E minor

E minor (Em, Mim) is a minor scale based on the note E, with the pitches E, F ♯, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one sharp, F ♯.

E minor

Relative key	G major
Parallel key	E major
Dominant key
Subdominant
Notes in this scale
E, F♯, G, A, B, C, D, E

Its relative major is G major, and its parallel major is E major.

A lot of classical guitar music is in E minor, because this key is very suited for the instrument. When it is tuned normally, four of the instrument's six strings are part of the tonic chord. The key is also very popular in heavy metal music, because the lowest note on a guitar, E, can be used a lot.

E minor was one of the most-often used keys by Felix Mendelssohn.

Famous classical music in this key

• Symphony No. 4 - Johannes Brahms
• Nocturne in E Minor - Frédéric Chopin
• Piano Concerto No. 1 - Frédéric Chopin
• Prelude in E Minor (Chopin) - Frédéric Chopin
• Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" - Antonín Dvořák
• Cello Concerto - Edward Elgar
• Symphony No. 44 "Trauer" - Joseph Haydn
• Symphony No. 7 - Gustav Mahler
• Violin Concerto in E Minor - Felix Mendelssohn
• Caprice No. 3 - Nicolò Paganini
• Symphony No. 2 - Sergei Rachmaninov
• Vocalise Op. 34 No. 14 - Sergei Rachmaninov
• Symphony No. 10 - Dmitri Shostakovich
• Symphony No. 1 - Jean Sibelius
• Symphony No. 5 - Tchaikovsky
• Symphony No. 6 - Ralph Vaughan Williams
• Concerto for Bassoon, Strings, and continuo, RV 484 - Antonio Vivaldi
• Slavonic Dances No. 2 Op. 72 - Antonín Dvořák

See also: List of symphonies in E minor

Scales and keys