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.

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!

The post D Harmonic Minor Scale Chords appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

Diminished modes from common scales

If you are reading this article, then I’m sure you are aware of the Locrian mode built on the 7th scale degree of the major scale. A more advanced diminished scale is the Fully Diminished scale (half-step/whole-step). I briefly cover those two scales in my Diminished Modes, Chords & Scale article.

I want to focus on the diminished modes that come from the Melodic & Harmonic minor scales.

Take note of the different 7th chords that each diminished mode builds. All possible diminished 7th chords can be built from these modes. If you do not understand the notation for the intervals in the tables below, then take a look at my Music Intervals article.

Here are all the possible diminished chords that you can build from the harmonic & melodic minor scales:

diminished triad (dim, ^o)
Chord intervals: R-m3-d5 = 1-♭3-♭5
Chord tendency: Resolves best to a major or minor chord up a half-step, e.g. C#dim > D or Dm
Scales/Modes: all diminished scales & modes build a diminished triad

Fully diminished 7th (dim7,^o7)
Chord intervals: R-m3-d5-d7 = 1-♭3-♭5-♭♭7
Chord tendency: Resolves best to a major or minor chord up a half-step on each chord tone, e.g. C#dim7 (C#-E-G-B♭) > D/Dm, F/Fm, A♭/A♭m, and B/Bm.
Scales/Modes: 2nd, 4th, 6th & 7th scale degrees of the harmonic minor scale

Half-diminished 7th (m7♭5,^ø7)
Chord intervals: R-m3-d5-m7 = 1-♭3-♭5-♭7
Chord tendency: Resolves best to a major or minor chord up a half-step, e.g. C#m7b5 > D or Dm
Scales/Modes: 2nd & 4th scale degrees harmonic minor, 6th & 7th scale degree melodic minor

Minor 9 flat 5 (m9♭5)
Chord intervals: R-m3-d5-m7-M9 = 1-♭3-♭5-♭7-9
Chord tendency: Resolves best up a half-step (major & minor), to the root minor, and to the perfect 5th minor, e.g. Gm9♭5 > A♭, A♭m, Gm and Dm
Scales/Modes: 4th scale degree harmonic minor, 6th scale degree melodic minor

Minor 11 flat 5 (m11♭5)
Chord intervals: R-m3-d5-m7-P4 = 1-♭3-♭5-♭7-11
Chord tendency: Resolves best to a major or minor chord up a half-step, e.g. C#m11b5 > D or Dm
Scales/Modes: 2nd scale degree harmonic minor, 6th scale degree melodic minor

Minor major 7 flat 5 (m-maj7♭5)
Chord intervals: R-m3-d5-M7 = 1-♭3-♭5-7
Chord tendency: Same as m9♭5
Scales/Modes: 6th degree harmonic minor

Three of those chords are commonly seen in music (dim, dim7, m7♭5) but the other three are rarely seen.

Harmonic minor scale diminished modes

The harmonic minor differs from the natural minor by a single note. The 7th scale degree of the harmonic minor is a major 7th but that interval is a minor seventh in the natural minor scale. For D natural minor the minor 7th is the note C, but it is C# for the harmonic and melodic minor scales.

Here are the intervals in the D harmonic minor scale (D-E-F-G-A-B♭-C#) followed by the intervals and notes in the 4 diminished modes:

E Locrian M6 diminished chords:

Edim= E-G-B♭
Edim7 = E-G-B♭-C#
Em7♭5 = E-G-B♭-D
Em11♭5 = E-G-B♭-D-A

G Dorian #11 diminished chords:

Gdim = G-B♭-D♭
Gdim7 = G-B♭-D♭-E
Gm7♭5 = G-B♭-D♭-F
Gm9♭5 = G-B♭-D♭-F-A

B♭ Lydian #9 diminished chords:

B♭dim = B♭-D♭-F
B♭dim7 = B♭-D♭-F-G
B♭m-maj7♭5 = B♭-D♭-F-A

C# Ultra Locrian diminished chords:

C#dim = C#-E-G
C#dim7 = C#-E-G-B♭

Notes on two Harmonic minor diminished modes

The Dorian #11 mode is considered a minor mode and the Lydian #9 mode is considered major mode. But you have to understand a few things.

1. First, some scales give you the option to choose different scale degrees.
   So you can have a different 3rd, 5th or 7th scale degree.
2. For some of these chords, the scale degrees change to their enharmonic equivalent, for example, D♭ vs C# in the B♭ diminished chords.
3. The note that is the diminished 7th is actually the major 6th for the first 3 dim7 chords. Those diminished modes also have either a m7 or M7 interval.
4. Also, since the dim7 chord is a symmetrical chord. That means that every chord tone builds a diminished 7th chord.

Hopefully, that wasn’t too confusing. You’lpl come to understand it in time.

Melodic minor scale diminished modes

The melodic minor differs by 2 notes from the natural minor scale. The B♭ and C in D natural minor become B and C# in D melodic minor.

Here are the intervals in the D melodic minor scale (D-E-F-G-A-B♭-C#) followed by the intervals and notes in the 2 diminished modes:

B Locrian M2 diminished chords:

Bdim = B-D-F
Bm7♭5 = B-D-F-A
Bm9♭5 = B-D-F-A-C#
Bm11♭5 = B-D-F-A-E

C# Super Locrian diminished chords:

C#dim = C#-E-G
C#m7♭5 = C#-E-G-B

How to use the diminished modes and chords built from them

I personally do not play diminished modes or scales with the exception of the Locrian pentatonic scale. I’m more interested in chords so I try to keep my scales to a minimum. However, if you are more of a scale player, then definitely try any of the diminished modes above for some exotic riffs.

Since diminished chords rarely last more than a measure, I’ll just play an arpeggio of the diminished chord or a related dominant 7th chord.

I use the diminished chords as substitutes for dominant 7th chords. That is the main use for me. I cover dominant 7th substitutions in my article The Diminished Chord. But you should also read my Altered 7ths article for some interesting insights into diminished chords.

Finally, you can use any of the diminished chords above in any of the 3 minor scales to easily modulate to other keys. You want to pay attention to the tritones or just know the chord tendency.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to using “complex” or non-standard chords, I focus on the overall sound or the resolution tendency of the chord. All diminished chords function as dominant 7th chords and resolve best to the tonic of the scale. Since they tend to rootless dom7 chords they are easier to hold.

Then there is the tendency for some diminished chords to easily modulate to other keys. If you have already established the sound of a diminished chord in a song, then modulating to a new key is a fluid process. Take a look at the Wikipedia page on the Minor Scale for insights into the three minor scales. Otherwise, put those diminished modes and chords to good use.

The post Diminished Modes of the Melodic & Harmonic Minor Scale appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.