c - minor, is this the hardest key to compose in?

[Toxikator]

I agree, though DbMaj7 can also be subbed for Db7 and still work well (as a tritone substitution)... and you mean Ddim/min7 (AKA Dm7b5), not Dmin7.

But yeah, easy chord choices:

Cmin(7)
Ddim(m7)
EbMaj(M7)
Fmin(7)
GMaj(m7)
AbMaj(M7)
BbMaj(m7)
bdim(d7)

[ILLete]

Im In C Minor On A Metalcore Piece Im Working On And So Far No Problems, A Easy Way To solve like stated above is to compose in another key and then transpose down to the key you are composing in.

[thesecession]

Cminor is my favorite key. I have a hard time NOT using it!! check out these tracks on my myspace if you need ideas for melodies in that scale

www.myspace.com/thesecession

[marvotron]

isnt it the case though that in 12 tet that the root note of a key is *musically* irrelevant?

theyre just transpositions, the actual relations between the notes is mathematically identical

whereas back in the day there were all types of different tunings, hence the reason my Beethoven had a favourite key because it actually *sounded different* to the others, it wasnt a pure transposition.

from what i've been reading recently (and im by no means an expert on this, im just learning) Beethoven would have been using a 'well temperament'

see :

http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/

and

http://www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=912

so, it seems like that in these days of 12-tet dominance the main differences between keys such as Cm, Dm etc are the physical aspects (i.e. how easy / difficult it is to play on a piano, guitar etc) and the mental mapping of names, i.e. im in Cm so whats my IV, ah its Fm

of course im not saying that this is trivial, its not, its f**king complicated..makes my head hurt. i guess im just saying that if you can handle Am in 12-tet then Cm is just a transposition and you just have to learn how to substitute the note names in the right places, you dont have to worry about wolf-tones and all that stuff.

bit of a double edged sword really, 12 tet made a lot of things possible but it also pushed a lot of interesting stuff outside of our musical consciousness.

ok. i'll stop now.

[jancivil]

it is still true, because it's a physical thing, that a pitch level produces different acoustical phenomena in its manifestations of relationships than another if it is substantially different, higher or lower.

the overtone series of any fundamental makes the same 'shape' (only smaller or larger); a higher fundamental generates its 'own' series, which has a different *color* than a noticeably lower one.

examples given, c minor has a different character than b minor (though a few cents won't matter much...)

otherwise, why would there be a prelude etc in 12 different keys by a JS Bach? One in C# minor is going to sound odd in another key, and it's down to science, why.

[dover666]

all this scale stuff --- i always tune my guitar by ear so when i "chuck" the strings i get more harmonic bang for my buck... i hardly ever actually touch the fretboard with the strings, then only for some real raunchy grindcore.... or maybe some 1980's rock and roll. lately i've been leaning more toward psychedelic surf guitar, but again, i've really no clue what key or tuning i use or play, i use the whole guitar (it's really something to watch when i'm standing up, since i don't have a strap right now... flying guitar anyone?)

what the hell am i talking about - oh yeah, i'm going way off topic in a subject i'm unfamiliar with sort of.... yeah, my problem with modern western standard is the math - not enough ear shattering sharps!!!! thanks, thats my 2 cents, please don't stomp my crotch.

[Twigman]

C minor was Bethoven's fave key.

Wk

and he was deaf

[joshhunsaker]

he went deaf later in life.

and his last performance of his ninth symphony was met with riotous applause even though he couldn't hear it...the alto soloist had to turn him around so he could see it. very sad in a way.

i have a hard time composing in any base key other than Eb minor.