Using Minor 5 Chords - Music Composition

[@MusicMattersGB]

Learn Music Online - Check out our courses here! www.mmcourses.co.uk/courses

[@johncenter4858]

Hmmm! It was a real pleasure listening to the professor making a chord progression in natural minor that was almost the core of a rock ballad. It is not a style he often plays here. Thank you! Great video.

[@MusicMattersGB]

That’s great. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk

[@annelouisemaclellan485]

Radiohead’s Street Spirit (Fade Out) and R.E.M.’s Losing My Religion both use minor v chords and The Beatles sometimes borrowed minor v in major key contexts. Strawberry Fields Forever is one such example 🙏🏼

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@carlstenger5893]

Excellent video. I'm considering writing a choral piece in a strict natural minor scale. I had considered writing in a melodic minor style (using minor V chords when the melody was descending), but decided that (ultimately) the resulting composition would look and sound more like a first year composition student's inept attempt at harmony.

[@MusicMattersGB]

It’s possible to write something beautiful in the natural minor that sounds modal.

[@jayducharme]

Perfect timing! I'm working on a piece where this lesson will come in very handy.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Excellent

[@rubenpartono]

Why is it so hard to find people who talk about using the minor 5 when playing in the major key? (e.g. G minor when playing in C major.) It's a beautiful sound.

[@MusicMattersGB]

It’s a great sound even though it doesn’t belong to the key.

[@thebobthebobanite6287]

It’s borrowing the minor v from the Mixolydian mode.

[@MusicMattersGB]

@thebobthebobanite6287 😀

[@alvodin6197]

I got two courses from MM but I'm still working on them. I'm been playing for 3 years and tried all kinds of courses online. Let me.tell.you, Gareth is the real deal. He makes it enjoyable and he actually enjoys teaching us, shows us tons of examples to learn from.. I do feel a little cheated that you are giving away so much free material! I'm joking of course. Thank you so much for all your videos!

[@MusicMattersGB]

Thanks for your positive feedback on the courses. I’m glad you’re enjoying them. The videos on KZbin are all one offs. The courses are full A-Z studies so that’s the essential difference. Continue to enjoy the courses.

[@jarodvmusic]

Another great video! I never thought about using the melodic minor when a chord progression, or set of chords is descending. Lots of interesting stuff to think about. I really do like the sound of the minor v7.

[@MusicMattersGB]

It opens up further possibilities for colour

[@jarodvmusic]

@@MusicMattersGB Definitely!

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@markchapman6800]

Yes, one does need to be particularly careful about parallel 5ths in modal writing (of course, if you regard them as part of the sound, go for it - just never write parallel 5ths *accidentally* ) like making IV a 7th chord, and having that 7th descend by step over the 3rd of the chord also descending by step 14:05 😊

[@MusicMattersGB]

Absolutely

[@mirkohannemann5773]

Thanks for following up in great detail on the question! (even if I wasn't the one asking the question)

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@isaacshaw1596]

Yeah absolutely agree thank you!

[@MusicMattersGB]

Hope it’s useful

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I wasn't sleeping well and felt tired. But after watching this video, I saw that I was using an excessive amount of parelell fifths. Thanks for the medical advice. I feel much better.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Excellent!

[@rigbyb]

Incredibly helpful video. Thanks a lot

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk

[@KimBowyer-ii6ok]

Just the best. Succinct without waffle.

[@MusicMattersGB]

You’re most kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk

[@chrismunroe8015]

Another excellent video. 👌

[@MusicMattersGB]

That’s kind. Thanks.

[@simongross3122]

Thank you. This is very interesting. I quite like the sound of the minor V chord, and I've often wondered when it can be used. From the context of your discussion, I assume that in the natural minor key it still functions as a dominant.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Absolutely

[@josephinebrown6631]

Thank you kindly🤍

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure

[@frankjamesbonarrigo7162]

20:28 how did you organize the chords for contrary motion? By inversion?

[@MusicMattersGB]

No inversions needed. Both chords are in root position but you can organise the top line in contrary motion with the bass

[@-hekyatnagwan613]

Very nice please you have any videos about free contrpoint??

[@MusicMattersGB]

Yes. If you search for our counterpoint videos you’ll find them. We also have a full free-counterpoint course at www.mmcourses.co.uk

[@SimonG-m8n]

Dear Mr. Green, would it be possible (if you're interested that is :D) to extend your In The Mind Of Bach-series in the terms of "taking Bach into the modern world"? For example showcasing(?) certain parts/voice leading/etc. that sound relatively modern or using those kind of approaches in a modern context (how he would write "in the style of today")? Maybe somthing like elevating pop-music to "sophisticated" pop-music or trying to emulate how he would write (epic) trailer music, modern soundtracks with choir (etc) or of course anything else that would come to your mind?

[@MusicMattersGB]

That’s an idea. I’ll give it some thought.

[@SimonG-m8n]

@@MusicMattersGB Thanks for considering!

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@frankjamesbonarrigo7162]

Totally confused at 11:20 , is the seven chord inverted? It looks like the same note written when passing too

[@frankjamesbonarrigo7162]

I think I’m confused as it seems you omit the fifth in the seventh chords. And they do seem inverted. I must be wrong

[@MusicMattersGB]

Both chords are in root position but I’m inserting a passing note after the chord V is stated.

[@frankjamesbonarrigo7162]

@@MusicMattersGB so a seventh chord doesn't necessarily mean a 4th note on top of the triad?

[@MusicMattersGB]

We construct a 7th chord with a root a third a fifth and a 7th. It’s possible to omit the 5th. The 3rd can sometimes be omitted instead.

[@frankjamesbonarrigo7162]

@@MusicMattersGB I am hopelessly confused. How is that D the seventh at 10:45? It's not on the top of the chord. Or is the seventh B? You are creating a seventh chord by going down to D

[@roger-p-cortina]

Excellent! I have a question: How would you call a cadence that uses the 5 minor? Is it still an authentic (or perfect) cadence? Thanks!

[@MusicMattersGB]

Absolutely

[@roger-p-cortina]

Thanks!

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@jgoogle4256]

Professor, I read a book (concise intro to tonal harmony by L poundie burstein) where they said that degree 7 of the scale in chord 3, whether in a major or minor key, is not a tendency tone and so need not lead to the tonic. In C major, for instance, chord iii contains B but it does not act as a leading tone in chord iii. In C minor, since it doesn’t have this leading tone functionality, we can keep it as B flat. But you said in this video chord 3 in minor scales is augmented because we raise the 7th degree. I’m a bit confused, could you please offer insight? Thanks for your videos

[@MusicMattersGB]

You are absolutely correct. The confusion here is that I’m talking about raising the 7th degree in a minor scale, which is the thing that generates the augmented III in a minor key. Hope that clarifies.

[@jgoogle4256]

@@MusicMattersGB ok, so strictly speaking if we actually use chord III we might keep lowered 7, but when you’re just showing the triads with raised 7 you include raised 7 in chord III for consistency

[@MusicMattersGB]

In order to demonstrate the harmonic minor.

[@yoavshati]

Bach actually used the minor v in the toccata and fugue in D minor. There's a part that goes Bb6 Am6 Gm6 A

[@MusicMattersGB]

That’s true

[@bhushanmalik]

Your videos are brilliant. However I woild like see the score taking the full screen and the keyboard at the bottom (as is the case now) and your video perhaps superimposed somewhere on the corner or absent when it's not needed. Often, it's hard to clearly see the score and the notes.

[@MusicMattersGB]

It’s difficult to organise it any other way. It’s difficult to read the score on a phone but it’s very clear on a bigger screen.

[@isaacshaw1596]

Now this thought is a controversial but I do find, pop artist for example write I V VI IV progressions a lot, most common chord progression or some mix of those chords. I call it, THAT chord progression. A progression I try not to use because it's such a cliché chord progression. You'll find any video that claims it can teach you piano in ten minutes can almost guarantee that will be one of if not the first progression they'll teach you. Now pop songs in a minor key, there are quite a few out there that do use that raised 3rd in chord V if they do have a chord V. But often times, they just stick VI first and call it a minor key song. I don't really get that, still sounds like it's in a major key just starting and ending on a minor chord. I just think aurally a minor key has it's own voice when you use harmonic minor but unfortunately people choose not to learn it and just stick chord VI at the start and the end of their song and call it a minor key piece. Of course when you start using minor V in the context of what your demonstrating, using all the conventions of II7 V I, that's where that natural minor starts to have a voice of it's own. I don't think it's used enough properly that voice of the natural minor. Feel free to disagree, just putting my opinion out there. Be interested to hear your thoughts.

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I was a little confused in this video since you started talking about C Major and C minor and all of a sudden you switched to A minor.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Just giving examples in different keys to show that the principle is the same.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

@@MusicMattersGB Thanks, I rewatched this, and even though I'm not composing, I feel that I'm getting a top notch musical education that is easy to understand. Your style of teaching is so calm, simple and well explained. I've learned a lot from you, and my piano teacher has made the remark many times. Merci beaucoup.

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure

[@PijanitsaVode]

Yesterday listening to Chaikovsky's Pathetic Symphony (France Musique). A fine example of an up-and-down chordal sequence around harmonic B minor (V, I, II7, V) here by Dresden: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4ekYpybpJ59qZY

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀