A Minor Family Chords

The A minor family of chords consists of chords that are related to the A minor scale. From the notes of the A minor scale, you can build a triad (three-note chord) on each scale degree. These are: Triads in A minor : A minor (Am): A - C - E (root chord) B diminished (Bdim): B - D - F C major (C): C - E - G D minor (Dm): D - F - A E minor (Em): E - G - B F major (F): F - A - C G major (G): G - B - D Adding a 7th to each triad creates more complex chords: Seventh Chords in A Minor: Am7: A - C - E - G Bm7♭5 (half-diminished): B - D - F - A Cmaj7: C - E - G - B Dm7: D - F - A - C Em7: E - G - B - D Fmaj7: F - A - C - E G7: G - B - D - F. Here are a few examples of progressions using chords in the A minor family: Typical Progressions in A Minor: Am - Dm - E - Am (natural minor) Am - F - G - Am (natural minor) Am - G - F - E (harmonic minor for E major or E7) How They Work Together Am (tonic): The "home" chord of the key. E or E7 (dominant): Provides tension and resolution back to Am. F and G: Borrowed from natural minor, giving a sense of movement. Dm (subdominant): A smooth transition chord.

A# (B♭) Minor Family Chords

The A# minor family chords (also enharmonically B♭ minor) are derived from the A# minor scale. Chord Structure in A# Minor A# Minor (i) Notes: A#, C#, E# The tonic chord, establishing the minor feel. B# Diminished (ii°) Notes: B#, D#, F# A diminished chord, creating tension and leading to resolution. C# Major (III) Notes: C#, E#, G# A major chord, adding brightness and relief. D# Minor (iv) Notes: D#, F#, A# A minor chord, contributing to the melancholic minor tonality. E# Minor (v) Notes: E#, G#, B# Often a transitional chord. (In harmonic minor, this becomes E# Major.) F# Major (VI) Notes: F#, A#, C# The relative major chord, offering a contrasting brightness. G# Major (VII) Notes: G#, B#, D# A dominant chord leading back to the tonic. Variations: Harmonic and Melodic Minor In real-world usage, harmonic and melodic minor scales are often used to add tension and interest. A# Harmonic Minor Scale: Notes: A#, B#, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A# Changes: The v chord (E# Minor) becomes V (E# Major). The VII (G# Major) becomes G# Diminished (vii°). A# Melodic Minor Scale (Ascending) Notes: A#, B#, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A# Changes: The iv (D# Minor) becomes IV (D# Major). The v (E# Minor) becomes V (E# Major). Common Progressions in A# Minor: i - iv - v - i (A# Minor - D# Minor - E# Minor - A# Minor) Classic minor progression. i - VI - VII - i (A# Minor - F# Major - G# Major - A# Minor) Popular in pop and rock music. i - V - VI - IV (A# Minor - E# Major - F# Major - D# Major) Combines harmonic and melodic minor elements.

D Major Family Chords

The D major family of chords consists of chords built from the D major scale. These chords are diatonic, meaning they are naturally derived from the notes of the scale. Building triads (three-note chords) on each scale degree gives you: Triads in D Major: D major (I): D - F# - A (tonic) E minor (ii): E - G - B F# minor (iii): F# - A - C# G major (IV): G - B - D (subdominant) A major (V): A - C# - E (dominant) B minor (vi): B - D - F# (relative minor) C# diminished (vii°): C# - E - G Adding Seventh Chords in D Major Adding a 7th to each triad creates more complex chords: Dmaj7: D - F# - A - C# Em7: E - G - B - D F#m7: F# - A - C# - E Gmaj7: G - B - D - F# A7: A - C# - E - G Bm7: B - D - F# - A C#m7♭5 (C# half-diminished): C# - E - G - B Here are some popular chord progressions in the key of D major: D - G - A - D (I - IV - V - I) The classic "pop" progression. D - Bm - G - A (I - vi - IV - V) Often used in ballads and pop songs. D - F#m - G - A (I - iii - IV - V) A bright, uplifting progression. Bm - G - D - A (vi - IV - I - V) These are the common "emotional" progression in D major. How the Chords Work Together: D (I): The home chord, the centre of the key. A or A7 (V): The dominant chord, creating tension that resolves back to D. G (IV): The subdominant chord, often used to add motion or contrast. Bm (vi): The relative minor, giving a moodier or softer feel. F#m (iii): A minor chord that adds depth. C#dim (vii°): Less common, used for tension or transition.

B Minor Family Chords

The Bm family chords are derived from the B minor scale, which consists of the following notes: B Natural Minor Scale B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A, B From this scale, the family chords (diatonic chords) are built by stacking thirds on each degree of the scale. The chord qualities follow the pattern of the minor scale: minor - diminished - major - minor - minor - major - major. Chords in the B Minor Family: B Minor (i) Notes: B, D, F# The tonic chord and home base of the key, establishing the minor tonality. C# Diminished (ii°) Notes: C#, E, G A tense chord, often used as a passing chord. D Major (III) Notes: D, F#, A A major chord, adding brightness and relief. E Minor (iv) Notes: E, G, B A minor chord contributing to the somber, emotional tone. F# Minor (v) Notes: F#, A, C# A minor chord that often transitions back to the tonic. (In harmonic minor, this becomes F# Major.) G Major (VI) Notes: G, B, D The relative major chord, providing a contrasting brightness. A Major (VII) Notes: A, C#, E A major chord with a sense of movement or resolution. (In harmonic minor, this becomes A# Diminished (vii°).) The Variations of Harmonic and Melodic Minor: B Harmonic Minor Scale: B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A#, B Changes: The v chord (F# Minor) becomes V (F# Major). The VII (A Major) becomes A# Diminished (vii°). B Melodic Minor Scale (Ascending) B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A#, B Changes: The iv (E Minor) becomes IV (E Major). The v (F# Minor) becomes V (F# Major). The VI (G Major) becomes G# Diminished. The Common Progressions in B Minor are: i - iv - v - i (B Minor - E Minor - F# Minor - B Minor) A classic minor progression. i - VI - VII - i (B Minor - G Major - A Major - B Minor) A widely used progression in pop and rock. i - V - VI - IV (B Minor - F# Major - G Major - E Minor) Combines elements of harmonic minor for drama.

C# Major Family Chords

The C# major family chords are the chords that are derived from the C# major scale. Each degree corresponds to a chord, which can be major, minor, or diminished, depending on its position in the scale. C# Major (I) Notes: C#, E#, G# This is the tonic chord, the home base. D# Minor (ii) Notes: D#, F#, A# a minor chord that creates tension and movement. E# Minor (iii) Notes: E#, G#, B# This is a minor chord often used for emotional or softer tones. (Note: E# is enharmonically the same as F, and B# is enharmonically the same as C.) F# Major (IV) Notes: F#, A#, C# The subdominant chord, adding brightness and transition. G# Major (V) Notes: G#, B#, D# The dominant chord, often used to create tension that resolves back to C# major. A# Minor (vi) Notes: A#, C#, E# The relative minor, often used for a softer or melancholic feel. B# Diminished (vii°) Notes: B#, D#, F# A diminished chord, adding dissonance and tension, leading back to the tonic (C# major). Fingerings: (Piano) C# Major: C# - E# (F) - G# D# Minor: D# - F# - A# E# Minor: E# (F) - G# - B# (C) F# Major: F# - A# - C# G# Major: G# - B# (C) - D# A# Minor: A# - C# - E# (F) B# (c) Diminished: B# (C) - D# - F# Practical Use Chords Progression: These chords form the basis for progressions in the key of C# major. A common progression in the key is I-IV-V-I (C# - F# - G# - C#). To add emotional depth, try a vi-IV-I-V (A# minor - F# major - C# major - G# major) progression.

C Major Family Chords

Diatonic Chords in C Major: 1. C Major (I) Notes: C - E - G Type: Major Function: Tonic (home chord, stable and restful). 2. D Minor (ii) Notes: D - F - A Type: Minor Function: Subdominant or pre-dominant (leads to more tension). 3. E Minor (iii) Notes: E - G - B Type: Minor Function: Mediant (can substitute for tonic or act as a connecting chord). 4. F Major (IV) Notes: F - A - C Type: Major Function: Subdominant (creates a sense of movement, resolves to tonic or dominant). 5. G Major (V) Notes: G - B - D Type: Major Function: Dominant (creates tension, resolves strongly to tonic). 6. A Minor (vi) Notes: A - C - E Type: Minor Function: Submediant (provides a softer contrast to the tonic). 7. B Diminished (vii°) Notes: B - D - F Type: Diminished Function: Leading tone (unstable, resolves strongly to tonic). Triads in C Major A triad is a basic three-note chord made up of the root, third, and fifth. The triads in C major are: C major (I): C - E - G D minor (ii): D - F - A E minor (iii): E - G - B F major (IV): F - A - C G major (V): G - B - D A minor (vi): A - C - E B diminished (vii°): B - D - F Seventh Chords in C Major: Adding a 7th to each triad forms seventh chords. These are more complex and add richness to harmony: C Major 7 (I7): C - E - G - B D Minor 7 (ii7): D - F - A - C E Minor 7 (iii7): E - G - B - D F Major 7 (IV7): F - A - C - E G Dominant 7 (V7): G - B - D - F A Minor 7 (vi7): A - C - E - G B Half-Diminished 7 (vii7): B - D - F - A Common Chord Progressions in C Major: Here are some common progressions using the diatonic chords of C major: I - IV - V - I C - F - G - C (classic resolution). vi - IV - I - V Am - F - C - G (used in pop songs). ii - V - I Dm - G - C (common in jazz and classical music). I - vi - IV - V C - Am - F - G (another popular pop progression).

D# Major / Eb Major Family Chords

D# Major and Eb Major are enharmonically equivalent (they sound the same but are spelled differently), their family chords are functionally identical, just notated differently depending on the key signature. D# Major uses sharps and double sharps (D#, E#, F##, G#, A#, B#, C##), while Eb Major uses flats (Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D), making Eb Major more commonly used in practice due to its simpler notation. - D# Major Family Chords: 8 I I - D#, F## (G), A# The tonic, your home chord. ii - E# minor: E#, G#, B# A gentle minor chord. iii - F## minor: F## (G), A#, C## (D) Adds a bit of tension or melancholy. IV - G# Major: G#, B#, D# The subdominant, smooth. V - A# Major: A#, C## (D), E# The dominant, pulling back to the tonic. vi - B# minor: B#, D#, F## (G) The relative minor, introspective vibe. vii° - C## diminished: C## (D), E#, G# Tense and restless, often resolves elsewhere

C Minor Family Chords

The key of C minor (Cm), the family chords are derived from its natural minor scale, which is C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, and Bb. These chords are built by stacking thirds (every other note) starting from each scale degree, giving you the diatonic chords native to the key. C minor has a darker, more melancholic feel compared to major keys, and its chords reflect that character. The key signature for C minor has three flats (Bb, Eb, and Ab). i - C minor: C, Eb, G The tonic, the heart of the key with a somber tone. ii° - D diminished: D, F, Ab A tense, unstable diminished chord. III - Eb Major: Eb, G, Bb The relative major, offering a brighter contrast. iv - F minor: F, Ab, C A smooth, moody minor chord. v - G minor: G, Bb, D The minor dominant, less resolute than a major V. VI - Ab Major: Ab, C, Eb A rich, warm major chord. VII - Bb Major: Bb, D, F Bold and uplifting, often leading back to the tonic.

E Major Family Chords

In the key of E Major, the family chords are built from the E Major scale, which consists of the notes E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, and D#. The key signature has four sharps (F#, C#, G#, D#), giving it a bright, bold sound. These chords are created by stacking thirds (every other note) starting from each scale degree, resulting in the diatonic chords natural to E Major. E Major: E, G#, B The tonic, strong and vibrant, the home base. ii - F# minor: F#, A, C# A softer, introspective minor chord. iii - G# minor: G#, B, D# Another minor chord, adding subtle depth or tension. IV - A Major: A, C#, E The subdominant, warm and expansive. V - B Major: B, D#, F# The dominant, powerful and leading back to E. vi - C# minor: C#, E, G# The relative minor, offering an emotional shift. vii° - D# diminished: D#, F#, A A tense, diminished chord, often used for transitions.

C# Minor Family Chords

The key of C# minor (C#m), the family chords are derived from its natural minor scale, which is C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A, and B. The key signature has four sharps (F#, C#, G#, D#), and it carries a dark, introspective vibe typical of minor keys. These chords are built by stacking thirds (every other note) from each scale degree, giving you the diatonic chords of C# minor. i - C# minor: C#, E, G# The tonic, moody and foundational. ii° - D# diminished: D#, F#, A A tense, unstable diminished chord. III - E Major: E, G#, B The relative major, brighter and more open. iv - F# minor: F#, A, C# A smooth, melancholic minor chord. v - G# minor: G#, B, D# The minor dominant, subtle and less forceful. VI - A Major: A, C#, E A warm, contrasting major chord. VII - B Major: B, D#, F# Bold and uplifting, often leading back to the tonic.