of my favorite chords, especially if you appegiate it slowly.
Dm11 chords: I’m not happy about the open A, D & G strings on these voicings, but I had to do it. I prefer #’s 4 and 5.
Dm13 chords: I like them all but #1 is the best and I do not like #3.

Open Em11 guitar chord shapes

I have 8 chord shapes for Em11. Check my Em7 guitar chords article for 13 open Em7 chord shapes.

Em11 chord tones: E-G-B-D-A, equals G6 add9 & A9sus

 

 

Notes on the chord voicings

Em11 chords: For #1 you could strum all open strings after or before any chord in the keys of C, G, and D major, and best done as quick strums and mutes. Or you could fret any strings at the 12th fret – I like the A, G, and high E strings (0-12-0-12-0-12). I prefer #’s 5 and 6.

Open m7 guitar chord shapes for Am (Am7, Am9, Am11)

I have 22 chord shapes for Am7, Am9, and Am11.

Am7 chord tones: A-C-E-G, equals C6
Am9 chord tones: A-C-E-G-B, equals Cmaj13
Am11 chord tones: A-C-E-G-D, equals, C6 add9 & D9sus

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes on the chord voicings

Am7 chords: For #4 you could barre with your middle finger or individually fret each note, whichever you prefer. I like #’s 1, 3, 6 and 4.
Am9 chords: I can’t pick a favorite – I like them all. #7 is similar to the first Em11 chord – you can choose which strings at the 12th fret to play. Try the 3rd finger on the G string and pinky on the high E (x-0-10-12-0-12).
Am11 chords: I prefer #’s 2 and 3 but none of them sound interesting to me.

Songs using m7 chord shapes

I only found one m7 guitar chord example in my country songbooks, so it seems the m7 chord is not a common chord in country music. However, I don’t have enough country songbooks to know if that is true or not.

The most common closed m7 guitar chord shapes that I saw in songs is #1 and #4 from above.

Minor 7th chord examples

Beatles:
A Day in the Life, Across the Universe and All You Need Is Love (Em7)
The Fool on the Hill (Em7 & Bm7)
Don’t Let Me Down, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and Strawberry Fields (F#m7)
Something (F#m7, Am7)
Magical Mystery Tour (F#m7, Gm7)
Penny Lane (Bm7)
Lady Madonna (Bm7, Dm7)
The Long and Winding Road (Cm7, Fm7, Gm7)

Earl Bud Lee: Friends in Low Places (Bm7)

Bob Dylan:
It Ain’t Me, Babe (Fm7)
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Am7)

Allman Brothers: Midnight Rider (Gm7)

Grateful Dead::
Box of Rain (Bm7)
Tennesse Jed and Uncle John’s Band (Dm7)
Shakedown Street (Dm7, Em7)
Cassidy (Fm7, Gm7)

Led Zeppelin:
Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You and Stairway to Heaven (Am7)
The Rain Song (Bm7)
No Quarter (C#m7)
The Song Remains the Same (Dm7)

Little Feat:
Willin’ (Am7, Bm7, Em7)
Time Loves A Hero (Bm7)
Spanish Moon (C#m7)
Feats Don’t Fail Me Now (Dm7)
Old Folks Boogie (Gm7)

Silverman’s Folk Song Encyclopedia, Vol. II: In The Pines, I (Em7)

Simon & Garfunkel:
Kathy’s Song (Bm7)
59th Street Bridge (Cm7)
The Boxer (Dm7)
I am a Rock (Dm7, Em7)
America (Fm7, Gm7)

Minor 9 chord examples

Allman Brothers: In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (Am9)

Led Zeppelin: The Rain Song (Gm9)

Grateful Dead:
If I Had the World to Give (Fm9)
Lady with a Fan (Am9, Dm9)

Doobie Brothers: Taking it to the Streets (Cm9)

Minor 11 chord examples

Beatles:
Don’t Let Me Down (F#m11)
With a Little Help from My Friends (C#m11)

Final Thoughts

The m7 chord is one of the best jam chords there are, especially for practicing guitar licks. Record yourself playing one of the minor 7 chords above and loop it. Then experiment with all the minor scales that build a m7 chord to find some juicy licks.

Take a look at my article Minor Chords from C major for more minor sounds, and my Comprehensive List of Chords for all the chords that you can use in your songs.

The post m7 Guitar Chord Shapes For Dm, Em, and Am appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

D, E, & A minor chords in the key of C major

There are 3 scale degrees in any major key that build minor triads, and for C major that would be the notes D, E, and A (i, ii, vi). The note D and A both have a major 2nd where E does not, but only the note D has a major 6th.

The modes associated with the ii chord is Dorian, Phrygian for the iii chord and Aeolian for the vi chord. For C major that would be D Dorian, E Phrygian, and A Aeolian \ Natural Minor.

Minor chord types in C major

Here are the minor chord types that are built on the 2nd, 3rd & 6th scale degrees of any major scale. And know that the 6th chord is the relative minor for the major one chord. Also, I have a separate article for the minor 7th chords.

Minor Triad
Chord intervals: root note, minor 3rd, perfect fifth = R-m3-P5 = 1-♭3-5
Alternate names: m, min, –
Resolve tendency: resolves best down a whole step or to its ♭7, and weakly to its relative major, e.g. Dm > C or F

Minor 6th chord
Chord intervals: root note, minor 3rd, perfect fifth, major 6th = R-m3-P5-M6 = 1-♭3-5-6
Chord equivalent: m7b5 on the 6, e.g. Dm6 = Bm7♭5
Alternate names: m6, minor 6
Resolve tendency: because of the F-B tritone it resolves best down a whole step or weakly to it’s major 3rd, e.g. Dm6 > C or F# major

Minor add9 chord
Chord intervals: root note, minor 3rd, perfect fifth, major 2nd/9th = R-m3-P5-M2/9 = 1-♭3-5-9
Alternate names: madd9, minor add9
Resolve tendency: resolves best down a whole step but also to its relative major, e.g. Dm add9 > C or F

Minor 6 add9 chord
Chord intervals: root note, minor 3rd, perfect fifth, major 6th. Major 2nd/9th = R-m3-P5-M6-M9 = 1-♭3-5-6-9
Chord equivalent: 7sus♭9 on the 9 and m11♭5 on the 6, e.g. Dm6 add9 = E7sus ♭9 = Bm11♭5
Alternate names: m6 add9, m6/9, m69, minor 6 add9
Resolve tendency: because of the F-B tritone it resolves best down a whole step or weakly to its major 3rd, e.g. Dm6 add9 > C or F# major

Check out my article on major chords from the key of C for an explanation of chord tendency.

Open minor guitar chords for D, E, and A

I’m only including the minor triads and minor adds that can be built in the key of C major. I’ll show the Dm chords first, followed by Em and Am.

Here is a chord diagram of the symbols I use in my chord blocks:

D minor guitar chords: minor triad, minor 6, minor add9, minor 6 add9. E minor guitar chords: minor triad and an E m3 open interval. A minor guitar chords: minor triad and minor add9.

D minor triad chord tones: D-F-A
Dm6 chord tones: D-F-A-B, equals Bm7♭5
Dm add9 chord tones: D-F-A-E, equals Fmaj13 without the 5th (so it’s unique)
Dm6 add9 chord tones: D-F-A-B-E, equals Bm11♭5 & E7sus♭9

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes on the open D minor guitar chord voicings:

Dm: For #2 Dm/F you need to switch the 3rd finger to the 4th string if you want to play the optional F note. It’s not worth it. #5 actually has a barre for the bottom 3 strings (oops, my bad). I like all the voicings except for #2.
Dm6: I don’t like minor 6 chords, but if I had to choose my favorites it would be #’s 5 & 6.
Dm add9: I love minor add9 chords. It’s hard to pick a favorite but #’s 2 & 5 sound the best to me.
Dm6 add9: #’s 1 & 5 sound fantastic.

E minor chords from the key of C: minor triad, E minor 3rd interval

E minor chord tones: E-G-B, E-G are the notes in the E minor 3rd interval

 

 

 

Notes on the open E minor chord voicings:

E minor & E m3: The E m3 is an octave of E followed by a unison of G and unison of E. I missed the open G string for #5 Em – sorry about that. My favorites are #’s 1, 3, 8 & 9.

A minor chords from the key of C: minor triad, minor add9

A minor chord tones: A-C-E
Am add9 chord tones: A-C-E-B, equals a Cmaj13 no fifth

 

 

 

Notes on the open A minor chord voicings:

Am: #2 and #4 are practically identical to #1. #3 sounds great.
Am add9: #2 sounds best followed by #1 and #4.

Final Thoughts

If you like the minor chord sound, then you have a lot of great minor guitar chords above for your songwriting. You can use my resolution tendencies, or use your ear and follow any of the chords with whatever sounds good.

Also, take a look at my article Comprehensive List of Chords which lists every possible chord that can be built from the most popular scales.

The post Minor Chords In The Key Of C Major appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

I cover the notes and intervals in both chords and the basic structure of a minor add9 and m9 chord in general. There are 25 guitar chord shapes in total following the chord descriptions: 13 open and closed guitar chords for an Emadd9 chord, and 12 for the Em9 chord.

Below the chord voicings are songs that use both chords in E  as well as in other keys.

Emadd9 and Em9 guitar chords

Both the Emadd9 and Em9 chords have the minor triad as their base chord, and both have the major 9 F# in common as well. F# is the note that is a whole step above the root note E.

The only scale degrees that build minor triads AND have a major 2nd\9th  are the 2nd and 6th  of every major scale. And for Em, that would be the ii chord in D major and the vi chord in G major.

You can also build a minor add9 chord on the 1st and 4th scale degrees of the harmonic minor scale. The m9 chord can also be built on the 4th scale degree of the harmonic minor scale.

It’s difficult to describe the sound of a minor add9 and minor 9 chords, but eerie, somber and slightly dark come close. You’ll have to hear it for yourself. I love the sound of each chord.

Emadd9 chord in detail

The Emadd9 chord has the following notes and intervals (R stands for Root):

Chord tones: E-G-B-F#
Chord intervals: R-m3-P5-M9, or 1-♭3-5-9
Chord Tendency: Resolves best to D major but also to G.
Alternate Names: Em add9, E minor add 9, Em/9

The last name convention of “Em/9” is too close to Em9 if you ask me. I personally write the chord with a space between “m” and “add9”, such as Em add9. That’s the naming convention I use for the chord shapes in this article.

The “9” is actually F#, the major 2nd of E,  but one octave higher, or 7 notes above (2-7=9).

If you do not understand what major 2nd or 9th means, then read my Music Intervals article. Once you understand intervals, then all scales and chords start to make sense.

Em9 chord in detail

The Em9 chord has the following notes and intervals:

Chord tones: E-G-B-D-F#
Chord intervals: R-m3-P5-m7-M9, or 1-♭3-5-♭7-9
Chord Tendency: Resolves best to D major but also to G.
Alternate Names: E minor 9, Emin9, E-9, E minor ninth, Em7(9)
Chord with the same notes: Gmaj13 (G-B-D-F#-E)

You can think of the Em9 chord as an Em add9 with the b7 added, or an Em7 with the major 9th added. Note, the practice of putting the extensions in parentheses is ridiculous IMO, so Em7(9) should just be written as Em9.

I really like this chord and it sounds fantastic. That’s not surprising because all major 7 chords sound great, including the major 13.

Keep in mind that the Em9 equals Gmaj13 if you are writing a song. Don’t follow an Em9 with some sort of Gmaj7 because the chord change will not stand out unless that is your intention.

This chord can also be played without the 5th so you can think of it as a shell voicing. An Em9 chord without the 5th has the notes E-G-D-F#.

Open and closed Emadd9 guitar chord shapes

The first 5 chords are closed chords for minor add9 followed by open Emadd9 chord shapes. Here is a chord diagram of the symbols I use in my chord voicings.

 

 

 

Notes on the minor add 9 chord voicings

CLOSED: I only like #’s 1 and 5.

OPEN: I like every voicing except #6 which is difficult to hold. For #4, you can also hold the notes with fingers, 1, 2, 3 but I found 1, 3, 4 easier. And for #8, you can use the pinky (4) to hold the F# instead of your ring (3) finger if you prefer.

Popular songs that use an Emadd9 chord

I could only find 3 songs that use an Emadd9 chord (songs that I like). I’m sure there are plenty more.

Beatles: Happiness Is A Warm Gun
Pink Floyd: Hey You, Welcome To The Machine

Here are 2 songs that use a minor add9 chord but not in the key of E:

Craig Fuller: Aimee (Dmadd9)
Grateful Dead: Cassidy (Gmadd9)

Open and closed Em9 guitar chord shapes

The first chords are closed m9 voicings followed by open Em9 chord shapes.

 

 

Notes on the m9 chord voicings

CLOSED: I like every voicing except #3 because it is harder to hold than #2 which is better anyway. For #1, barring with your 3rd finger is easier than with your 2nd.

OPEN: Numbers 4 & 5 sound similar, so take your pick. For #1, I prefer using my 2nd finger on the B, but 1 is the finger for that note if you are coming off an E minor chord. I like every voicing except #5 and #7 with the optional E at the 12th fret is my favorite.

Popular songs that use an Em9 chord

Here are some songs that use Em9 chord:

Dooley Wilson: As Time Goes By (Casablanca)
Indigo Girls: History Of Us
Bob Dylan: Boots Of Spanish Leather
Grateful Dead: France (Em7/F#)

Here are some songs that use a minor 9 chord but not in the key of E:

Allman Brothers: In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (Am9)
Grateful Dead: Terrapin Station (Dm9 & Am9), If I Had The World To Give (Fm9)
Stevie Wonder: As (C#m9), If You Really Love Me (Dm9)
Police \ Sting: Every Breath You Take (F#m9), Invisible Sun (Cm9)
Joni Mitchell: Coyote (Dm9)
Beatles: Golden Slumbers (Dm9), Julia (Gm9),  You Never Give Me Your Money (Dm9)
Led Zeppelin: The Rain Song (Gm9)
Harburg-Jarrett: Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Dm9)

Final Thoughts

The Emadd9 chord is a guitar chord you’ll want to incorporate into your original songs if you can. It has a great sound that will add depth to your chord progressions and melodies. And the same is true of the Em9 chord. I like both chord types, but I have a preference for m9 chords.

You can read about various ninth chords on Wikipedia’s Ninth Chord page, otherwise, have fun learning and jamming!

The post Em9 & Emadd9 Guitar Chord: 25 Open and Closed Chord Shapes appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.