Tag: harmonic minor

Piano day (2h)

  • Jazz voicings
    • Recap major 7th, minor 7th and dominant chords voice leading around the cycle (no pauses, at 86bpm)
    • Minor to dominant and back around the cycle
    • Same with dominant to major
    • II — V — I — IV in major & parallel minor
  • Harmonic minor
    • All scales with both hands
  • Improvisation + blues
    • 12-bar major blues in C & F
    • Minor blues scales separately: C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db
    • Transitions
      • Dominant 7ths: 3-7-9 — 7-3-6 in LH, matching minor blues scale in RH (I know, but it sounds awesome!)
      • Minor 7ths: 3-5-7-9 — 7-9-3-5 in LH, matching minor blues scale in RH

Piano day (2h 15m)

  • Voicing skills (1h)
    • Minor to dominant (7-3-5 to 3-7-9)
    • Minor to dominant (3-7-9 to 7-3-6)
    • Dominant to major (7-3-6 to 3-7-9)
    • Recap cycling major 7ths, minor 7ths and dominant (7-3-5 — 3-7-9 and backwards)
  • Modes of harmonic minor (1h)
    • 3rd mode of H. M.: harmonising in C (A harmonic minor)
    • Recap 1st and 2nd modes (key of C)
    • Improv in 2nd mode (key of C = Bb harmonic minor)
  • All harmonic minor scales with both hands is all keys (15m)

Piano day (2h)

  • Voicing skills
    • Cycling major 7ths: 7-3-5 to 3-7-9 and backwards
    • Cycling minor 7ths: same
    • Cycling dominant 7ths: same idea
    • Minor to dominant (7-3-5 to 3-7-9)
    • Minor to dominant (3-7-9 to 7-3-6)
  • Modes of harmonic minor
    • H. M. scales with both hands in all keys
    • 2nd mode of H. M.: harmonising C & F scales
    • Improv in 2nd mode (keys of F and Bb)

Observations

I should’ve got to this before! Harmonic minor modes are literally a whole new world! I definitely used these chords and colours before, but finally knowing where they come from is so revealing and — well, it just speeds up the writing process so much when you actually know how things work. I’ve been told this during my study in the music school and I repeatedly find more and more evidence to this. Knowing the math is very helpful!