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Dbm, Abm, Ebm, Bbm, Fm, Cm, Gm, Dm,
Am, Em, Bm, F#m
If
you recall, the first week we took an airplane ride
over Chordland just to get the lay of the land -- the overview
of the world of chords. Then
in last weeks lesson we showed you how easy it is to learn
ALL the major chords (there are 12 of them) and be
able to play them in seconds -- not hours
or days or weeks or months or years. Some people go through
their entire lives not being sure about what such and such
a major chord is -- and it's all so unnecessary, because
you can memorize them in just a few minutes, and learn to
play them in 12 seconds or less - one second per chord.
I have had many private students over the years who
could play them all in as little as 5 seconds -- one little
gal (she was about 12 at the time) had particularly fast
hands, and could play them in - believe it or not - 3 seconds!
I have slow hands with fat fingers, and yet I can play them
in something like 5 or 6 seconds. If you need a review of
that lesson on major chords, click here before going on.
Today we are going
to cover...
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CHORD
SYMBOL DEFINITION
A
minor triad appears in lead sheets as any of the
following chord symbols:
Dm
DMI Dmin D-
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And
here's what all the
12 minor chords look like on the keyboard:
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C
Minor
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F
Minor
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G
Minor
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D
Minor
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E
Minor
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A
Minor
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Db
Minor
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Eb
Minor
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Ab
Minor
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Gb
Minor
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B
Minor
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Bb
Minor
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I
hope that you noticed that the
ONLY DIFFERENCE between major and minor chords is that
the 3rd of the chord is lowered 1/2 step -- that's all.
Every major chord is made up of the root, 3rd, and 5th
of a major scale, so all you do is lower the 3rd 1/2 step.
And
that's it.
Like
we did with major chords, practice playing the first 3 chords
over and over until you can move between them smoothly and
quickly. Then practice the next 3 chords -- then the next
3 -- then the last 3. After you can play them by 3's,
practice playing the first 6 without stopping. Then practice
the first 9 without stopping. Then finally practice playing
all 12 without stopping.
Then
play them in major-minor sequence: In other words, C major
then C minor; F major then F minor; G major then G minor,
and so on through the 12 chords. Now you have 24 chords
under your belt -- 12 major and 12 minor.
There's no particular virtue, of course, in playing them
quickly, except for the fact that it makes you confident
you can find them in a hurry when you need them in a song.
But you'll find that as your confidence grows, your enjoyment
and competence in piano playing with grow commensurately.
That's
it for this week. By next week you ought to be a pro at
all the major and minor chords -- every single
one.
Next
week we'll learn how to stand 'em on their heads, and therefore
triple the number of chords we can play quickly from 24
to 72!
If you already play the piano and can use chords to some
degree, here's how to put your piano playing in overdrive.
Learn:
"
How
To Dress Up 'Naked Music' On The Piano !"
You'll
learn 101 techniques
for making any song come alive with styles galore! Check
it out...
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