C# diminished chord types from D major

Most players are probably familiar with a diminished triad and the half-diminished 7th chords, but the minor 11 flat 5 is probably only known by jazz players. Here are the 3 C# diminished chords from the D major scale:

dim triad intervals: root note, minor 3rd, diminished 5th = R-m3-d5 = 1-♭3-♭5
Alternate symbol: ^o, for example, C#^o
C#dim or C#^o = C#-E-G

m7♭5 chord intervals: root note, minor 3rd, diminished 5th, minor 7th = R-m3-d5-m7 = 1-♭3-♭5-♭7
Alternate symbol: ^ø7, for example, F#^ø7
Chord equivalent = m6 on the ♭3
C#m7♭5 or C#^ø7 = C#-E-G-B = Em6

m11♭5 chord intervals: root note, minor 3rd, diminished 5th, minor 7th, perfect 4th/11th = R-m3-d5-P4 = 1-♭3-♭5-♭7-11
Chord equivalent = m6 add9 on the ♭3, 7sus ♭9 on the 4th
C#m11♭5 = C#-E-G-B-F# = Em6 add9 = F#7sus ♭9

The strongest tendency for all 3 chords is to the tonic chord D major in whatever form it takes: D, D6. D6 add9, Dmaj7, etc. B minor would follow those chords nicely as well.

15 Open C# diminished guitar chord shapes

I’m really starting to love all diminished chords as they are easier to hold and have a nastier sound to them. All three of these C sharp diminished chords are really just rootless A dominant 7th chords. Check out my article on Dominant 7th Substitutes for insights into these 3 chords.

If you would like to learn the closed chord voicings for all the diminished chord types, then take a look at my Diminished Triad article.

Here is a chord diagram of the symbols I use in my chord blocks:

C sharp diminished triad

I like all of the voicings except for the first one. My favorite one is #3 even though it only has one open string.

C#m7♭5 open guitar chords

The first voicing is okay but it is too close to the common Em6 chord and #2 is difficult to hold. My preferred voicings are #’s 4, 5 and 7.

 

C#m11♭5 open guitar chords

Chord #’s 1 and 2 sound identical but you can choose one over the other given where you are playing on the neck. Number 3 is the best one IMO.

 

Songs that use C sharp diminished chords

Here are some songs that use C# diminished chors:

Beatles: Michelle, Strawberry Fields Forever (C#dim)
Grateful Dead: Cosmic Charlie, France (C#m7♭5)

Check my Diminished Chords article for more song examples that use diminished chords.

 

Final Thoughts

If you are a blues player then you want to learn as many diminished chords as possible. You would use the various C sharp diminished chords above for the 1 chord in A blues. Check out the Wikipedia page on the diminished triad for more information if you like these types of chords.

The post C Sharp Diminished Guitar Chords (D Major Scale) appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

What is a Phrygian Chord

A Phrygian chord is defined as a dominant 7th suspended chord that also has a flat 9 in the chord. There are really only two possibilities – 7sus ♭9 and 13sus ♭9.  It is the ♭9 that distinguished the Phrygian mode of the major scale from the Aeolian mode.

Phrygian mode degrees: 1-♭2-♭3-4-5-♭6-♭7
Aeolian mode degrees: 1-2-♭3-4-5-♭6-♭7

Although both modes differ by only one note, the minor 2nd versus the major 2nd, that one note is a huge difference. The Phrygian mode is closer to the Locrian mode than the Aeolian mode, in my opinion.

And when it comes to Phrygian chords, you do not add the ♭9 to the minor triad or minor 7th chord. For example, a Gm7♭9 chord is just an inversion of a B♭13 chord. I’ve never seen anyone use a Gm add ♭9 chord but I suppose you could use that one

What you do instead is add the ♭9 to the 7sus chord. There are only 2 modes where you can build the 7sus ♭9 chord: 3rd mode of the major scale and the 2nd mode of the melodic minor scale.

You can use the Phrygian mode to improvise over a Phrygian chord, but you can use the chords wherever you want. For example, instead of using the E7sus ♭9 chord in the key of C major, you could substitute it as the V7 chord in A major. See the next section for the resolution tendencies of these chords.

G7sus b9 & G13sus b9 chords in detail

The 7sus ♭9 chord is built on the iii of the major scale and the ii of the melodic minor scale. As an example in G, For G that would be E♭ major and F melodic minor.

I notate the chord as 7sus ♭9 but you may also see 7sus♭9, 7sus(♭9), G Phryg, Gdom7 sus(♭9), or some variation of that.

G7sus ♭9 chord tones: G-C-D-F-A♭
G7sus ♭9 intervals: R-P4-P5-m7-m2 = 1-4-5-♭7-♭9
Equivalent chords: G7sus ♭9 = Fm6 add9= Dm11♭5

G13sus ♭9 chord tones: G-C-D-F-E-A♭
G13sus ♭9 intervals: R-P4-P5-m7-M6-m2 = 1-4-5-♭7-13-♭9

The tendency for both chords is strongest to E♭ major, but also to A major. Also try going to A♭, C, D & E major. The resolution for those keys works even though it is not due to the tritone in the chord.

Open G7sus Phrygian chords

I only have 3 chord shapes for each chord and a couple of them are hard to hold. Here is a chart explaining the symbols on my chord diagrams:

Final Thoughts

Not much to say here other than give the chords a try and see if you like them. Check out my G7sus Guitar Chords article for open chord shapes for G7sus, G9sus, and G13sus.

The post G Phrygian Chords (G7sus b9, G13sus b9) appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

G7sus guitar chord in detail

G7sus is similar to a G7 chord except the major third is replaced by the perfect 4th, and therefore does not contain the tritone B-F that exists in C major. However, it still has a strong tendency to resolve to C major because it has the “F” of the tritone. C major is one of the major scales that build a G7sus chord.

Here are the intervals and notes in the chord:

G7sus chord tones: G-C-D-F
G7sus intervals: Root, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, minor 7th = R-P4-P5-m7 = 1-4-5-♭7

It resolves best to C major but also to G, Gm or back a whole step to F. You can also use it before a G7 chord or in place of a m7 chord in a ii-V-I progression. For example, try substituting a Dm7 with a G7sus since there is only one note different between those 2 chords.

Similar to the G7sus chord are the chords G9sus & G13sus. They resolve the same as G7sus. Here are those chords in detail:

G9sus chord tones: G-C-D-F-A
G9sus intervals: R-P4-P5-m7-M2 = 1-4-5-♭7-9
Equivalent chords: G9sus = Dm11 = F6 add9

G13sus chord tones: G-C-D-F-E
G13sus intervals: R-P4-P5-m7-M6 = 1-4-5-♭7-13
Equivalent chord: G13sus = C add9/11

Scales that build a G7sus chord

The 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th scale degrees of the major scale all build 7sus chords. For the note G that would be:

1. F major: G is the 2nd scale degree or Dorian mode
2. E♭ major: G is the 3rd scale degree or the Phrygian mode
3. C major: G is the 5th scale degree or the Mixolydian mode
4. B♭ major: G is the 6th scale degree or the Aeolian mode/Natural minor.

You can also build a G7sus chord from the harmonic and melodic minor scales. The 5th scale degree from both scales builds a 7sus chord but so does the 2nd scale degree of the melodic minor scale.

1. C harmonic minor: G is the 5th scale degree or the Phrygian Dominant mode
2. F melodic minor: G is the 2nd scale degree or the Dorian b2/Phrygian M6 mode
3. C melodic minor: G is the 5th scale degree or the Mixolydian b6 mode.

Open G7sus guitar chords

I have 4 open G7sus guitar chords, 5 G13sus chords but only 2 G9sus chords. Check the Beatles songs’ Come Together for an example of a G7sus and The Long and Winding Road for a G9sus.  I don’t have any examples of a 13sus chord.

 

 

 

Favorite voicings

G7sus: Take your pick because they all sound great.
G9sus: #2 sounds great but I don’t like #1, and of course, you have to use your thumb.
G13sus: I think #’s 1 and 5 sound the best.

Final Thoughts

Add some variety into your songwriting and replace a G7 or Gm7 with a G7sus chord. Also, try the G9sus and G13sus chords to really impress your guitar friends. As with all suspended chords, remember that they are accent chords and rarely last more than one measure. As you work the chords into songs you’ll get a feel for how to use them.

If you like these suspended chords, then take a look at the following two articles of mine:

34 Suspended Chords In The Key Of C Major
Suspended Chords: Dominant 7 Sus4 Chords (C Major Scale)

The post G7sus Guitar Chord: 11 Open Chords appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

In this article, I show examples of songs that use only 1 of the scales for harmony. I also have examples that use a combination of the 3 scales. Finally, I have notes on things to consider when writing a song in a minor key.

Songwriting with minor scales

The fact that there are 3 minor scales can confuse beginner songwriters, but don’t make it more complicated than it actually is. When it comes to writing songs, most people start out by playing chords (harmony) from a particular scale.

Your first choice is the natural minor scale which is also called the relative minor or Aeolian mode. It has the same notes and builds the same chords s the major scale a minor 3rd above the tonic. Of you can look at it as the major scale built on the minor 3rd of the minor triad.

So for A natural minor, that would be C major. I wrote articles on the chords built from each scale degree in C major where I also created open guitar chords for each chord. Also, check out my Chords From Scales article to see all the chord types built from the major scale.

When it comes to the possible chords built from the harmonic and melodic minor scales, take a look at my articles D Harmonic Minor Chords and 73 Chords From D Melodic Minor.

In those articles, I list ALL the possible chords and whittle that list down to the most important chords to use to write a song in just those minor scales.

Below I analyze 48 popular songs that use the various minor scales for the chords of the song. I list the chords used in each section used for all the songs so you know what you have to work with. But first, let me cover the basic chords that can be built from all 3 scales.

Minor scale chords

There are certain chord types I did not see in the popular minor key songs I analyzed. None of the songs used a diminished chord with the exception of one song with a dim7 on the 7th scale degree. I also only saw one augmented chord (augmented triad) on the vii.

Here is a list of the only 7th chords and adds/extensions used in the songs below:

Sevenths: m7, m-maj7, 7, 7sus, maj7, dim7
Adds/Extensions: m6, m9, m11, 6 add9, 9, 7#9, maj9

Some of those chords only occur in one song.

Here is my list of chords you want to consider using the tonic (1st) of the minor scale as a reference and expressing all other chords as intervals away from the tonic. These are chords available from all 3 minor scales.

Tonic minor: minor triad, m add9, m7, m-maj7, sus, sus2
M2, Major 2nd: minor triad, m6, m7
m3, Minor 3rd: major, maj7, +
P4, Perfect 4th: m, m add9, m7, major, 6, 7
P5, Perfect 5th: m, m7, 7, 9, 7#9, 7♭9, sus, 7sus, aug, 7#5
m6, Minor 6th: major, maj7, minor triad
m7, Minor 7th: major, add9
M7, Major 7th: dim, dim7, +, 7alt

There are many other chords that you could use if you want to but stick to the basics until you have more experience with songs in a minor key.

Also, NO ONE seems to use the minor triad version of the flat 6 chord. That’s a totally missed opportunity if you ask me. Normally that chord is expressed as a major or major 7th chord. The major 7th of the harmonic & melodic minor scale turns it into a minor chord. The minor 3rd of the flat 6 is the leading tone and it has a slight resolve tendency to the tonic minor.

Natural minor scale songs & notes on the chord progressions

Eight of the 28 songs use the natural minor scale as the source for the chords which beats out the natural minor & melodic minor combination by 1 song. So using chords just from the natural minor seems to be the most popular source for songs in a minor key.

I think I have the actual chord progressions with a few exceptions. This is for all the songs in this article. I did not include any repeats such as playing the first set of chords 2 or more times, I just list the chords in order as they appear in the songs.

Also, I briefly played all of them and they sounded correct, but there may be some small errors. Let me know and I’ll make changes. This is just a guideline source of potential minor chord progressions. Finally, I use the symbol “|” as a separator of verse to chorus to bridge, so look for that change.

Natural Minor Progressions

Here are the 8 popular songs, that I like, that use chords ONLY from the natural minor scale.

All Along the watchtower, Bob Dylan:
Am > G > F > G

I Shot the Sheriff, Bob Marley:
Gm > Cm | E♭maj7 > Dm7 > Gm

Jolene, Dolly Parton:
C#m > E > B > C#m > B > C#m | C#m > E > B > C#m > B > G#m > C#m

Heart Of Gold, Neil Young:
Em > C > D > G | Em > G > C > G | Em > D

Ain’t No Sunshine, Bill Withers:
Am > Em > G > Em > Dm

Sound of Silence, Simon & Garfunkel:
Dm > C > Dm > F > B♭ > F > Dm > F > C

Hurricane, Bob Dylan:
Am > F > C > Dm > Em > G

The Night They Drove old Dixie Down, The Band:
Am > C/G > F-F/E > Dm > Am| Am > F > C > Dm
| Am > F > C > Dm > D > | C > Fmaj7 > C > Am > Gsus > F > C

The only chords used in the songs above are tonic minor, ♭III, iv, v, ♭VI, ♭VI maj7, and ♭VII. I think you could also try add9, m add9 and sus chords on the degrees that build them. Just keep the tonic minor chord the main focus.

Harmonic minor & Melodic minor only songs

There are only 3 songs in this list which means that using just the harmonic or melodic minor scale is the least common method of writing songs in a minor key.

Harmonic Minor

The Thrill Is Gone, B.B. King:
Bm > Em > Bm > G > F#7 > Bm

Black Magic Woman, Santana:
Dm > A7 > Gm6

Melodic Minor

Oye Como Va, Santana:
Am7 > D9

There are not a lot of chords used here. The B.B. King song is a really nice blues progression in B harmonic minor. Oye Como Va by Carlos Santana is a two-chord song which I should have include in my Two-Chord Songs article but it is technically A melodic minor.

Definitely check my two D minor articles linked above because I think you can use either one of those scales to write a full song. There are great chords from each scale if you want a more complex harmony.

Natural & harmonic minor scale songs

I could only find 3 examples of minor songs (that I like) that use chords from the natural minor and harmonic minor scales.

Jack-A-Roe, Traditional (Grateful Dead version):
Am > C > E | Am > C > F > C | Am > E > Am > Am

I’m only Sleeping, Beatles:
Em > Am > G > C > G > B7 | G > Am > Bm | Am > Cmaj7

California Dreamin’, The Mamas & The Papas:
Am > G > F > G > E7sus > E7 | C > E7 > Am > F > E7sus > E

Finally, a sus4 chord in California Dreamin’ – don’t forget about those suspended chords!

Natural & melodic minor scale songs

The combination of natural and melodic minor seems to be the 2nd most common method of writing songs in a minor key. Take a look at these songs to get some good ideas.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Beatles:
Am > Am7 > D9 > F > Am > G > D > E > A > C#m > F#m > Bm > E

Hotel California, Eagles:
Bm > F#7 > A > E > G > D > Em > F# | G > D > F#7 > Bm > | G > D > Em > F#

Summertime, Janis Joplin version:
Am > Dm6 > Am > Dm > E7 > F > Em > Am > Dm6 > | C > Dm > E7

Babe, I’m gonna leave you, Led Zeppelin:
Am > Am7 > D7 > F6 > E > | F > E | Am > Dm

Another Brick in the Wall, Pink Floyd:
Dm > G | F > C > Dm

Paint it Black, The Rolling Stones:
Em > B7 | Em > D > G > D > Em | Em > D > G > D > A7 > B7

Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin:
Am > G#+ > C > D > Fmaj7 > G-Am| Am7 > Dsus > D > Am7 > Em > D-C | C > G > Am > C > G-F > Am

The chord types used in these songs are i, i7, ♭III, iv, iv6, IV, IV7, IV9, IVsus, v, V, V7, ♭VI, ♭VI maj7, ♭VII, and VII+.

Using chords from all 3 minor scales

These 4 songs use chords from all 3 minor scales. I would skip the Dylan and Beatles tunes as there are a lot of chords and chord changes in them – keep it simple.

House of the Risin Sun, Animals:
Am > C > D > F > E > E7

I, Me, Mine, Beatles:
Am > D > G > E > Dm > Em > Dm7 > G#dim7 > F > Am-maj7 > C > Am6 > Fmaj7 > A7 > D7 > E7

Subterranean Homesick Blues, Bob Dylan:
Am > F > Am6 > Am7 > Am6 > F > Am > C… > E > Dm6 > Am > F7
| Am > F > Am6 > E > Dm6 > E > Dm6 > Am > F7 > Am

Moondance, Van Morrison:
Am7 > Bm7 | Dm7 > Am7 > E7 | Am > Dm7 > E7

These songs use the following chord types: tonic minors (m, m-maj7, m6, m7), ii m7, ♭III, iv, iv6, iv7, IV, v, V, V7, ♭VI, ♭VImaj7, ♭VI7, and vii dim7.

Songs with minor scale & minor mode chords

These songs are a little difficult to peg down as to the scales used.

Horse With No Name seems to be in Natural minor and Dorian mode. The Allman Brothers version of Elizabeth Reed is a combination of natural, melodic and “I-don’t-know”. Heard it Thru the Grapevine is either Dm melodic minor with a key change to Bm harmonic, or Dm melodic to Bm Phrygian.

Horse With No Name, America:
Em > D6/9 | Em9 > Dmaj9

In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Allman Brothers version:
Am9 > Am7 > Am9 > D | Am > D > Bm > C > Am7 > Dm > Em > C > E7#9 >
| Adim7 | Am7 > Cm7 | G#m > Am > Am > Bm > B > C

Heard it thru the grapevine, Marvin Gaye (CCR version):
Dm > A > G | Bm > G | Dm > G | Dm > G

Other minor key songs

I did not look at the chord progression for the following songs. If you like any of them, then check them out for additional ideas.

Beatles: Glass Onion, I Want You

Grateful Dead: Estimated Prophet

Folk Song Encyclopedia (Nirvana): In the Pines

The Searchers: Love Potion #9

Traffic: Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

The Commodores: Brickhouse

Things to consider when writing a minor key song

Here are a handful of points to keep in mind:

1. Consider changing to a major key for the chorus and/or bridge section. Use either the relative or parallel major for that.

2. Only use diminished chords built on the 7th scale degree. The same goes for 7alt chords with the exception of the 7♭9 or 7#9 on the 5th. Hopefully, you know that a 7#9 chord is the combination of a 7 and m7 chord (v7 & V7).

3. You are most likely going to use a minor 1 chord and either a minor or major 4 & 5 chord. That leaves the chords built on the 2, 3, 6 and 7. Just try various chord combinations to see what sounds good to you.

4. For minor blues, you could use the ♭6 to 5 move in The Thrill Is Gone which I believe is common in minor blues. Or just do a minor for the 1 & 4 and go with a dominant 7th on the 5 chord.

Final Thoughts

If you can’t write a song using any of the minor scales after all the information in this article, then consider switching to painting or creative writing. Seriously, just slap together 3 -7 chords and try writing a song in a minor key song. You now have plenty of song examples and chords to choose from so just try something.

If you want sheet music for any of the songs listed, then check out Music Notes. Their sheet music is pretty good but I’ve noticed songs are not in the correct keys.

The post Writing Minor Scale Songs (All 3 Minor Scales) appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

The melodic minor scale in detail

There are 3 minor scales (not counting minor modes): natural, harmonic and melodic. The melodic minor scale is the least common of the 3 but is used by jazz musicians and film composers. One confusing aspect of the melodic minor scale is that it has different scale degrees ascending vs. descending.

Read my Music Intervals article if you do not know your intervals so you understand the following paragraphs.

The harmonic minor scale has the interval of an augmented 2nd or minor 3rd between the 6th an 7th scale degrees. Because of the minor 3rd interval, either the 6th is raised (ascending melodic minor) or the 7th is lowered (descending version) to make the scale more “melodic”.

And yes, the descending version is the same as the natural minor. It depends on the notes in the melody and/or harmony as to which form is used. However, the ascending & descending versions are only played in classical music.

In jazz, the melodic minor is known as the jazz minor and they only use the ascending version. That is what I consider as the “melodic minor” and is what I cover in this article. Let’s compare the natural & melodic minor scales along with the major scale.

Interval, formula and scale degree comparisons

Just so you know, “W” stands for a whole step or whole tone, “H” stands for half-step or semitone.

Natural minor scale formula = W-H-W-W-H-W-W
Melodic minor scale formula = W-H-W-W-W-W-H

Natural minor scale degrees = 1-2-♭3-4-5-♭6-♭7-8
Melodic minor scale degrees =  1-2-♭3-4-5-6-7-8
Major scale degrees =  1-2-♭3-4-5-6-7-8

Natural minor intervals = R-M2-m3-P4-P5-m6-m7
Melodic minor intervals = R-M2-m3-P4-P5-M6-M7
Major scale intervals = R-M2-M3-P4-P5-M6-M7

Notice how the melodic minor has the same intervals as the major scale with the exception of a minor 3rd. That’s probably easier to remember if you already know the major scale (which you should). Here is a comparison with the actual notes for the scales in the key of D:

D Natural minor notes = D-E-F-G-A-B♭-C
D Melodic minor notes = D-E-F-G-A-B-C#
D Major scale notes = D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#

Application of the melodic minor scale

It’s common to use the melodic minor scale for soloing when you see a major V chord in a minor key song or over a 7alt chord. The 7th sale degree builds 7alt chords can you will see them in songs that are not in a minor key.

You can also use it over chords such as  m-maj7, maj7#5, m9♭5, 7#5#5 and others are chords from the scale. The Lydian Dominant mode built on the 4th scale degree is also a great choice for 7#11 chords.

If you’d like to learn more about the melodic minor and the other minor scales, then check out the Wikipedia Minor Scale page. Also, read my articles on the D Harmonic Minor Scale as a comparison, and Writing Minor Scale Songs where I have song examples of all 3 minor scales.

D melodic minor triads and open scale shapes

Here is sheet music and tab for a one-octave D melodic minor scale and across all 6 strings in open position:

The degrees of the melodic minor scale build the following triads and sevenths:

Melodic minor scale triads: i, ii, ♭III+, IV, V, vi^o, vii^o
Melodic minor scale 7ths: m-maj7, m7, maj7#5, 7, 7,m7♭5, m7♭5

D melodic minor triads: Dm, Em, F+, G, A, Bdim & C#dim.
D melodic minor sevenths: Dm-maj7, Em7, Fmaj7#5, G7, G7, Bm7♭5, C#m7♭5

However, because of the option to choose different chord tones, the notes G, A & C# build additional 7th chords. The same thing happens with the harmonic minor scale. Let’s look at all the chords now.

D chords from the D melodic minor scale

The chords on the tonic are similar for the D harmonic minor but the major 6th enables you to build 3 additional chords.

E chords from the D melodic minor scale

I prefer the melodic minor scale because you get a minor chord built on the 2nd scale degree. That is way better than the diminished triad from the harmonic minor scale.

F chords from the D melodic minor

Well, you only have two chors that can be built on the flat 3rd of the D melodic minor scale, same as for the harmonic minor scale.

G chords from D melodic minor

With the major 6th interval, the 4th scale degree builds a major chord as opposed to a minor chord in the other minor scales. The mode built on this scale degree is called the Lydian Dominant or Mixolydian #11. You have 19 chords to choose from here.

A chords from D melodic minor

Here are the chords built on the 5th scale degree and its mode is called Mixolydian ♭6.

B chords from D melodic minor

This is the first mode where you can build a m9♭5 chord. As a matter of fact, this may be the only scale mode that builds that chord, but don’t quote me on that. The problem though is that the tritone B-F wants to resolve to a C major chords, not Dm.

C# chords

The 7th scale degree builts diminished chords but also what is known as 7alt chords. You can use the diminished chords to resolve to D minor but try the altered dominant 7ths as well. Some people prefer to notate the 7♭5♭13 chord as 7#5#11. Both are valid names.

Useful chords from D melodic minor

So that is chord overload but I wanted to list all the possible chords that you have available to you. The tritone that wants to resolve to D minor is G-C#. You can use the chords with the B-F tritone in them but I’d stay away from them if this is your first time using this scale.

Here are my recommended chords to use in your songs:

D chords:

All are good options except doe Dm6, Dm6 add9, Dm13, and Dm9-maj7. If you are into jazz, then I’m sure you’ll be using the m6 chords but they do not work so well for other popular genres. It’s your music though, try them if you like them.

E chords: All the E chords are good so pick your favorites.

F chords: The augmented triad is good, but skip the Fmaj7#5.

G chords:

My suggested chords ae G, G6, G add9, and the G7 chords with a C# in them. You could also pull off G7, G9, and G13, but try G7#11 and/or G7♭5 for a stronger tendency to resolve to D minor.

A chords:

I like all of them. You can skip the A add9/11, A7♭13, A9/11, and A9#5. They are advanced chords. Look into them if you want but otherwise just stick to the basics.

B chords: Don’t use any of them unless you are going to modulate to C major or A minor.

C# chords: Every chord built on the 7th sale degree will resolve perfectly to D minor – all good.

Now let’s whittle that list down to just the basics. Feel free to add other chord types that you like but you should start out focusing on these.

D chords: Dm, Dm-maj7, Dsus, Dsus2
E chords: Em, Em7, Esus, E7sus
F chords: F+
G chords: G, G6, G add9, G7, G9, G13, G7♭5 or G7#11
A chords: A, A add9, A7, A9, Asus2, Asus, A7sus, A+, A7#5
B chords: none
C# chords: All/any of them

Examples of D melodic minor chord progressions

Here are simple chord progressions using my suggested chords in the section above:

Idea #1: Dm > G > Dm > G > Em > Esus > A7 > A7#5 > (Dm-maj7 – Dm) > Dm > (Dm-maj7 – Dm) > Dm

I played this in 2/2 or cut time with the Dm-maj7 only lasting for a half of a beat or so. I put the emphasis on the D minor chord.

Idea #2: Dm – Dsus > Dm – Dsus> G7 > Dm – Dsus > Dm – Dsus > A7 > G7 > Dm > C#7#5#9

That one has a 12-bar blues feel but I was varying the # of beats each time through. I’ll have to work on it some more.

Those 2 progressions took me a few minutes to come up with after scanning the tables above. Come up with a basic progression that sounds good to you or use and modify the ones above. But the question is, can you use only chords from D melodic minor scale to write a chorus AND bridge as well?

Final thoughts

I believe that you can use only the chords built from the D melodic minor scale to write a song in D minor. And that goes for any melodic minor key. I know you can do the same with the harmonic minor scale chords. It is more difficult though to use ONLY the chords from one minor scale if you intend on having a verse, chorus and bridge section.

By the way, I added up the total number of chords incorrectly plus I missed 2 chords – oops! The chords I missed are E7sus ♭9 and E13sus ♭9 which makes only 68 chords. If you add in D5, E5, G5 & A5 then that’s 72 and off by one of 73 in the title. Google already indexed the article so I can’t change the title. Sorry about the mistake.

In my next article, I’m going to bring together the chords from all 3 D minor scales: D melodic minor, D harmonic minor & D natural minor. I’ll analyze well-known songs in a minor key to help you write songs in a minor key using any chords from all 3 minor scales.

The post 73 Chords From D Melodic Minor Scale appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

I cover the harmonic minor scale in general and cover all 52 chords that can be built from the D harmonic minor scale. Finally, I give my opinion on the chords to use in writing a song in D harmonic minor.

The harmonic minor scale in detail

The harmonic minor scale differs from the natural minor by one note – the 7th scale degree. D natural minor is the relative minor of F major and you use it to build the harmonic minor scale on the note D.

Make sure to read my Music Intervals article if you are not familiar with intervals. Here is a comparison of the of the two scales:

Natural minor scale formula = W-H-W-W-H-W-W
Harmonic minor scale formula = W-H-W-W-H-A2-H

Hopefully, you know that “W” stands for whole step and “H” for half step. The “A2” is for the augmented 2nd interval between the 6th & 7th sale degrees. You could also notate that as m3 for minor 3rd or W+1/2 for a whole step plus a half step.

Natural minor scale degrees = 1-2-♭3-4-5-♭6-♭7
Harmonic minor scale degrees =  1-2-♭3-4-5-♭6-7

Natural minor intervals = R-M2-m3-P4-P5-m6-m7
Harmonic minor intervals = R-M2-m3-P4-P5-m6-M7

D Natural minor notes = D-E-F-G-A-B♭-C
D Harmonic minor notes = D-E-F-G-A-B♭-C#

The key signature for the harmonic minor is the same as for the natural minor with accidentals used to notate wherever the major 7th occurs.

It’s the raised 7th that distinguishes the harmonic minor from the natural minor scale. The major 7th allows the 5th scale degree to be a major chord and therefore a dominant 7th. But that 7th also creates a fully diminished 7th chord and other eerie chords.

If you’d like to learn more about the harmonic minor and the other minor scales, then check out the Wikipedia Minor Scale page and The Minor Scales article from Music Theory Academie.

D harmonic minor triads and open scale shapes

The following triads can be built from the harmonic minor scale, but note that I express the chords in roman numerals differently than everyone else.

I prefer to use ♭III+ and ♭VI instead of III+ and VI respectively. Every other website expresses the chords for the 3rd & 6th scale degrees without the flat symbol. That doesn’t make sense to me, so I add the flat symbol so that I know the scale degree number and its interval distance away from the tonic.

Harmonic minor scale triads: i, ii^o, ♭III+, iv, V, ♭VI, vii^o

The triads in D harmonic minor are D minor, E diminished, F augmented, G minor, A major, B♭ major, and C# diminished.

Below is a one-octave D harmonic minor scale starting on the open D string.

Here is the full scale for all open strings. Note that all the open strings can be played with the exception of the B string.

The C# should be notated with just a sharp accidental, not a double sharp. I’m not sure why my music program does that. And I had to notate the final 3 notes as a triplet to fit all the notes in 2 measures.

Actual minor key chord progressions borrow chords from all 3 minor scales. Take a look at my articles on D Melodic Minor Scale Chords and Writing Minor Scale Songs where I have my “suggested” chords list.

Let’s get into the chords. I believe I built every possible chord type from the scale. Let me know if I missed any and I’ll add them to the article.

D chords from the D harmonic minor scale

You can build 6 chords on the tonic of the scale – 4 minors and 2 suspended chords.

E & F chords from the D harmonic minor scale

I combined the chords for the 2nd and 3rd scale degrees since there are so few of them.

The fully diminished 7th chord and augmented triad are symmetrical chords which means that each note in the chord can be the root note of the same chord type/name: Edim7 = Gdim7 = B♭dim7 = C#dim7, and F+ (augmented) = A+ = C#+.

So that is a total of 6 possible chords for those two scale degrees. One thing you want to keep in mind is the two sets of tritones in the scale. They have different resolution tendencies so you want to stay away from the tritone that wants to resolve to F major.

G chords from D harmonic minor

You can build minor or diminished chords on the 4th scale degree by using either the perfect 5th D or the diminished 5th C# (or D♭). G builds the 2nd of the 4 fully diminished 7th chords in the scale and a total of 12 chords.

A chords from D harmonic minor

There is no shortage of dominant V chords here. All of the chords below will resolve to D minor, some better than others.

B♭ chords from D harmonic minor scale

I think the B♭ major chords sound great following the D minor triad, especially with some open strings. The 6th scale degree builds major, minor and diminished chords – 11 in total.

C# chords

Here are the leading tone chords in D harmonic minor. They act the same as the diminished chords from the major scale in that they want to resolve to the tonic of the scale.

Useful chords from D harmonic minor

So you are probably thinking that was overkill, and you’d be right, but they are all of your possible chord choices. Let’s narrow the chord choices down a little.

First off, any chord that has both notes of the tritone from F major (B♭-E) should be avoided unless you have a section that modulates to F major. The exception would be any chord that contains both tritones: all 4 dim7 chords, A7♭9, A7♭13, A7♭9♭13, and A11♭9. Those chords resolve to both F major and D minor.

Here are the only chords you want to consider using, especially if this is your first time writing a song in a minor key:

D chords:

All are good options except Dm9-maj7. I think the minor-major 7th chord is harsh but it makes a good chord going to the minor triad – Dm-maj7 > Dm. And remember the D minor chord should be the focus, so don’t overuse the suspended chords.

E chords: none except maybe Edim7

F chords: The augmented triad is good, but I’m not a fan of the maj7#5 chord.

G chords:

Definitely don’t play Gm6, Gm6 add9, or Gm13. I think Gm, Gm add9, Gm7 and maybe Gm9 would be great choices. The Gdim7 is good, but the other Gdim chords don’t sound right, even though they have the G & C# tritone in them.

A chords:

Stay away from A11, A11♭9, A7♭13, A7#5♭9, and A7♭9♭13. They either sound nasty or are advanced jazz chors. Just stick to the basics.

B♭ chords:

Don’t play the maj7#11 or maj13#11 since they have the tritone from F major in them. You could try the minor chords and see if you like them, but otherwise stick with the major chors – they sound great.

C# chords: All of them resolve to D minor so take your pick – all good.

Possible chord progressions

The common jazz progression would be ii-V-i or m7♭5 on the 2nd to a dominant 7th and then a tonic m-maj7. You could try that as a short progression but let’s look at some regular chord progressions:

Idea #1: Dm > B♭ or B♭6 > Gsus2 > Asus > A7sus > Dm-maj7 > Dm

Idea #2: Dm > B♭maj7 > Gm add9 > A7 > A7sus > Dm

Idea #3: Dm > Dsus2 > Dsus > Dsus2 > Gm7 > Gm9 > Gm7 > B♭maj7 #11 > A7#5 > C#dim7 > Dm

They all sound great to me. Who says you need chords from the other minor scales. It’s a little hard to hold but you could try a B♭6 as x-1-0-0-3-1. Have fun and just try a bunch of chords and see what you can do.

Final thoughts

So now you know all the chords that can be built from the D harmonic minor scale. You have more than enough chords to write a song without borrowing chords from the natural or melodic minor scales. Although, it may be hard to not borrow chords for a song that has both a chorus and bridge unless your melody writing is top-notch. Give it a shot and see if you can write something that isn’t too droney or depressing!

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