What Chords Work In A Minor Key?

Adam and Peter look into a topic that may seem easy to most. What chords can you play in a minor key? It may not be as simple as you think.
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[@remyvegamedia]

"I have some relatives that play like that constantly." - Peter's overlooked and genius humor at 3:05. Hahaahaha

[@joelmatthys7742]

Music theory prof here. When I talk about minor scales, I talk about the scale being divided into two parts: the Lower Pentachord (the bottom five notes: A B C D E in A minor) and the overlapping Upper Tetrachord (E F G A). A particular characteristic of a minor scale is that the lower part is always the same (it's invariant), but the Upper Tetrachord allows variation in the 2nd and 3rd pitches, scale degrees 6 and 7. Either note can be raised or lowered--this makes four possibilities: Lowered Lowered = natural minor; Lowered Raised = harmonic minor, Raised Lowered = dorian, Raised Raised = melodic ascending. We see all four variations in all types of music. So rather than think in "scale forms," I prefer to think that a key characteristic of minor is that 6 and 7 are variable.

[@anthonywritesfantasy]

Interesting!

[@kwekuhodgson1976]

I totally dig that! Thx 4 your insight/perspective prof 🎯🔥!!!

[@amileoj9043]

It's good to hear that an acceptable pro answer to 'what to play over a minor tune' is: it depends! My super naive methodology when learning to play along with a minor tune that is more functional than modal, is to start with aeolian and let the music show me where that doesn't work, and something else needs to happen. And if that teaches you anything it's that there is no one right answer. It seems like it can depend on the tune, the players, the chorus, the section, what's happening in the solos--all that.

[@TheTopcat1441]

Love watching Adam try to keep Peter focused 😂

[@kurianjoseph78]

For tonic minor harmony my go-to scale is the melodic minor ascending, courtesy Mark Levine. Really enjoyed this episode, thank you

[@PaulieStamets]

you are great folks, thanks!

[@DARKLYLIT]

It's so great to hear you guys finding joy in the uncertainty of it all. Thanks Adam and Peter! 👌

[@BirchPereira]

Hell yeah guys! I was just having this conversation with a student about how there is no clean scale that covers so much minor music. I also use those measures of Beautiful Love as a great melodic minor example.

[@brendaboykin3281]

Thank you,Adam and Peter🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@holm81]

Great episode. I just tried playing through some of the ideas in the video, and it made me realize how flexible the minor key actually is. Very helpful stuff.

[@armanj4514]

loved every minute of this, great content

[@CrossBonesAlex]

❤this episode💯👌

[@kookoo275]

Commenting for agreement

[@hocheelin5599]

Thank you. This is an area I don't know enough about

[@musterionsurly]

all of the above ;) careful with the major 3 haha

[@GizzyDillespee]

I like leading tones and strong dominant and diminished motion/tension. I like using the bVI and bII chords... no matter whether I'm in minor or major, really🙈🙉🙊. That's all the notes except for the flat 11, so...

[@dave-on-keys]

cat & cow! guess I've done my subliminal yoga for today

[@paxwallace8324]

Melodic minor but not crazy bout' the descending distinction because its aolian. But y'all are super knowledgeable I don't think my brain works quite like that. But Dorian too but not necessarily all that penta stuff though. But I'm writing like E-11 Gmaj7+5 Ab-11 Amaj7+5 or other subs based on modes of melodic minor. Harmonic minor more polytonal like D/Eb like Towner I guess. Or Fmaj7+5/Bb maybe. But my compositions are smarter than I am🤷🦧. Let me add I wouldn't begin to presume to be your peer certainly not as a player.

[@patzimmusic]

great stuff!

[@taagenletter220]

Minor key is very interesting. Our understanding of harmony comes from the overtone series that actually starts out sounding like a Mixolydian (#11) The whole tonal system is made of of fifths build on top of each other (C g d a e b f# c# g# d# a# e# b#) The whole thing about key signatures is that they depend on resolution to a tonic (V to l) In the major key (ionian) the flatted fifth between the seventh and fourth degree gives us the tonal resolution and in the relative minor (A minor) the flatted fifth will lead our ears in the direction of the relative major (C major) Minor key is not stable enough so we need one extra leading tone, hence harmonic minor that leaves us with two leading tones going up (B to C and G# to A) and one going down (F to E). Melodic minor raises the 6. scale degree and now we have a scale with only two leading tones going in the same direction (up) It is all about the flatted fifth and the placement of it, when we talk about key signatures. As always great stuff from you guys.

[@lepistanuda]

I really don’t think there is any clear historical evidence that our understanding of Harmony developed out of the Harmonic series

[@javiz9947]

great video the time! tank you

[@remyvegamedia]

Maybe Dorian "feels" like it's going somewhere because we're so used to hearing it move to V - I. Or maybe it's the tension between the b3 and natural 6. I don't know. I don't have all the answers. Hahaa

[@AlanBlackman]

Good stuff. Hey, what's that app you are using that puts up the notes on the staff in real time?

[@bassofspades500]

The chromatic scale

[@michaelhaynie5735]

You guys should call it the "Ladies and Gentleman's Agreement". "Gentleman and Ladies" has an unfamiliar rhythm to it.

[@ChipTheMusicMan]

Per the agreement...also I was thinking instead of playing the relative minor, you could play the RELEVANT minor! Thoughts?

[@jonasaras]

Tommy Flanagan played a LOT of 1,2-3,5 on tonic minor chords

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Gentlepersons' agreement adhered to. As for the last comment... Erm... And 🐄

[@luciusblackmail8129]

Gentlemen, would you mind putting all your wisdom into a blogpost? I’d appreciate that a ton.

[@luthiermarko]

A short answer. The trinity of minor