The Essential Guide to Mastering the Minor Chord Scale

What is the Minor Chord Scale?

The minor chord scale is a collection of chords that are built from a particular minor scale, for example, an Am chord scale would include chords built from the notes of the Am scale (A, B, C, D, E, F, G). Like the major chord scale, the chords in am chord scale can be derived using a specific formula.

The most common formula for constructing Am is the following: Minor – Diminished – Major – Minor – Minor – Major – Major. This pattern is different from the formula used to build a major chord scale, which is Major – Minor – Minor – Major – Major – Minor – Diminished – Major.

Breaking Down the Minor Chord Scale:

Now that you know the formula for constructing a scale, let’s take a closer look at each chord in the scale:

Minor: The first chord in the scale is always a minor chord. In the key of A minor, this would be an Am chord.
Diminished: The second chord in the scale is always a diminished chord. In the key of A minor, this would be a Bdim chord.
Major: The third chord in the scale is always a major chord. In the key of A minor, this would be a C chord.
Minor: The fourth chord in the scale is always a minor chord. In the key of A minor, this would be a Dm chord.
Minor: The fifth chord in the scale is always a minor chord. In the key of A minor, this would be an Em chord.
Major: The sixth chord in the scale is always a major chord. In the key of A minor, this would be an F chord.
Major: The seventh chord in the scale is always a major chord. In the key of A minor, this would be a G chord.

Applying to Guitar Playing

Knowing the chord scale can help you figure out the chords in any minor key. You can use this knowledge to improvise solos, write chord progressions, and understand the relationship between chords in a song. If you can figure out the home chord of a song, in 90% songs you will see other chord within other 6 chord of the chord scale