Brainlag Plus Music
Brainlag Plus MusicChords in a minor key
The triads of the harmonic minor, how the ABRSM book labels them, and which ones to use.
The raised 7th
In a minor key, harmony uses the harmonic minor: the 7th note is raised whenever it appears in a chord. In A minor, that is the note on the top of the scale, sharpened.
Why raise it? Because the raised 7th is a leading note, a semitone below the tonic, and it pulls up to it. With it, chord V is major, and a perfect cadence in a minor key sounds as final as one in a major key.
The book keeps every numeral in upper case and adds the quality in brackets where it might surprise you.
The next 2 screens and the 5 questions are in Plus.
Screen 1 of 3, free to read.
- 5 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
- Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards