If D minor and F major contain all the same notes, do they have all the same chords? (Yes, but watch Chord Functions!)

by Ari • 27 May 2017 — 2 minute read

Well, yes, BUT: there is a crucial difference to understand….

and that difference lies in chord functions. It is all in how notes relate to what is perceived as “home”. In this article I lay out all the reasons why it is very important to distinguish between major and minor key signatures, even though the notes are technically the same. If you play music, compose music or like to understand what you listen to better: understanding that distinction is a must! Plus, all the beautiful sounds that come from it… they sound so familiar, don’t they?

Enjoy the read and practice your diatonic cycles. I know no better practice to wrap your mind around music theory than shedding the diatonic cycle. It is on the wall chart, it is in your favorite songs, it’s been used since Bach’s time, and if you crack it, your confidence in terms of listening and playing will soar! The most important pieces are right there in this article. To practice it with the wall chart, follow the steps in this video.  In my 20-unit Music Theory course, we do the diatonic cycle in the most important keys all over the fretboard! We follow a simple formula that opens this up for you. Participants tell us they love these exercises.

If your browser does not correctly display the text box below, please use this link to access my article.

Read Ariane Cap‘s answer to If D minor and F major contain all the same notes, do they have all the same chords? on Quora

 

The simple difference between major and minor scales

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Hi. I'm Ari.

As a bassist, I have toured/played/recorded with a variety of rock, Jazz, and funk bands, I have worked with some incredible producers (Keith Olsen) and musicians (Paul Hanson, Muriel Anderson) and I toured Brazil with Stu Hamm as a duo.

 

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That’s what, many years later turned into one of my books, co-written with Wolf Wein, called “The Pattern System for the Bass Player”. I created entire systems of learning based on some of these ideas and wrote books and created courses together with Wolf. Our bass books have sold over 30,000 copies and garnered rave reviews.

 

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