minor keys

I just remembered a Jackson Blues variation I like to teach around Halloween that makes it sound a little creepy: RH – for each chord, move finger 3 down a 1/2 step (makes them minor chords – they don’t need to know that if they…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• blues variation, Dog, Halloween, Halloween Dog?, Jackson Blues, Laurie Richards, major vs. minor, minor chords, minor keys, Minuet in G, new variation, Nightmares, sleeping, Spooky Jackson, Spooky Minuet, variation, variations

I’m wondering if ‘Here To Stay’ from the Jazz program commences in the key of D minor and then modulates to A minor around the third line. I’ve had a student ask me why the g in the A11 chord is natural. Any thoughts? It…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• 2-5, 2-5 chord progression, 2-5-1, 2-5-1 chord progression, changing keys, common chord, deceptive cadence, harmony, Here to Stay, jazz, jazz chords, jazz clues, Joe Gilman, key, key change, key of the moment, key signature, leading tone, minor keys, modulation, Neil Moore, parent key, pivot chord, relative key, relative major, relative minor, tonality, tonic, tonicization, tonicize, tonicizing

What key is Dark Blue in? Look at the music book for FL4. 3 flats. Also, the first and last bass note is C hinting at the tonal center. Ian Yes. And yes. And yet: it doesn’t really ever sound like C is a definitive…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• changing keys, chord inversions, chord voicings, chromatic, chromaticism, Dark Blue, harmony, inversions, jazz, jazz chords, Joe Gilman, key, key change, key of the moment, key signature, minor keys, modal, modes, modulation, Neil Moore, relative key, split chords, tonality, tonic, tonicization, tonicize, tonicizing, voicing, voicing chords, voicing jazz chords

Recently a teacher asked about minor chords, specifically whether our ‘Accompaniment Clues Trick’ for identifying I, IV and V chords in Major Keys, applies equally to discovering the minor chords in any key. The simple, immediate and accurate answer to this is, “Yes”. I want…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• I-IV-V chords, I-IV-V in minor key, minor keys, Neil Moore

Can someone recommend to me how they teach their students the Minor Scales? I teach major scales in the order of the circle of fifths. Then, I usually start with natural minor, and show the relationship with the relative major, since they have the same…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• Ballade, Chester, chester chills out, Dog, harmonic minor scale, Laurie Richards, major scale, major vs. minor, melodic minor scale, minor chords, minor keys, minor scales, natural minor scale, pentascale, relative major, relative minor, scale, scale fingering, scale formula, scale theory, scales, teaching scale, tetrascale, transposing minor keys

Having trouble wording an answer for a student. He’s perceptive and quick, and he asked me today why there’s a flat in the key signature for First Signs of Winter when there is never actually a B played in the song. How would you explain…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• family analogy, First Signs of Winter, flats, FSOW, key, key signature, Laurie Richards, major vs. minor, minor keys, sharps and flats

Here’s a theory question from a student that has me stumped: are songs in minor keys (like Scarborough Fair) still built on a I, IV, V foundation? Which major chords would one expect to find in a minor key, and why? Intuitively, it seems like…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• building chords, chord progressions, chords, I-IV-V, I-IV-V in minor key, minor keys, scarborough fair

Some of my students want to know how to quickly find I, IV, and V in the minor keys. They want to know if the same shortcut (from the Accompaniment Program), works. Well the answer is good news, and absolutely the ’shortcut’ works. The I,…

• Last updated 10 years ago
• accompaniment, I, inheriting, IV, minor keys, Neil Moore, V