PorchtoneQuick answer: the seven chords in C♯ minor are C♯m, D♯°, E, F♯m, G♯m, A, B. The strongest are C♯m, F♯m and G♯m (the i, iv and v); most songs in C♯m lean on those.
The chords
| C♯miC♯ E G♯ | D♯°ii°D♯ F♯ A | EIIIE G♯ B | F♯mivF♯ A C♯ | G♯mvG♯ B D♯ | AVIA C♯ E | BVIIB D♯ F♯ |
Progressions that sound good in C♯m
- AndalusianC♯m – B – A – G♯ (i VII VI V)
A falling bass line with Spanish drama.
- Night driveC♯m – A – E – B (i VI III VII)
Dark but moving forward; huge in film and alt-pop.
Playing in C♯m with a capo
If the barre chords in C♯m are a stretch, put a capo on and play easier open shapes. The song still sounds in C♯m.
| Capo | Play these shapes |
|---|---|
| Fret 4 | Am, B°, C, Dm, Em, F (shapes from Am) |
Related keys
C♯ minor shares all its chords with its relative major, E major. Its closest neighbours are G♯ minor and F♯ minor, which share six of its seven notes and make easy key changes.