Johnny-B
At the acoustic forum last week someone commented to me that songs that are memorable are normally in a minor key but with a major feel. I'm battling to get my head around this one.
Firstly how do you decide if a song is in a major key or the relative minor key? All the notes in the scale are the same. If it has more minor chords than major chords does that make it a minor key?
Secondly what do you think makes a song in a minor key feel major?
KavoKJK
Howzit Johnny B
I was wondering about this minor-key-major-feel thing the other day while writing a song.
Firstly, to answer your other question. You can tell if a song is in a major key or its relative minor, by finding the tonal centre - basically the 'home note', the note that gives a feeling of the song being done.
For examply, if you use the notes on the G-major scale, and you force the G note to sound resolved - then it is in G-major. If you force the E to sound like the resolved note - then it will normally be in Em key.
I was thinking that for a minor-key-major-feel thing. You let the chord progression be in a minor key, but make the melody a major.
An example would be starting with a chord progression like Em-D-C-Bm and then making the melody around the G note like you would if it was in Gmajor.
Does this make sense?
babbalute
You could use the following (I always do) to find out in which key a certain song is written major <=> minor
Check the chord progression in e.g. G and Em
In G the progression of chords (I-III-V-VII) would be
I (II) III (IV) V (VI) VII
Gmaj (Amin) Bmin (Cmaj Dmaj (Emin) F#dim
In Em the progression of chords (I-III-V-VII) would be
I (II) III (IV) V (VI) VII
Emin (F#dim) Gmaj (Amin) Bmin (Cmaj) Dmaj
Depending on which chords are in the song one can easily determine (as a guitarist) if a song is in a major or minor key.
Hope this helps
Forgot some other info, here it goes:
Common chord progressions in G are as follows
I-IV-V = G - C - D or
I-VI-IV-V = G - Em - C - D and also in G
II-V-I = Am - D - G
Common chord progressions in Em are as follows
I-VI-VII = Em - C - D or
I-IV-VII = Em - Am - D or
I-IV-V = Em - Am - Bm or
I-VI-III-VII = Em - C - G - D or even
II-V-I = F#m7-5 - Bm - Em
Always find it a bit rough when playing a song for the first time with these funny in chords in it. As a bass player one has to read "ahead" to try and pick up a suitable note other than the root note when playing through progressions. It helps if one knows the melody and if you don't try the other note the next time around and make a note of it if it is not indicated when given sheet music with only chords. Sometimes the bass note to play is indicated between( ) As a guitarist you should play the first chord not between ( )
Stoffeltoo
Thanks Babbalute for an excellent description! ?
Your explanation clarifies many of my personal questions I had in my mind but could not express.
