Minor Chord Progressions and Scales (Famous Examples & How to Use Them)

It’s no secret that sad-feeling, minor songs are I-N, in. But then again, that’s always been true. In this guide, we’ll analyze popular songs with minor chord progressions (both new and old) and talk about how you can use that information to write your own tunes.

Famous Songs with Underscored Minor Chords & Chord Progressions

There’s a reason why I’m saying some of these tunes have “underscored minor chords” and not just entirely “minor chord progressions”. All of the below tunes have minor chords that are integral to their composition. We’ll get into the technical details here in a bit.

Some popular minor-feeling songs include: 

• “Somebody That I Used to Know”- Gotye

• “As Long As You Love Me” -Justin Beiber

• “Hotel California”-The Eagles

• “The House of the Rising Sun” -The Animals

• “Sweet Dreams”- Eurythmics

• “Scarborough Fair”- Simon & Garfunkel

• “Genie in a Bottle”- Christina Aguilera

• “Mad World”- Tears for Fears 

• “Creep”- Radiohead

Some of the songs on this list- like “Mad World” are known for sounding sad and for having a minor twist- but they are special in their composition (more on that in a minute). No matter the genre, I can almost guarantee there’s a popular minor song for it. From folk to pop to alternative and indie, everyone loves a minor tune with a great composition. 

Speaking of compositions, how were the above songs penned? 

Let’s look into it. 

Analyzing the Above Songs’ Progressions

Is It Minor- Or Is it Dorian?!

Dorian is a type of mode that feels minorish, and bittersweet. 

“Sweet Dreams”, and “Mad World are some examples. At first, it might seem like it’s minor, but it is technically in a Dorian mode. The song uses i, VI, and V throughout. Similarly, Scarborough Fair can be thought of it minor, though (because of its minor plus dominant chords) it is also… Dorian mode…

So why does it matter? 

Well, it does but it doesn’t. If you set out to make a minor song and it’s actually Dorian, you’ll still get a similar feeling. However, it makes the music theory lens through which we see it a bit different. 

But another thing that’s important to note is how Dorian songs like “Scarborough Fair” were written. In this, case, the original songwriter had actually just chosen a mix of minor and major chords that he believed sounded pleasant. It’s not as if he wrote it intending to compose “In Dorian”. 

So, when you’re interested drifts towards a minor sound, trust your ears. You don’t have to pick a mode and stick with it. Pick a sound you like, and let someone else analyze it after.

Pop Gone Minor: i, VII, V 

Chords if we are in A minor: Am, G, F

“Genie in a Bottle” uses three popular chords, but makes the tonic (the chord we focus most on) minor. This is a common move for minor pop songs, and is a basic minor chord prog that many musicians begin songs with. Similarly, the song “Somebody that I Used to Know” emphasizes the minor i chord alongside a major VII, which solidifies the key as being in minor. 

Hinting at Flamenco: The “Hotel Califonia” Progression 

Chords if we are in A minor: Am-E7-G-D-F-C-Dm-E7

Roman Numerals-V7-VII-IV-VI-III-IV-V7

Hotel Califonia is a very interesting song harmonically speaking, but we can generalize by saying that it was originally centered around a B-Minor/pentatonic chord progression. It has a harmonic-minor-type feel. Hotel Califonia uses a phrase ending called an Andalusian Cadence, which is borrowed from Flamenco music. 

The “Creep Chord” Progression: A Borrowed Minor Chord

Chord if we are in C: G-B-C-Cm. 

Roman Numerals: V-VII-I-i

“Creep” is a sonically spicy, mostly-major song that borrows a minor chord from a parallel key. The first four chords suggest we are in minor, but then Radiohead turns the world upside down and changes the C major to a C minor, resulting in an alluringly unusual chord progression.

Minor Chord Progressions to Try Out

Four Chords: i-vi-v-i 

Just like it’s major counterpart, using the minor version of the ‘Axis of Awesome” 4 chords can be a cool way to make a song sound darker. Try This: Am, Fm, Em, Am

Another variation of this sort of sound might be i-iv-v. 

The Minor Jazz Progression: ii˚-V-i

The minor version of the ever-popular jazz progression is a unique set of chords that goes well with a certain type of minor called harmonic minor. If you’re into jazzy sounds, try: Em7 (b5), Am, Dm7.

Flamenco Progressions 

Remember “Hotel Califonia” and its unique cadence?

There are several Flamenco chord progressions. Since Flamenco has so many guitars, you’ll hear a lot of Am to E  cadences. Here are two Flamenco progs. to try:

Progression 1: i-iii-VII-v (Am, Dm, G, Em)

Progression 2: i-VII-VI-III (Am, G, F, C)

Feel free to take any of the short snippets of progressions from the songs we analyzed in the other section and use those in your song, too. Pull a Gotye by making a section of your tune i-VII (Am, G maj) over and over again, or bring out your inner Radiohead but penning a mostly major song, and ending your phrase but changing your main tonic to mind (C maj, C minor).

Is a Minor Progression Always Sad? 

The answer to that is no- but it often depends on where you live. In Western countries, minor songs usually sound sad. But they can also feel: Tense, longing, sensual, or even dark and spooky. 

Then there’s Hungarian Dance No.5… which manages to feel happy despite it being very obviously minor. The same goes for the pop song “Dance Monkey”. There’s more to it than just a lowered third: Music in any mode can feel nearly any type of way depending on its texture, instrumentation, and context.

Minor Songs: Instrumentation & Texture Matter Too

Using different types of minor scales overtop of a minor chord progression can greatly impact a song. But keep in mind that instrumentation matters, too. Say you want a song to feel quirky, and orchestral: Try adding in some short staccato notes, and reedy loops (think: Bassoon, clarinet, and oboe). 

Or, say you want a sad ballad feel: Try long notes, and think: Placid violins, maybe a flute, and fingerpicked guitar). The instruments and articulations matter more than you might think. It’s not just about the chords! 

Type of Minor Scales & How They Sound

• Natural

• Harmonic

• Melodic

Natural, harmonic, and melodic are the three types of minor scales, and they all have a different feeling and sound. 

Natural minor: Also known as aeolian mode, this scale has the same key signature as its relative major scale. This scale has no accidentals (notes) outside of the key center. It is often described as feeling sad/melancholic or even mysterious. 

The recipe in a minor: A B C D E F G A |  G F E D C B A 

Harmonic minor: This scale is very similar to the natural minor scale, except the 7th (last) note is raised by a semitone, resulting in a different sonic flavor. Harmonic minor scales go well with their parallel minor, it lends well, sonically (more on this in the next paragraph!). They also often create dominant chords in your progression. Harmonic minor scales can make progressions feel more resolved than natural minor, and often feel exotic sounding in nature. 

The recipe in a minor: A B C D E F G# A | G# F E D C B A

Melodic minor: A melodic minor scale is the only minor scale that is asymmetrical: That is, it’s not played the same going up as it is going down. Ascending, the melodic minor scale has raised 6th and 7th notes. Descending, the melodic minor scale follows the same pattern as the natural minor scale. This minor feels very rich and flavorful because of its change in notes from ascending to descending, and lends well to unique melodies- hence the name! 

The recipe in a minor: A B C D E F# G# A | G F E D C B A 

One interesting thing to note is that the natural minor scale has the same notes as a major scale- You simply start on a different note at the beginning! 

Confused? Let me explain. 

Relative Minor Vs. Parallel Minor 

Each major key has a minor key that goes along with it.

 C major is friends with A minor. Simply take the tonic (the first note) of the major key to find the minor key that it will go along with and then count up 6 notes. C major has no flats or sharps, so it’s easiest to look at. Let’s count up C-D-E-F-G-A. A is 6 notes away from C, meaning that it is its relative minor. 

Relative major and minor keys sound good around one another because they have the same key signature. C major and A (natural) minor have no flats or sharps. Then, if you really get into theory, you’ll also hear about a parallel minor. 

Parallel minor is the minor key that has the same note as the major key: That is, they both start on the same note. 

C major starts on the same note as C minor. However- they do not share the same key signature. C minor is ‘related’ to Eb major. This means that if you are going to switch keys in your song from C major to C major, it will have a big impact. Switching from C major to its relative minor, a minor, is less spicy. Some may not even notice you’ve changed keys. 

To hear it (rather than read about it) check out this video:

Easy Ways to Make a Minor Song

Feeling confused?

That’s go!

You don’t have to know all of the in-depth info to make your song minor. 

Try this: 

• Start your chord with: i (let’s say, a minor)

• Add some filler chords to lengthen the progression 

• End your phrases with i-V (a minor, E)...

Or you can: 

• Use loops to get rolling

• Take your favorite major chord progression and turn it into a minor one

Make sure you wrap up the song or phrase with the dominant to the tonic (That’s theory-nerd code for i-V).  If you want a finished sound this will help make your tune feel done or like you’re adding a period at the end of your sonic sentence.

You could also take your favorite major chord prog and change it to minor, or even…just use loops!

Using Minor Loops in Soundtrap

I understand that some folks don’t have much interest in music theory, and that’s ok! If you’re looking to get an even quicker minor sound without playing a harmony instrument or learning theory, try loops inside Soundtrap. 

Some of my favorite minor loops inside the DAW include:

• Certified Lovers Loop: Glitchy guitar

• 20’s piano

• Poppy Trap Beat

The Certified Lovers Loops group of sounds provides great lofi and detuned feeling minor backdrops to help start your song. Then there’s the bleak and plaintive 20’s piano sound, which is very acoustic and mournful…Or if you’re into a Linkin Park feel, try singing/rapping over the Poppy Trap Beat.

In the drop-down, you can change the setting of any scale to ‘minor scale’ and go from there. If you get any bad sounds- like sour notes my friends and I affectionately call ‘moon tones’- simply swap out that loop for something else, or use it later in the song. 

It’s with knowing about the three above different minor scales, even if you don’t plan on playing them or learning notation. It’s important to be aware of because the three varieties of minor scales can *clash* with one another because, as you noticed in our chart above, the notes of each scale are not the same. 

More Ideas for Minor Tunes

• Use a sad poem and let it guide you: Let your heart and ears take over

• Try making one section major and the other minor

• Use power chords to get the shell of a song started

• (Don’t be afraid to) Add major chords to your minor song

If you begin with a melancholic prompt like a heartbreak poem, you may gravitate towards a minor key without knowing it. Your ears could be subconsciously wanting to turn a chord from minor to major and add in what we call a picardy third by substituting a minor i chord for a major one…And if you set out writing a song in minor, it can still have major chords inside of it, and technically be ‘in minor’ because of how the scale is. 

That’s all to say that our ears are often more advanced than our music theory knowledge. So trust yourself. 

Also, if you don’t want to commit to having an entire song be minor, you can always try writing a major song and switching to a relative minor for the bridge. This will give the song emotional versatility and add contrast. 

And it doesn’t need to be fully analyzed when you’re writing it, anyway. If Simon and Garfunkel could make a mix of major and minor chords that sounded good to them and end up with a hit- so can you. 

Writing In a Minor Key Doesn’t Have to Be Intimidating!

Whether you’re a theory buff like me, or just looking to write a melancholy tune, know that writing a song in minor doesn’t have to be more complicated than writing in major. Use your ears and your heart, and let us know what you come up with in the comments. 

And, as one musician I was recently talking to says- “Music theory doesn’t justify, it simply describes”.

 Check out minor loops inside Soundtrap, which can be trialed for free here today.

About the author

Aleah Fitzwater is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, music journalist, and blogger from Temperance, United States. Aleah holds a Pk-12 instrumental music education degree. Her main instruments are flute, piano, drums, bass, and guitar.