How To Understand Minor Key Chord Functions

[@WriteASong]

Learn how to write major key songs in real time kzbin.info/www/bejne/epXKamxjdq6dnK8

[@mamesushi136]

Very nice video!

[@WriteASong]

Thank you very much!

[@dankers12]

I like the way you cycle back and forth with the i chord. You can really hear the function that way.

[@1oolabob]

Excellent lesson here! I did notice in all of the examples where we went from C minor to any of the other chords and back to C minor that it all felt like funeral music. Oddly, the examples with a G chord in the middle had (to *my* ears) a sense of finality in their resolution, and the G major sounded more sad and final than the G minor did. The major chord is a moment of uplifting before the C minor says "Abandon all hope. It's over." I'm going to try to make use of this new-to-me knowledge and use my minor chords to make my music in my own style, which always tries to be uplifting. Of course I cheat by always giving it a lively beat.

[@WriteASong]

Yes you do get a bit of a dirge when presented like this. But there's no reason that minor has to = sad. It's all about context. Good luck with your songwriting!

[@kentbyron7608]

Brilliant communicator! Unique spin on music theory while communicating crisply and cleanly. Excellent idea comparing every chord change back to the root chord, for comparison understanding and contrast. Keep up the good work! Grateful! Subscribed❤

[@WriteASong]

Thanks for the kind words and the sub!

[@Sheldyck]

I would love to see this done for Harmonic Minor

[@WriteASong]

I will eventually get around to doing a harmonic minor video in this style. In the mean time, here's an older video I made about harmonic minor : kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXKrgaqCmZmsapo

[@daveconnor6174]

love it ... i'm very much of the opinion that both modes/keys and chord functions are best taught with drama/character/narrative incorporated, and this is a perfect example

[@WriteASong]

Thanks! I agree, I'm glad it worked!

[@makinganoise6028]

Your visualizations are great and like how you explain this, I'm a Guitarist so took me a while to understand chord functions, working with Keys players did help, mainly, through looking at how songs I liked made a song, what you show is clear and concise. Do you ever go to Jam sessions in UK or play live?

[@WriteASong]

I'm glad it helped you! I'm a guitarist as well, I agree that working with the piano helps a lot for understanding theory. I've not been able to play live for a while, which is part of the reason I started the channel! Hoping to play in some videos in the future once I get the right gear to make it happen.

[@makinganoise6028]

@@WriteASong you can do everything with a computer, DAW and decent audio interface these days. I use a piece of software, Bandinabox, to come up with progressions, ideas etc, and play live quite a lot, it was playing with Keys players that opened my brain to a lot of theory and made it real. What nobody has really visited on KZbin imho, is looking at songwriting as a whole, as a singer too, I often start with lyrics, but not always and there is usually a musical idea there too, it can be the rhythm, bass line, a melodic idea, or chord progression, it would be cool if someone looked at the whole picture, it's great working with guys in a studio, but time and money are the constraints there,. good luck with the channel, I like the presentation.

[@WriteASong]

Thanks. When you say the whole picture, what sort of videos would help you with that? I've made "write a song" style videos before, but I have to stick to a certain order like chords then melody then lyrics, because there are so many ways to write a song!

[@makinganoise6028]

@@WriteASong exactly, there are many ways to write a song, and often from the perspective of the Instrument someone is most comfortable with, which is where a good Producer can take ideas from a band and turn them into something bigger than the individuals, like George Martin did with the Beatles. Often however, our lack of knowledge, of how the other parts contribute can hold us back, unless someone is a multi instrumentalist and thinks in the many parts, typically having done a lot of Music Production. It can be interesting thinking of a song from different dimensions, I notice this when working with other musicians, I think a lot of people would get a boost in their creativity from understanding the fundamentals of each part that makes up a song in popular music and the various genres within it, even if just Drums, Bass, Guitar, Keys, Vocals/Lyrics. So for a video series, take a song, and do it different ways, maybe even change the key, rhythm, genre, guitar/ keys /bass emphasis, just an idea?

[@WriteASong]

Yes it can be hard to see the bigger picture when we are focused on one element of a song. It's an interesting idea. I've made a note of it and I'll have a think about how I could turn it into a series as many people have said similar things to me before but I've not yet worked out how to approach it.

[@jacksonelmore6227]

Great topic for a video honestly 🙏

[@edinatl2008]

Hey thanks for the explanation. I have slowly been learning music theory and had a lot of the questions you answered in this video.

[@WriteASong]

You're welcome, I'm glad the video was helpful.

[@arpeggioblues5924]

good to see the proper roman numerals here for Am as (i i i bIII iv v bVi bVII) proper roman numeral figured bass nomeclature.. Thanks for all you do here, your song writing tips are fantastic.. it's all about Voice leading, and you can get away with any chords in any progression..

[@WriteASong]

You're welcome, thanks for your continued support!

[@ajmartins720]

Great lesson...!!! Thanks.

[@WriteASong]

You're welcome!

[@christopherfryda]

Love this channel!!!

[@WriteASong]

Thanks!

[@johnmac8084]

Cheers 😀

[@WriteASong]

🍻

[@eric_james_music]

Damn this video was good.

[@WriteASong]

Thanks!

[@tamaskertes9702]

hey, can you make a video on all modes like dorian, mixolydian etc? also constructive criticism: its okay to make longer videos, we are here to learn and we are interested in this stuff, so feel free to dive deeper, explain it in detail. I love your videos btw one of the best music channels if not the best, thanks for making videos for us.

[@WriteASong]

You're welcome, thanks for watching! I've made this video about modal progressions if you haven't seen it before, which is a bit longer. I'll also have a longer mode video coming out in January : kzbin.info/www/bejne/amTcfHmVjtZ9hKc

[@tamaskertes9702]

@@WriteASong Thanks 😁

[@LooneyTunes18387]

Awesome content! Could you make one, in the same style, for the modes?

[@WriteASong]

Thanks! I will eventually get around to making a similar video for the modes. In the mean time, I have an older video about modal chord progressions here which you might find useful : kzbin.info/www/bejne/amTcfHmVjtZ9hKc

[@marquee-moon]

Fun fact: this was, in fact, one of the modes. C Aeolian, to be specific.

[@ramonacosta2647]

Since D Minor is the saddest key that makes Am the saddest chord of all.

[@makinganoise6028]

This is often said, but I've noticed a lot of Free and Bad Company are in D minor, and aren't sad sounding, so guess it also depends on the Singer, if not an instrumental. On the Guitar I use B minor sometimes for melancholic songs, and F minor for females seems to work well, just my observations

[@mikegeld1280]

The minor scale IS both natural and harmonic, because the natural 7 moves in real time so ultimately it doesn't matter

[@싸이몬-b2b]

I do agree. For instance, Am - G - F - E called Andalusian cadence.