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Major and minor


Daveguitar_61

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What is the theory behind a chord being major then the same chord being minor in a song?

sometimes following the same chord

Dave

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Dave, I'm not sure if this is what you're asking, but if you change from say, C major to C minor, the third of the chord is dropping a half step. In this example C major (C-E-G; 1-3-5) changes to C minor (C-Eb-G; 1-b3-5). We say the quality (major, minor, augmented, diminished) of the chord has changed. C minor is the parallel minor of C major; A minor is the relative minor of C major. See also: Parallel key.

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Dave,

If I understand correctly, you're asking about the theory behind two chords with the same root in a song, one major and one minor, and sometimes one following the other. An example would be if you were playing a song in the key of G, and you had both a C major chord and a C minor chord. An example of this is the Randy Travis version of "Were You There." You can listen here:

 From about :37 to about :49, the chord progression is G - Em - C - Cm - G. The Cm obviously isn't from the key of G. It's a borrowed chord from the parallel key of G minor. You see lots of songs with chords borrowed from other keys, usually closely related keys. A closely related key is one where the number of accidentals vary by one (or two, depending on who you ask). For example, the key of A has three sharps. The key of D has two sharps, a difference of one. The key of E has four sharps, also a difference of one, so both keys D and E would be considered closely related to A. Chords borrowed from parallel keys aren't as common in my experience, but they do occur. 

Hope that helps. 

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Thanks for the replies, let me can a little more specific.I think your close.

Lets start with the key of C

Chord progression is

C- dminor- G- cminor-dminor-cminor-C major

I have seen in many songs where there is a Major chord then a minor chord following with same tonic, a bit confused on the theory behind this

with no key change? Passing tones?

Dave

 

 

 

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Starting to understand a little about parallel minor keys,  borrowing chords 

still confusing

Dave

need a lesson on this

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Ah, now if we are talking about how some songs are written using chords that are not in the key of the song then we come into the realms of artistic license.

I am at present doing a songwriting course on Udemy which deals with songwriting from the music point of view as opposed to the lyrics side of things. My teacher Dan Dresnok teaches us the theory of choosing a song key and sticking to the chords in that key. I have just watched the next lesson where Dan is now encouraging us to break the rules. Basically you can throw in any other chords that sound like they work. There is no music theory behind that, if it works you can use it but you have to choose any notes that you sing or play over them very carefully.

Breaking the rules can lead to some great and different sounding songs.

I hope this helps.

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I think it is just for flavoring and variety. The listener thinks they will hear the same chord, but there is a twist just to keep things interesting. 

One of my favorite things is using hammer-on and pull-off to make sweet sounds. All the chords you are learning are easily changed with these techniques. Switch an A major to A7 to Am7 to A2 to Asus to Amaj7. The same with Barre chords. You hear these changes in many songs. When you practice this way you get some great fingering exercises that actually make nice rich additions to just about any chord. You also learn how easily you can change the sound by moving one or two fingers. Try it, you'll like it.   

Edited by Randy120
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8 hours ago, Daveguitar_61 said:

Thanks for the replies, let me can a little more specific.I think your close.

Lets start with the key of C

Chord progression is

C- dminor- G- cminor-dminor-cminor-C major

I have seen in many songs where there is a Major chord then a minor chord following with same tonic, a bit confused on the theory behind this

with no key change? Passing tones?

Dave

 

 

 

I would analyze this progression in C from the functional harmony standpoint. In tonal harmony based on major and minor keys the most important functions of the chords are subdominant, dominant, and tonic (SDT). They are usually represented by scale degrees IV, V, and I, but other degrees can be substituted for them as well, e.g. ii for IV. When played in that given order (IV-V-I), they constitute what is traditionally known as perfect cadence. 

Your example in the key of C: 

C         Dm        G         Cm        Dm        Cm      C
 I          ii(IV)      V         i(I)         ii(IV)      i(I)       I 

C chord is the tonic. Dm is the ii chord in the key of C, but it also functions as subdominant. G is the V chord in the key of C so it functions as dominant. From G, you go back to the tonic, but to create more interest you turn it into the minor version. You also can look at it from the modal interchange perspective and borrowing the chord from the parallel minor key. From Cm you go to Dm functioning as the IV chord again, and finally you go back to the tonic preceded by its minor version.

A typical progression where a major chord is followed by its minor version deals with the IV chord, e.g. G-D-C-Cm-G. By the way, the IV to I movement constitutes the plagal or amen cadence. Again, you can look at it from the modal interchange perspective: Cm chord being borrowed from G minor - the parallel scale to G major. The Beatles used IV-iv in I Call Your Name, In My Life, When I’m Sixty-Four, etc. 

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Wow, this is a really great thread. I am learning loads!??

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