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How do minor keys work


wu ming

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Posted

I know how major keys work. maj min min maj maj7 etc...

 

But I see little information on how to build and work with minor keys, the exception usually only being the sixth minor of the major scale, which I already know about.

 

 

 

:confused:

 

thx.

Posted
But I see little information on how to build and work with minor keys, the exception usually only being the sixth minor of the major scale, which I already know about.




:confused:

thx.




There are two parts to minor key harmony:

1) The minor scale is just the major scale starting on the 6th note, so all the chords are the same. Just renumber them with the first note of the minor scale being the 'i' chord, and you get:

i ii

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Posted

Major scale harmony is from a major scale. So, in C here's the scale:

C D E F G A B

You can build a chord from each note in that scale:

C E G

D F A

E G B

F A C, etc...

That's where you get Cmaj, Dmin, Emin, Fmaj, etc.

Minor harmony is the same- you start with a minor scale and harmonize the chords. You'll get different chords based on which minor scale you use however. For instance, if you use A aeolian (often called natural minor) you'll get the same chords as with a C major scale.

A B C D E F G

A C E
B D F
C E G
D F A, etc...

-as A aeolian is a mode of C major. But if you use A harmonic minor you'll get different chords. Same with A melodic minor. There's no set minor scale harmony as there is major scale. Now, you can work out the modes/chords for each of these minor scales as it's good to know them, but the truth is its not that important for the majority of players. What's more important is to understand song structure and how one chord can lead to another. Most songs contain chords from more than one key, especially those in minor keys, so the minor modes don't come into play as much.

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Posted

Poparad, why do you use the diminished rather than half diminished on the B, i.e. in Am the seventh chord on the B has an A natural not an Ab?

 

 

Those were triads - not 7th chords. There is no 1/2 diminished triad.

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