Quote:
Originally Posted by Thared33
Without typing 5,000 words, how does this progression work?
If you're in Amin, then play a Gmaj, then a Dmin, the E should also be a minor, right? Well, there's a song I'm listening to that goes to E Major and you think it'd be a minor since A Minor is the key.
I swear, I'm never going to learn this stuff...
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I haven't read all the replies, so I'm sure people have already replied to this in depth, but here's my explanation:
First of all, with ANY progression, you need to know 1) where it's coming from and 2) even more importantly, where it's GOING TO. So, let's assume that this is just a repeating progression and that A min. is always the tonic chord.
As others have pointed out, there are three different relative minor scales: natural minor, harmonic minor and melodic minor. The natural minor is the same as a major scale, just starting on the 6th note of the major scale (hence 'natural' minor; no alterations from the major scale). Harmonic minor is the same as natural, but the 7th note is raised one half step, which gives it a more exotic sound. The melodic minor - let's forget about that one for now as it's not important for the time being.
Now, in Western music, the V chord (or, the chord built on the 5th note in the scale), is ALMOST ALWAYS 'dominant' and, in tonal music, ALMOST ALWAYS resolves to the tonic chord (not 'always,' just millions of times in millions of songs & pieces). But, the thing is -- the dominant chord is ALWAYS major. Always, always, always, always -- except for a few instances in which a 'minor dominant' is used instead.
So, getting back to your question -- when chords are derived from the A natural minor scale, the V chord ends up being MINOR because the 7th note of that scale is the minor 3rd of the V chord. However, when chords are derived from the
harmonic minor scale, the V chord is MAJOR because the raised 7th is the major 3rd of the V chord. In other words, an A natural minor scale has these notes:
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A
If we build a chord off the 5th degree, we'd have: E-G-B .... which is E minor, which means it is a MINOR DOMINANT.
A harmonic minor has these notes:
A-B-C-D-E-F-G#-A
If we build a chord from the 5th note of this scale, we'd have: E-G#-B .... which, as you probably know, is E MAJOR, which makes it a MAJOR DOMINANT, which is what it traditionally is. If you play an E maj - A min. progression, the pull from E maj. to A min. is much greater than the pull from E min. to A min. because of the raised 7th from the A harmonic minor scale. That is why, when you study Classical music, you'll notice most melodies and progressions are derived from the harmonic minor scale, because our ears hear a stronger pull from a major dominant to a major/ min. tonic rather than a minor dominant to tonic. By the way, the tonic doesn't matter. It can be either major or minor. What matters is whether the V chord is major or minor and, in the case of your example, it is major because it is derived from the harmonic minor scale, which gives the V chord a G#, thereby making it major rather than minor.
Did that make sense to you?
