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Author Topic: Playing in Minor Key  (Read 1050 times)

Offline Purplekeys

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Playing in Minor Key
« on: July 11, 2012, 04:55:34 PM »
Can someone explain how to play in minor keys on piano?
Nunbutdablood

Offline Sillyie

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Re: Playing in Minor Key
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2012, 05:06:49 PM »
From my understanding playing in a minor key would be  the same as playing in a major key. The only difference is you are  starting at a different point. Each major key has a relative minor. To get to the relative minor just go to the 6th of the major key. A minor is the relative minor of C major, C major is the relative major of A minor. Both share the same notes and chords.

Offline Purplekeys

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Re: Playing in Minor Key
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2012, 07:40:59 PM »
So would i use minor chords where i would normally use majors?
Nunbutdablood

Offline Sillyie

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Re: Playing in Minor Key
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2012, 08:40:38 PM »
So would i use minor chords where i would normally use majors?

No, you are still using them the same as If you are playing a song in a major key. You are still following the bass.  The only difference is the starting point. C major scale is C D E F G A B. A minor scale is A B C D E F G.  They share the same letters,
they just start at different points.

Offline T-Block

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Re: Playing in Minor Key
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2012, 08:30:13 PM »
No, you are still using them the same as If you are playing a song in a major key. You are still following the bass.  The only difference is the starting point. C major scale is C D E F G A B. A minor scale is A B C D E F G.  They share the same letters,
they just start at different points.

Just to add on to this, when playing a song in minor, if you are using the relative major as your focus, everything will be centered around 6 instead of 1. Here are some basic progressional movements in major showing how they would be played in minor:

1-4-5 --> 6-2-3 in minor

2-5-1 --> 7-3-6 in minor

7-3-6 --> 5-1-4 in minor


You see? In minor, 6 becomes the new 1. All the chords and notes from the relative major are pretty much the same.
Real musicians play in every key!!!
Music Theory, da numbers work!

Offline Purplekeys

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Re: Playing in Minor Key
« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2012, 08:53:41 PM »
Thanks guys I have a better understanding now? :)
Nunbutdablood
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