Finding I, IV, V in Minor Keys (N.Moore)
Found in: Accompaniment
Karen T., Illinois
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.
Neil Moore
Well the answer is good news, and absolutely the ’shortcut’ works.
The I, IV and V remain the same in any key Karen, however, it’s the quality of the chords involved that contribute to its major or minor nature. In our regular Major key, I is a Major chord, IV is Major chord, and V is a Major chord.
And in the Accompaniment Program we discover a simple but powerfully effective, nifty little trick that allows your students to immediately identify the I, IV and V chords that belong to whatever key you are in at that time.
In minor keys, this mostly holds true. Fortunately, the I and IV chords of a minor key, are simply, minor chords (and we’ve already learned how to inherit all the minor chords from the strategy unfolded in the Accompaniment Program).
Now, all that’s left to be sure of, is the ‘quality’ of the V chord to be used in minor keys – and at this point in time I won’t be anything more than making a statement of fact.
In a minor key, the I chord is minor, the IV chord is also minor, however, the V chord is a Major chord.
Symbolically it’s a breeze – Im, IVm, VM – just about doesn’t get any easier!