Chord stories

The saddest chord

There is no one saddest chord, but one move is named more than any other: the minor iv, a minor chord on the fourth note of a major key, such as F minor in C. Hear it next to its major twin, then the progression often called the saddest of all.

Sound Pattern Tempo85

↓ · ↓ ↑ · ↑ ↓ ↑ · Down, down-up, up-down-up: the campfire strum, also called the calypso strum.

Colours

homethe doorthe shadowthe achethe lift

What each chord does in its key. Press a chord to hear it and read more.

Wistful: the major IV

I | IV | I | I

Key Chord chart The chords of C major ›

F major in C: the A in it lifts gently away from home, and back.

Sad: the minor iv

I | iv | I | I

Key Chord chart The chords of C major ›

F minor in C: the A falls to A♭, then to G as the music goes home. Going straight from iv to I is a minor plagal cadence.

F

Standard

IV in C: A in the chord

Fm

Standard

iv in C: A falls to A♭

Why the minor iv sounds sad

In C major, F major has an A in it. F minor lowers it to A♭, a note from outside the key, a half step above G. As the chord goes back to C, that A♭ sinks to G: a small falling sigh. Going straight from iv back home (F minor to C) is called a minor plagal cadence.

The Creep move

Radiohead’s “Creep” is the best known use: G, B, C, then C minor, round and round. The last change, C to C minor, is the minor iv in G. See it on the Creep chord page.

The Creep move

I | III | IV | iv

Key Chord chart The chords of G major ›

G, B, C, C minor: the changes of Radiohead’s “Creep”, with the minor iv last.

The saddest chord progression

In 2014 the musician and teacher Ethan Hein wrote about what he called the saddest chord progression ever: in C, A minor, D7, F minor, C. He found it in a work by the Russian composer Vasily Kalinnikov, and in Willie Nelson’s recording of “I’d Have to Be Crazy”, written by Steven Fromholz. D7 points the ear towards G; F minor arrives instead, and the music sinks home.

The saddest chord progression

vi | II7 | iv | I

Key Chord chart The chords of C major ›

Ethan Hein’s pick: D7 points the ear towards G, and F minor arrives instead.

Open it in the progression maker More sad chord progressions

What research says

In a study of single chords (Lahdelma and Eerola, 2016), 269 listeners heard 14 chords on piano and on strings. Minor triads were rated the saddest and major triads the happiest; the same chord sounded sadder on strings than on piano, and musicians and other listeners agreed. No study has named one saddest chord: the speed, the sound and the chord before it decide much of what a chord makes you feel.

Is D minor the saddest key?

That is a joke from the film This Is Spinal Tap (1984). D minor is a key, not a chord, and the idea that each key has its own mood is much older, from writers of the 1700s.

Questions

What is the saddest chord?

No chord is saddest everywhere, but the minor iv in a major key is the one most often named: F minor in C major, C minor in G. The A♭ in F minor falls to G as the music goes home, a small sigh.

What is the saddest chord progression?

Ethan Hein’s pick is A minor, D7, F minor, C (in C): D7 leads the ear to expect G, and F minor arrives instead.

Why do minor chords sound sad?

Their third is a half step lower than a major chord’s. In listening studies, minor triads are rated sadder than major ones by musicians and other listeners alike.

Is D minor really the saddest key?

It is a joke line from This Is Spinal Tap. D minor is a key, not a chord, and nothing makes it sadder than other minor keys.

How do I play F minor on guitar?

As a barre at the first fret: 133111, the E minor shape moved up a fret with the first finger across all six strings.

Sources

More chord stories: The forbidden chord, The four chord song, The Picardy third, The most beautiful chord, The happiest chord, The Mario cadence, and famous chords such as the Tristan chord and the Hendrix chord. Also: the guitar chord library, the chord finder and the chords in every key.