i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII Chord Progression in C♯ Minor

307 named progressions, from I–V–vi–IV to the 12-bar blues and the Andalusian cadence, in any key and with any capo.

In C♯ minor, the i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII progression is C♯m – A – E – B. The minor four-chord loop: dark but driving. Huge in rock, pop and film.

The library above is set to i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in C♯ minor. Press Play to hear it with strummed guitar, bass and drums in a rock groove, tap any chord to hear it on its own, or pick another key or a capo.

The chords of i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in C♯ minor

Numeral	Chord	Notes	What it does
i	C♯m minor	C♯ E G♯	tonic (home)
♭VI	A major	A C♯ E	predominant (moving away)
♭III	E major	E G♯ B	tonic (home)
♭VII	B major	B D♯ F♯	dominant (pulling home)

Why it sounds smooth

Chords that share notes slide into each other; a change with no common notes sounds like a bigger step. Here is what each change keeps:

C♯m → A: keeps C♯ and E
A → E: keeps E
E → B: keeps B
B → C♯m: no notes in common, a bold move

The chords on guitar

The easiest shape for each chord, with finger numbers. The barre chords are the hard part; the capo positions below can avoid them.

Medium

Beginner

Beginner

Hard

With a capo

With the capo on the 4th fret you can play C♯ minor with Am shapes, Am, F, C, G, and leave out the C♯m barre chord. Each row shows the shapes you play and how easy they are (capo positions above the 7th fret are left out: the guitar sounds thin up there).

Capo	Shapes you play	How easy
4th fret	Am F C G	Easy
7th fret	F♯m D A E	Some barre chords
2nd fret	Bm G D A	Hard
No capo	C♯m A E B	Hard

Scales to play over it

C♯ minor pentatonic: C♯ E F♯ G♯ B. Safe over every chord.
C♯ natural minor: C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B. Every note of the key.

Common questions

What are the chords of i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in C♯ minor?

C♯m, A, E and B, one bar each, in that order.

What capo do I use for i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in C♯ minor?

Capo on the 4th fret and play Am, F, C, G: the easiest shapes for this key.

How do I play i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in another key?

Keep the numerals (i, ♭VI, ♭III, ♭VII) and build each chord from the new key, or tap another key in the library above and the chords change for you.

What is the relative major of C♯ minor?

E major. It has the same notes, which is why E (the ♭III chord) sounds at home in C♯ minor progressions.

Learn it with a teacher

Live one-to-one guitar classes online.

i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in other keys

i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in A minor i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in E minor i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in D minor i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in B minor i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in F♯ minor i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in G minor i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in C minor i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in F minor i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in B♭ minor

More progressions in C♯ minor

Andalusian Cadence in C♯ minor

Chord tools

Chord progression library

307 named progressions, from I–V–vi–IV to the 12-bar blues and the Andalusian cadence, in any key and with any capo.

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Capo calculator

Easy chord shapes for any key: every capo position ranked, with the shape you play and the chord it sounds side by side.

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