I have a question about keys.
An enharmonic progression in C major would be using these chords:
C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bo(diminished)
If you played a tune with those chords using C as the I, would that tune be in the key of C major? What would the change be if you wanted to change to Cm? How about C7?
Thanks for any help.
I'm confused by your use of 'enharmonic' - that term means two notes or chords that sound exactly the same, but have different names. For example, the progression B#-Fb-G would be enharmonic to the progression C-E-G.
The I chord defines the key, so if you use a C chord as I, it's in C major - even if the other chords don't all fit in the key of C!. Anything that's not native to C major would be considered non-harmonic, but the whole piece is still in C.
If you use Cm for the I chord (it'd usually be written as i then, to show it's minor), you're in the key of C minor.
Sevenths aren't usually used for the I chord, because a seventh wants to move somewhere else - it has tension. Still, it's common to use I7, especially in blues tunes, and you'd be in the major key of I.
You can also use i or I7 as substitutions for I. In that case, a chord would usually be C, but you're going to change it temporarily to Cm. That's a 'borrowed' chord - borrowed from the tonic minor. The whole piece is still in C, since that's what you usually use for I, and the Cm chord is just a temporary change.
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Sorry, I used the term enharmonic incorrectly. Is it a harmonized progression that I was referencing? (All the notes in the chords fall into the major scale of the key)
Thanks NoteBoat. Sounds like you can use a variety of chords and still stay in the key. Very helpful reply.
