minor keys

[Pine]

There are no set rules Wiley. You can play whatever the hell you want..that's what's cool about music...but i assume you are talking standard progressions. My above post is still true...you can use different variations of the d and e chords...or just play the majors. try it. What you lay over them makes all the difference in the world as does tempo and bass lines and beats. If your root chord is a minor and you solo in appropriate minor scales, you will love what you hear. 

[dwardzala]

Wiley,

Every minor key has a relative major and every major key has relative minor.

Using the cirlce of fifths, you find Cm on the very inner ring and note that A-flat is on the outer ring.  Cm has a relative major or A flat major, so the chords for Cm and A flat major are the same.

If you want to find a major key's relative minor reverse the process.  C major on the outer ring is related to A minor on the inner ring so A minor is the relative minor of C major. 

I find it easiest to translate the minor key into its relative major determine what chords to play.  But the handy dandy circle of fifths has done that for you with the middle ring.

By the way, you are cleary starting to "get it".  Before long, these will become second nature, just like those open chords that took so long to get the hang of.

[Kody]

M&ms  HAh, I laughed my ass off at that!!  I'll stay out of this one!LOL!  I can't seem to convey a simple message anymore hahahhahhahha!!  Good luck Wiley! I'm SURE you'll figure it out!!

[Sprocket]

Yes I know in A major you play A-D- and E.    What I want to know is what chords to I need to play for A minor?  Am -Dm- and Em?? 

Im sorry Wiley if my circle has confused you, there are many different versions of the samethiig, some have a few more conversions than others, that one has alot.
Here is one that might explain it better, more simple...the circle works the same with minors or majors...you just play minor chords for the minor keys and major chords for the major keys. Just find your key/one/i then to the left is your four/iv and then to the right is your five/v



So as I said earlier your chords will be Cm, Fm, and Gm (i,iv,v) ...hope this helps and doesnt cofuse even more.

[Wiley]

Ok thanks Sprocket. I think I got it!!  I will try it out anyway.  I don't even want to go into music theory.  Just wanted to know what simple chords  I could use to make and Am blues backing track. And I believe you just answered my ?  I would use Am Dm and Em  And thanks for the circle I do believe I understand it now.

And P.S. KODY you are a stinker!!

[StevieM]

I know I should learn a few chords, but I've tried so many times before.
I think I'm a bit music theory dyslexic though, I've got a lousy memory which is getting worse ( just ask my ----Errr---- you know, that woman who lives here too?----Oh--- yeh---Wife! ), and got a problem with arthritis in my hands and fingers.
Mind you, I can always just de-tune to open chords, then play them Barred, which I've fiddled around with before.
Got enough to do with Mikes lessons at the mo though!!

[Ted]

Wiley,

All this discussion about what chords are in what key misses a key point: The tension in blues comes from playing minor melodies over major chords.

You almost stumbled on this:

so if we are play in Cm  what are the chords?  In regular C it is C, F, and G or G7

In other words, when you are playing blues in C, the solo instrument is technically playing out of key part of the time.  Yes, the chords are C, F, and G, but blues scale contains notes that are not in those chords, and not the key.

Here is the key of C Major, in the first position on a guitar:

E---------------------------------------------0--1--3--
B------------------------------------0--1--3-----------
G------------------------------0--2--------------------
D---------------------0--2--3--------------------------
A------------0--2--3-----------------------------------
E---0--1--3--------------------------------------------

And here is a blues scale in C.  The bold notes are the tension notes that are not in the key:

E---------------------------------------1--2--3--------
B---------------------------------1--4-----------------
G---------------------------0--3-----------------------
D------------------1--3--4-----------------------------
A------------1--3--------------------------------------
E---1--2--3--------------------------------------------

You can play that exact scale if your blues song actually is in C minor (chords: Cm, Fm, Gm, etc.)

As Pinedog said...

There are no set rules Wiley. You can play whatever the hell you want..that's what's cool about music.

You can cripple yourself by thinking too much about the "rules" of music.  But it's helpful to understand that in the vernacular of musicians, there's both a loose and a strict understanding of what's meant by a key. 

Most of the time, when a rock or blues player says "in C" they mean, "in the neighborhood of C, stay mostly on the sidewalk, but don't be afraid to walk on my neighbor's lawn if it feels good, and walk right into traffic if your feeling reckless."

At some point you may encounter a blues song that is strictly in C, and that's when you stick to the sidewalk.

[hewhoiscalledj]

Well said Ted... not to be confused with "Right Said Fred." Sorry, couldnt help myself there.

And Wiley... it's great to see you researching and educating yourself in music theory. I like to dabble in some lessons myself, but the most important thing, as others have mentioned and alluded to, is to get comfortable with improvising and playing off the cuff. To hell with the rules I say. Get familiar with a handful of scales, and get comfortable playing them up and down the neck (the shapes are moveable) and when you jam with other musicians, just go for it. In time, less than you think, you will start to skip the analytical thought process of "what to play..." and jump right into playing from the heart. Sessions like that demonstrate the magic of jamming and improv. dont ever fear wrong or sour notes... the trick is making it seem like you meant to hit those notes.

good luck man.

[Pine]

Most of the time, when a rock or blues player says "in C" they mean, "in the neighborhood of C, stay mostly on the sidewalk, but don't be afraid to walk on my neighbors lawn if it feels good, and walk right into traffic if your feeling reckless."

LMAO!!!!

Ted, i've never heard it described better 

[Greeny]

Nigel Tufnel: It's part of a trilogy, a musical trilogy I'm working on in D minor which is the saddest of all keys, I find. People weep instantly when they hear it, and I don't know why.

Marty DiBergi: It's very nice.

Nigel Tufnel: You know, just simple lines intertwining, you know, very much like - I'm really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it's sort of in between those, really.

Marty DiBergi: What do you call this?

Nigel Tufnel: Well, this piece is called "Lick My Love Pump".