Okay, my ability to talk (and understand) theory is just like learning another language - if I don't use it regularly I get really rusty. When I compose, I generally tend not to think too much about theory, and use my ear to guide me instead. The theory comes in when I get stuck, or afterwards if I want to understand the mechanics of my piece better. In a bid to keep up my theory knowledge (and learn new compositional tools), I've taken to analysing some pieces I play. I'm hoping someone can tell me if I've analysed this correctly, and answer a few general theory questions it raises for me. Many thanks!
Right, the piece is a slow and fairly short jazzy tune. Ignoring Noteboat's comment in another thread about treating jazz progressions as 2 or 3 measure mini-progressions (mainly because this piece isn't too mad at all, and is slow), and culling from past knowledge and David's Minor Progress article, I have the following chord sets that could potentially be used in this piece (clearly in the key of Dm):
Natural minor
Dm Edim F Gm Am Bb C
i iidim III iv v VI bVII
Harmonic minor
Dm Edim Faug Gm A Bb Csharpdim (herein sharps will be denoted by "s")
i iidim III* iv V VI viidim
Melodic minor
Dm Em Faug G A Bdim Csdim
i ii III* IV V vidim viidim
The piece is as follows:
| C7 | A7/Cs | Dm7 | Em7b5 ' ' Bb13 |
A7b9 ' ' Fmaj9 | Fmaj9 | Dm9 |
C7 | A7/Cs | Dm | N.C. |
Bb7 ' A7b9 Fmaj9 | Fmaj9 | D ' ' A7 |
Fsdim7 | A7 | Dmadd9 | Dnote alone|
As I consider it to be in the key of Dm, this translates as...
VII7 | V7 (inverted) | i7 | ii7b5 VI13 |
Vb9 | IIImaj9 | IIImaj7 | i9 |
VII7 | V7 | i | N.C. |
VI7 V7b9 IIImaj9 | IIImaj9 | I V7 |
viidim7 of A | I7 of A (or V7 of D) | iadd9 (of D) | i |
at least, it does by my reckoning.
So, the piece is mostly in Dminor, modulates briefly to Dmajor, then back to Dminor. Simple. Now for the questions...
(1) Is my analysis accurate? Preliminary question to ensure I've not screwed up the basics.
(2) That Fsharpdim7 chord, am I right in treating it as viidim7 of A, and thus as a tool for returning to the Dm tonality after the brief foray into D major territory? I read it (from the A7 before) as a I-viidim-I in A, followed by a perfect cadence in Dm to reestablish the tonality. Is this I-viidim-I progression a common device for modulating from major to minor (when dealing with D major - D minor, or e.g. D major - Eminor ==> is it solely used for when the base tone remains the same, or is it also used when the base note changes, as in the D - E example given?)? Presumably it also works in reverse (i.e. going from Dm to Dmajor via the Fsharpdim7 works as well as going from Dmajor to Dm)? Since the chord lasts for one bar, I'm hesitant to label it a passing chord and dismiss it that way, and this is the only function I'm finding for it being there.
(3) Looking at which scales these chords are derived from, some come from the Natural minor scale (e.g. the VII7 opening the piece), while others could be derived from the harmonic or melodic scales (e.g. the V7). Is it okay to mix chords derived from several minor scales in a progression as is done here? I mean, obviously it works, or the piece would suck, but are there any formal rules to govern how or when one should mix chords in this way? Also, more generally, what function(s) can this option fulfill? Can it be used to create tension and/or release? A bit more insight into any theory behind this would be awesome. Also, is it more common in some genres than others?
(4)If I were to solo (or compose a melody) for this chord progression (or one like it), what might dictate/guide which scales or notes I chose to use? Obviously some chords used in this piece could be derived from more than one of the minor scales, and it seems logical that if e.g. improvising over several chords which can be derived from the same scale, using that one scale to do this would be the 'safe' option (easier option). But can your choice of scale(s) over a chord progression like this add tension (e.g. by by using the natural minor over measure 1, the melodic minor over measure 2, and then the harmonic minor over measure 3)? I'm interested in both the theoretical and practical aspects of this. I'm not planning on composing a melody for this piece as it already has one (which I'll be looking at next), but how achievable is varying scales in this way when used in improvising and/or composing? I imagine it could be a noticeable difference (obv, provided you use the altered notes sufficiently to mark the difference between the scales), but is this ruled out (or likely to be made difficult) by the harmonic structure of a given piece?
Sorry, a long one, I know. But I think that covers the areas I'm pondering over. Like I say, when I compose most of this sort of thinking goes into a box until I need it, but understanding the issues I'm unclear on here will result in me having a pretty exhaustive knowledge of how to use chords and scales in minor keys, so massive props for any advice. At least when compared to where I'm at now! Thanks again for reading.
1-2. Your analysis looks fine except that F# dim isn't the vii of A, it's the vi dim7. G# is the vii of A. How your dim7 is best named (F# or D# or A, etc) depends on the job it's doing. Just by seeing it, it's not obvious (at least to me) what it's job is.
3. You can mix and match all forms of the minor scale. But you have to be aware of the different effects produced which may or not be desirable. For example if you approach the end of a verse with the harmonic minor's A7 - Dm, but you decide to insert an Am (from the natural minor scale) between them, you'll completely undo the built up tension of the A7 that was bursting to resolve to Dm. You'll arrive at D minor with a whimper, rather than a triumphant fanfare. It's the musical equivalent of being about to sneeze but it doesn't happen - you feel cheated :D So it's more a case of cause and effect, rather than "do or don't do".
4 Same thing, but if this was a vocal melody, I wouldn't think in scales at all, I'd SING.
But if you do think in terms of the minor scales, again, you can use all 3 forms, but I'll echo NoteBoat's recent advice to think in terms of the melodic minor as it gives you a scale with 9 notes, all of which are usable.
thanks Fretsource! I think I was willing the Fsdim into a Gsdim in a bid to make sense of why it's there. Agreed on the comments re singing a melody, I'm just curious about the possibilities for different approaches.
I think I'm gonna spend a lot of time experimenting with mixing chords so I can figure outthe potential effects.
