Diatonic Chords of the Minor Key
Minor keys build their own family of seven chords — and the pattern looks almost like major's mirror image.
The seven diatonic triads of natural minor
Just like a major key, stacking thirds on each degree of the natural minor scale produces one triad per scale degree — but the quality pattern is different:
| Degree | Roman numeral | Quality | In A minor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | i | Minor | A-C-E |
| 2 | ii° | Diminished | B-D-F |
| 3 | III | Major | C-E-G |
| 4 | iv | Minor | D-F-A |
| 5 | v | Minor | E-G-B |
| 6 | VI | Major | F-A-C |
| 7 | VII | Major | G-B-D |
The weak v — and why it gets "fixed"
Notice that v is minor, not major. Because natural minor's 7th degree is a whole step below the tonic (not a half step), the v chord doesn't contain a true leading tone — so it doesn't pull to the tonic nearly as strongly as V does in a major key.
In practice, composers routinely borrow the raised 7th from the harmonic minor scale, turning v into a major V (with a proper leading tone) whenever they want a strong V-i cadence — exactly like the authentic cadence you met in Cadences.
Common questions
What are the diatonic chords of a natural minor key?
i minor, ii diminished, III major, iv minor, v minor, VI major, VII major.
Why is the v chord in natural minor often changed to V?
Natural minor's v lacks a strong pull to the tonic. Raising the 7th (borrowed from harmonic minor) makes it a major V with a true leading tone.
Which chords are major in a minor key?
III, VI, and VII — the same chords that are minor or diminished in the relative major key.
Is the ii chord always diminished in minor keys?
Yes, in natural minor — just as vii is diminished in a major key.
Play every minor-key chord on your instrument
Melody Monkey visualizes chords on a live guitar, bass, ukulele, or piano — in any key, instantly.
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