The A Minor Scale
The notes of A minor are A, B, C, D, E, F, G — formula 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. Key signature: no sharps or flats. Its relative major is C major, which uses the same notes from a different home. Below: the full neck, the chords in the key, and the pentatonic that lives inside it.
A minor on the fretboard
Practice A minor position by position — interactive fretboard →
Chords in the key of A minor
Harmonising the scale gives the seven chords songs in A minor are built from:
| Degree | i | ii° | bIII | iv | v | bVI | bVII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chord | Am | Bdim | C | Dm | Em | F | G |
The core minor progression is i–iv–v (Am, Dm, Em); songs wanting a stronger pull home borrow a major V (E) from the harmonic minor.
The A minor pentatonic shortcut
For soloing in A minor, most players reach first for the minor pentatonic — the same scale minus the two most clash-prone notes. A minor pentatonic: A, C, D, E, G.
Backing tracks in A minor
Scales stick when you use them. These free tracks are recorded in A minor — play them right here, or open them in JamLab to see the scale on a live fretboard while the chords change:
Velvet Hours
Smooth neo-soul in A minor — lush Rhodes, mellow beat, spacious and dreamy.
Jam this track with live chords →More jams in this key: A minor backing tracks.