Hello,
I'm using the circle of fifths type of chord book thang and I have a question that is probably really stoopid, but then so am I....
I see that a lot of 'popular' progressions follow I, IV, V, but that is all majors, how do I apply that theory to minor chords?
Sorry to be thick.
Chord Question For An Eeejit...
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- KVRer
- 3 posts since 22 Sep, 2003
Well I'm part 'Eeejit" myself, and certainly no theory expert but...
The main concept to remember (or learn) here is the "relative minor". Every major key has a relative minor "buddy", namely the minor scale that uses the same notes as its major friend. While technically there are 'upper' and 'lower' relative minor's, most people use the 'lower' relative 90% of the time.
The relative (lower) minor is 3 semitones below the major. So the relative minor of C major is A minor. Both scales are all the white notes on a piano. The only difference is the start and end points. (Modes, for you musos). Play the same chord in your right hand and move the bass notes around and you get all kinds of cool 'substitutions'.
In classic 1, IV, V progressions, this leads to the ever popular "doo wop" progression, ie. I VIm IIm V Trust me you've heard this one again and again and again. The VIm (Am if you start in C) is the relative minor of the I. The IIm (Dm, in C) is the relative minor of the IV major chord. And then you got the good ol' V (dominant) to send you back to the 1 and do it all over again.
So you can see that I VIm IIm V is really the same as I, I, IV, V except that you stuck in a few relative minors to get all 'fancy'. All is klar das kommissar?
(For what it's worth, the upper relative minor is 2 whole tones above the major, so Em is the upper relative to C, etc etc. Makes a nice alternative sometimes).
Just a reminder about theory -- your ear comes first. Theory comes second in figuring out what your ear just did. But play stuff first, noodle around with different notes until you find things you like, and only THEN use theory to figure out what the underlying principle is so you can apply it elsewhere. But your ears probably figured out relative minors ages ago, so don't let the theory get in the way of what you're hearing. Experiment with 'alternate' bass notes under 'normal' major triads. There's a world of cool stuff (and a lot of Steely Dan songs) hiding there.
cheers
The main concept to remember (or learn) here is the "relative minor". Every major key has a relative minor "buddy", namely the minor scale that uses the same notes as its major friend. While technically there are 'upper' and 'lower' relative minor's, most people use the 'lower' relative 90% of the time.
The relative (lower) minor is 3 semitones below the major. So the relative minor of C major is A minor. Both scales are all the white notes on a piano. The only difference is the start and end points. (Modes, for you musos). Play the same chord in your right hand and move the bass notes around and you get all kinds of cool 'substitutions'.
In classic 1, IV, V progressions, this leads to the ever popular "doo wop" progression, ie. I VIm IIm V Trust me you've heard this one again and again and again. The VIm (Am if you start in C) is the relative minor of the I. The IIm (Dm, in C) is the relative minor of the IV major chord. And then you got the good ol' V (dominant) to send you back to the 1 and do it all over again.
So you can see that I VIm IIm V is really the same as I, I, IV, V except that you stuck in a few relative minors to get all 'fancy'. All is klar das kommissar?
(For what it's worth, the upper relative minor is 2 whole tones above the major, so Em is the upper relative to C, etc etc. Makes a nice alternative sometimes).
Just a reminder about theory -- your ear comes first. Theory comes second in figuring out what your ear just did. But play stuff first, noodle around with different notes until you find things you like, and only THEN use theory to figure out what the underlying principle is so you can apply it elsewhere. But your ears probably figured out relative minors ages ago, so don't let the theory get in the way of what you're hearing. Experiment with 'alternate' bass notes under 'normal' major triads. There's a world of cool stuff (and a lot of Steely Dan songs) hiding there.
cheers
Wow! Computers almost work!