Three chord songs in minor keys

Subject: Three chord songs in minor keys
From: Marion
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 05:13 PM

Hello all. One of these days I'm going to get around to reading the "three chord songs" thread; it looks interesting. But to take a shortcut I'll ask my question here.

OK, I know that when a song is a major key then the predominant chords will be 4 major, 5 major (and possibly seventhized), and 6 minor. I.e. if you start a song in G major then you expect to find C, D or D7, and Em.

What I want to know is: is there an equivalent rule of thumb for songs in a minor key?

Thanks, Marion

PS. Oh, and well I'm at it, can anyone offer a definition of the words riff and lick?

Subject: RE: Three chord songs in minor keys
From: Freddie Fox
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 05:48 PM

Minor chords [I'm trying to remember this without a guitar!]. If your root chord is Em, you would also use C and D, as if you were in G major. So... that would be root, minor 7th and minor 6th. I think. Go on, all you experts out there, put me right. As I understand it, a riff is a melody played by the lead instrument as a one off as part of being a show off. A lick is a sequence that is repeated over and over again. Hope that helps.

Subject: RE: Three chord songs in minor keys
From: Pete Peterson
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 07:22 PM

The first rule of thumb is to use Iminor IVminor and Vmajor so in Am your three main chords are Am, Dm and E MAJOR. This rule is not as useful or as general as the three-chords-in-major rule cause there are too many MODAL songs which only use two chords-- the tonic (minor) and the seventh-- the note below it-- thus you can play Shady Grove with an A minor and G major and nothing more hard to tell a minor song from a modal song but try those two patterns and see how they fit! and have fun! PETE

Subject: RE: Three chord songs in minor keys
From: Bill Cameron
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 08:42 PM

Freddie your understanding of a lick versus a riff is the opposite of mine.

A riff is a repetitive chord pattern.

A lick is a clever little phrase of notes, which may be played on its own as a fill or as part of a longer instrumental break.

That's the way I was brought up anyway.

Bill

Subject: RE: Three chord songs in minor keys
From: _gargoyle
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 10:51 PM

Pete is right....

The "confusion" (if there is such) lies in the similarity between a Major and Minor Key....

All "major keys"....have a "relative minor"...that is 3-half-steps lower...ie..!!!! if you take the key of "C" ...no sharps or flats (I,IV,V = C,F,G)....its relative minor is "Am"....and no sharps or flats (I,IV,V = A,D,F)....

This is F.U.N!.... thing to fool with...take each major key....drop it three half steps and play its minor.

A minor key.... is a major key....with the 3rd and 7th steps lowered half a notch....

It is easier when you realize that every major also has its 3-half-step-lower-minor.

Subject: RE: Three chord songs in minor keys
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 26 Oct 99 - 03:32 AM

And the correlative of that is that every minor has its three half-steps higher relative major, e.g., "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye" in Dm (three half-steps above D is F):

(Dm)With yer guns and drums and drums and guns
Ha(F)roo, haroo,
With yer (Dm)guns and drums and drums and guns
Ha(F)roo, haroo,
With yer (Dm) guns and drums and (A7) drums and guns
The (Dm)enemy nearly (A)slew ye
Oh (Dm)darling (A7)dear, ye (Dm)look so (A)queer,
Oh, (Dm)Johnny, I (Gm)hardly (Dm)knew ye.

--seed

Subject: RE: Three chord songs in minor keys
From: Freddie Fox
Date: 26 Oct 99 - 08:16 AM

Well, there's novel, Bill. Thanks for putting me right. At least I was on vaguley the right track, but I never claimed to be a guitarist...

Subject: RE: Three chord songs in minor keys
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 27 Oct 99 - 03:48 AM

Oops, again. The Gm in the last line of "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye" should be an Am. Sorry. --seed