Anyone Can Improvise!


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,...

Purchase options

This content is available as a separate, once-off purchase or as part of a subscription. Click "Buy" to purchase it or on "Subscription options" to get access to this content in addition to our growing library of over 300 articles for as little as £13.99 per month or £119.99 per year (Click here to sign-in to view this page if you are already a subscriber).

£9.99Buy More info Subscribe Back