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Improvising With Secondary Chords (4)

Chord VII and the Circle of Fifths in A minor

Chord VII is an interesting chord. Built on the 7th note of the scale, it’s a diminished chord in a major key (in C major: BDF). And in a minor key, it can be either diminished or major (in A minor, G#BD, or GBD). The Circle of Fifths progression is so called because you can come full circle in terms of letter names by moving up, or down on the piano in interval of fifths. So, the Circle of Fifths ascending is: A, up a fifth to E, up another fifth to B, and so on to F, C, G,...

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