iiø – V – i
Dm7♭5 → G7 → Cm
The standard functional minor cadence. The half-diminished ii prepares a dominant that resolves into minor tonic.
Open in ChordRevelation →Minor guitar chord progressions
Minor chord progressions: stronger tension, darker resolution.
Minor harmony can be simple, modal or strongly functional. The most useful approach is to hear the role of each chord and then compare voicings that preserve the tension-and-release pattern on guitar.
minor chord progressionsminor guitar progressionsminor ii V iiiø V iminor harmony
Minor guitar chord progressions
Start with the minor cadences that clearly show function.
The dominant in minor often uses a raised leading tone, which creates more pull than the natural minor scale alone.
i – iv – V
Cm → Fm → G7
A direct tonic–predominant–dominant movement in minor. Simple enough to hear the function clearly.
Open in ChordRevelation →i – ♭VII – ♭VI
Cm → B♭ → A♭
A modal/minor-color descent where the sense of motion comes more from scale-degree color than classical dominant resolution.
Open in ChordRevelation →Minor guitar chord progressions
What changes when harmony moves into minor.
Minor progressions create several useful sources of tension: altered scale degrees, diminished structures, dominant alterations and semitone voice leading.
Half-diminished predominant
The iiø chord contains a diminished fifth and naturally points toward dominant function in a minor key.
Raised leading tone
Using B natural in C minor creates a stronger G7 → Cm pull than the natural-minor B♭ would.
Altered dominant color
The V chord can support ♭9, ♯9, diminished and altered sounds before resolving to the minor tonic.
Modal alternatives
Not every minor progression needs V–i. ♭VII and ♭VI can create strong modal motion with a different kind of gravity.
FAQ
Quick answers about minor chord progressions for guitar.
Use the answers as a reference, then open the matching progression in ChordRevelation to hear and see the relationships.
What is the most common minor jazz cadence?
The iiø–V–i cadence is a standard functional minor progression. In C minor it is Dm7♭5–G7–Cm.
Why does the V chord often become major or dominant in a minor key?
The dominant usually uses the raised seventh degree of harmonic minor, creating a leading tone that pulls more strongly toward the tonic.
Can minor progressions be modal instead of functional?
Yes. Progressions using ♭VII, ♭VI, iv and other modal colors can create convincing minor movement without relying on a classical dominant-to-tonic resolution.
ChordRevelation
Turn the progression into something playable.
Open the harmony, change key, choose voicings, compare voice leading and see the result on the fretboard.