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Relative Minor Chords Guitar Lesson

Home > Guitar Lessons > Beginners > Basic Guitar with David Anthony > Relative Minor Chords
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David Anthony

Relative Minor Chords

Using relative minor chords changes the overall tonal color of a chord progression. David explains the music theory concept behind relative minor chords. He demonstrates how to use them in two new chord progressions.

Taught by David Anthony in Basic Guitar with David Anthony seriesLength: 19:21Difficulty: 1.5 of 5
Chapter 1: (1:26) Introduction David plays some nice acoustic music to get everyone in the mood for another great lesson.
Chapter 2: (1:57) Introduction to Relative Minors For each major key, there is a relative minor key. Relative keys share the same key signature. In other words, they both have the same number of sharps and flats. The key signature can be found next to the treble clef sign at the beginning of any piece of music. The keys of A minor and C major share the same key signature for example. These keys contain no sharps or flats.

So how do you find what a major key’s relative minor is? Take any note and count backward three half steps. Let’s find the relative minor key of G major. Three half steps back from G is the note E. As a result, the relative minor of G is E minor.

Learning musical concepts such as this will increase your awareness of what you’re playing and how it was composed. With a heightened awareness comes better musicality and better performances. Also, learning music theory will help you immensely if you are interested in writing your own music.
Chapter 3: (7:40) Relative Minor for the Key of E It is a very common compositional technique to change keys within a piece from a major key to its relative minor. It is equally common to move from a minor key to its relative major. Also, many chord progressions begin with a major chord followed by its relative minor chord. The Roman numeral analysis for this chord change is I to vi. Some common progressions that contain this chord change are the I vi ii V I and the I vi IV V I. David presents the latter progression in the key of E major. The chords in this progression are E, C#m, A, B7, E.

For most of you, C#m will be a new chord. Just take the Cm chord shape learned in the Minor Chords lesson and slide it up 1 fret. Now you have C#m. This chord shape is an example of a moveable shape that can be transposed to different keys.

Once you are comfortable with the new chord, it’s time to take on the progression. Like before, start at a very slow tempo and gradually work up speed. Play each chord for a full measure.
Chapter 4: (8:29) Relative Minor for the Key of G Now, transpose this same progression to the key of G. Start with the open G chord and count backward three half steps. The next chord is E minor. The following chord in the progression is IV. Count four note names up from G. The IV chord is C. Finally, that leaves us with the V chord, D. This time around however, the D chord will not be played as a Dom7 chord.

Feel free to experiment with different rhythmic variations and strumming patterns in the context of these progressions. You are now at the level to start the lifelong process of creating your own music!
  • B / B7 Chord
  • C# Minor Chord
  • G Major Chord
  • G Major Chord Alternate Fingering
  • E Minor Chord
  • C Major Chord
  • D Major Chord
  • A Major Chord
  • E Major Chord
  • Easy B Minor 7th
  • Progression (Key of E)
  • Chord Progression (Key of G)
  •  



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Member Comments about this Lesson

Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.


vilyvily replied on January 5th, 2012

Found this very insightful from a true beginner? after 35 years of not playing cuz of the man or corp america... I'm enjoying this and it makes a lot of sense Like David's strumming style thanks...

justinlowriejustinlowrie replied on April 13th, 2010

Can someone answer this question. I understand the relative minor chord but how are the 3rd and 4th chords being chosen in the progressions?

mediatormediator replied on March 15th, 2009

Curranni - I do believe these cords are a bit easier but I find that I can do the bar chord version with almost the same effort. David explained in this lesson, or at least his stand in did, that they are in fact easier versions than the bar chords themselves.

currannicurranni replied on January 21st, 2009

David are the Cm and Cm# chords that you give here easier versions, as i found barre chord versions of the same chord in the same postition. many thanks f you can answer.

bluedogbluedog replied on March 8th, 2008

hey, this is good stuff. Ive been playing these chords for a while in my own music. Now I understand why the relative minor works . I can actually find them now with the semitone trick! Thanxs a bunch!!!

magemage replied on January 9th, 2008

hey, this helped out a lot! It's kinda giving me a little insight into how to play in a certain key, but I need to figure out the theory a little bit better to do that. I can take the relative minors and go into the IV and V chords though! yay! hahah

Basic Guitar with David Anthony

Found in our Beginner Lesson Sets

David Anthony is an acoustic guitar aficionado. In this series you will learn basic concepts that are essential to playing any style of guitar music.



About David Anthony View Full Biography David Anthony was born on November 9th, 1982, in the small town of Mount Hope, NY. As a child he absorbed the church flavored musical environment that his parents provided. With this influence he realized at a young age that music would not simply be a passive experience for him. It was not until the age of 15 that he decided to string up his first guitar. Relying solely on his father for his foundational chord knowledge, he quickly became enamored with the possibility of endless melodic structures, and the goal of becoming a fantastic player himself.

His early shredder influences came from Kirk Hammet of Metallica. During his first few years of guitar playing, he developed a very workable knowledge of pentatonic, major and minor scales. Over the years his musical interests swayed from rock to standards, from jazz to classical, and a strong love of the art of flamenco guitar; Spanish finger style. It was not until the age of 18 that he decided to surround himself entirely with the music of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. This influential exclusivity enabled him to learn more about thinking outside of the musical box. In one year he had learned than in the prior 3 years. Picking up multiple ways to structure melodies, create chords and use different modes, his writing and improvisational abilities grew exponentially. In his senior year of high school, he was responsible for the development of the first Musical Appreciation class in the schools history, and had aided the instructor in the teaching of those classes.

After high school, his focus started to rest mainly in writing. With this he realized that he would need additional, abstract influences to develop a unique style of writing. After a couple more years of playing in a small band, and writing some decent material, he greeted 2004 with a move to Nashville, TN. There he found the exact influence that would change his opinion of the guitar forever. Attempting to weed out a strong foundation in shredding and solo techniques, he began learning finger style guitar, and quickly realized the options that his door would open for him.

As he picked up more complex chord structures and jazz scales, his style became a passion for him that continues to drive him and push him to learn more. He feels strongly about the connection between musical input and the music you write. He notes that his subconscious pool of influence, developed from the music he listens to, is almost directly responsible for the type of music that he writes. He adamantly believes that in order to create a unique, soulful style, the pool must remain unpolluted by substandard music. What's that mean? As David puts it, "If you don't want to play crap, don't listen to crap."

David currently teaches Jazz guitar in Fort Collins, Colorado, with plans to move back to Nashville in the spring to pursue a career in writing.

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