Chord progressions can be both soothing (George Gershwin’s “Summertime”), funky (“Brick House” by the Commodores), or rocking; yet they can also be tricky to navigate.
For instance, using a minor v chord with a dominant-i cadence can be more challenging than simply flattening out its 5th degree.
Definition
I, IV and V chords are considered primary chords due to their frequent appearance in songs. Each one of these triads is constructed around the fifth (dominant) scale degree of diatonic scales – either major or natural minor scale. If the scale degree in question is fifth then its chord designation would be called dom7 while in natural minor it’s known as an m7b (minor seven flat five).
Understanding the relationship between chords can help you craft minor chord progressions that sound different than major scale-based structures. This style is prevalent in classical, jazz and Latin styles but less frequently found in rock music or other popular styles.
To strengthen a minor v chord, musicians raise the third of the scale degree by half-step to form a major triad or dominant 7th chord. Roman numeral analysis helps ensure you can easily read chord charts and progressions; its notating notes and chords allows for faster development of musical theory knowledge.
Origins
The V chord, represented by roman numeral V, is a chord built upon the fifth note in any scale from which a song is performed. While traditionally this chord would be major in nature, its leading tone can easily be raised a semitone below its tonic note to become minor and vice versa.
Roy Orbison uses this technique in his hit, Oh Pretty Woman. A minor V chord doesn’t produce the same strong pullback to tonic that major triad or dominant 7th chord would.
However, many songs in a minor key continue to follow the traditional progression of i – bVII – bVI – V, providing ballads or lusher sounding songs with an inviting minor sound. This move makes this minor key more suitable for ballads.
Variations
Enhancing the minor chord progressions you use when soloing will enable you to create more interesting melodies when soloing, as well as making your songs more tense or dramatic. These variations could come in particularly useful when making songs more emotional or cinematic.
Minor V chords are an effective way of creating dark, atmospheric songs in minor keys. Commonly found in classical, jazz, Latin music and sometimes pop and rock songs; you will likely encounter less frequent usage elsewhere.
Minor V chords lack the tension associated with major triads or dominant V chords and therefore do not produce the same resolution of V to i as these chords do.
To resolve this issue, one option is to replace minor V chords with major triads or dominant chords of the same scale – this technique is known as VI-VII-i movement and is frequently seen in songs by Kool and the Gang such as Celebration.
Applications
Minor V chords can often be seen at the ends of progressions that move into relative minor keys, usually as cadences or modulatory chords; although not technically functional in that it doesn’t point back towards tonicity.
As part of a melodic context, dissonance can also add tension and depth; an example being found in Radiohead’s song Creep where a minor v chord is played over an IV chord at the end of verse progression before returning back to the tonic key.
By adding minor chords to your musical arsenal, you’re expanding the variety of sounds available to you in your compositions and honing your ear by learning to identify whether a chord is major or minor based on its intervals between its notes – something we will cover more in-depth in another lesson.