Minor key signatures

All 15 minor keys

The sharps and flats always appear in the same order, whichever key they belong to: sharps F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ B♯ and flats B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ F♭. Each major key has its own page with a large chart; the links in the right-hand column go there.

Finding the relative minor

From any major key, go down three half steps and two letter names. C major goes down to A minor (C, B, B♭, A), and E♭ major goes down to C minor. Another way: the relative minor starts on the 6th note of the major scale. To go the other way, from minor to major, count up three half steps.

On the circle of fifths the relative minors make up the inner ring, each one directly inside its major key. Tap any key there to see its signature, scale and chords.

Telling a minor key from a major one

Because the two keys share a signature, the signature alone can’t tell you which one a piece is in. Three clues help:

• The last note and chord. Most pieces end on their home chord. A piece with no sharps or flats that ends on an A minor chord is almost certainly in A minor.
• The first chord. Pieces usually start on the home chord too.
• A raised 7th. Minor-key music usually raises the 7th note of the scale with an accidental, so look for G♯ in A minor, D♯ in E minor or B♮ in C minor. That note is not part of the relative major’s scale.

Minor keys that sound the same

Three pairs of minor keys are enharmonic: they sound identical but are spelled differently.

• G♯ minor (5 sharps: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯) and A♭ minor (7 flats: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ F♭)
• D♯ minor (6 sharps: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯) and E♭ minor (6 flats: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭)
• A♯ minor (7 sharps: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ B♯) and B♭ minor (5 flats: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭)

Composers pick whichever spelling is easier to read, which usually means the one with fewer sharps or flats. To see which chords belong to each minor key, use the chord progression chart.