When the bass note is 2, 3, 6, or 7, quite often that bass note is the third of the chord. But in minor keys, even when you are beginning, certain bass notes tend not to be the root. ![]() The main idea here is this: in major keys there's a strong tendency to allow the bass note to be the root of the chord (especially when first learning to write songs). So is the V or V7 chord with its third in the bass (G/B or G7/B). ![]() When the bass note is note 7 (B), the vii dim7 chord (Bdim7) is a good choice. Another good choice is the iv chord with its third in the bass (Fm/Ab). When the bass note is note 6 (Ab), the VI chord (Ab) is a good option. (In the key of C minor, this note is Ab.) This chord is quite often used to set up the progression V - i, The i chord with its fifth in the bass (Cm/G) The chord Db/F, known as the Neapolitan sixth chord The V7 chord with its seventh in the bass (G7/F) This chord is one possibility, but probably more common is Cm/Eb, using the three notes Eb, G, and C. When the bass note is note 3 (Eb), the scale suggests the Eb aug chord, made up of the notes Eb, G, and B. (In the key of C minor, this note is Eb.) The V7 chord with its fifth in the bass (G7/D) The vii dim chord with its third in the bass (Bdim/D) However, when you begin writing and playing songs in minor keys, this chord is not necessarily the most common when the bass note is 2. When the bass note is note 2 (D), the scale suggests the chord D dim, made up of the notes D, F, and Ab. The VI chord with its third in the bass (Ab/C) The iv chord with its fifth in the bass (Fm/C) Let’s choose the key of Cm, and we’ll list some of the chord possibilities. So we'll need to talk about each bass note. (And when you are first beginning, it's a good place to start.)īut, in minor, it's a little different story. It's not always true, but more often than not it is. If the bass note is note 3 (or 6), the chord is quite often chord iii (or vi). ![]() In major keys, if the bass note is note 2, there's a fairly good probability the chord is chord ii. Hearing this sound clearly in your mind is an important first step.Īfter i, iv, and V become familiar, the next question is, “What about the chords built on notes 2, 3, 6, and 7?” Here's where we have a little bit of a departure from the way it works in major keys. Then playing the Dm chord as the "home chord," we begin creating phrases that include Gm and A.Īt this point, especially if minor keys are somewhat new to you, I would encourage you to write simple songs, or at least several musical phrases using these three chords: i, iv, and V. Because we've written songs in D major (where D, G, and A are the I, IV and V chords), we simply shift our thinking a little, change the D major chord to D minor, change the G major chord to G minor, and keep the A major chord just like it is. This will be easy if you already know your major scales. So when we begin to explore minor keys for the first time, it makes sense to start there, with i, iv, and V. Lots of songs have been written using these three chords. When you stop to think about it, this is where many songwriters begin when writing in major keys, with the three chords I, IV, and V. Having discussed the minor scales, let's talk about which chords are available when writing songs in minor keys.
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