Musicianship: Chord Charts, Diatonic Chords, and Minor Keys

Musicianship: Chord Charts, Diatonic Chords, and Minor Keys

This course is part of Developing Your Musicianship Specialization

Instructor: George W. Russell, Jr.

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What you'll learn

Aurally identify minor intervals and 7th chords
Explain the relationship between a Major key and its related minor
Practice playing and writing in the keys of F Major, D minor, G Major, D minor scales
Write a chord chart

Details to know

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Assessments

5 assignments

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Developing Your Musicianship Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

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There are 5 modules in this course

After a tremendous response from learners on Coursera, Berklee Online has created a Developing Your Musicianship specialization, and this course is the second course in the series. If you have a basic knowledge of music theory or if you have completed Developing Your Musicianship I, this course will continue to help you understand key musical concepts, enabling you to create and perform contemporary music. Taught by Berklee College of Music professor George W. Russell, Jr., the course includes four lessons that delve into the next level of harmony and ear training.

The course will introduce you to new key signatures, including minor tonalities, and how they are constructed. You will train your ear to hear minor intervals and 7th chords. You will learn how to build 7th chords, and how to build common chord progressions. You will also learn the major pentatonic scale and how to construct melodies using this scale. The course culminates with an assignment that asks you to compose and perform an 8-measure composition using popular chord progressions and the Major pentatonic scale. Just like Developing Your Musicianship I, the course is designed to impart the joy of creating music and sharing it with others.

Welcome to Musicianship: Chord Charts, Diatonic Chords, and Minor Keys (also known as Developing Your Musicianship II)! Here we will cover all the details about the course and what you'll need to know to get the most out of your course experience.

What's included

1 video4 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

In this lesson, we will spend a little time reviewing the material from Developing Your Musicianship I. We will learn about the Key of F Major and its related minor key, D minor. We will also practice training our ears to hear minor 2nd and 3rd intervals and major and minor 7th chords.

What's included

5 videos2 readings1 assignment1 peer review

5 videosTotal 33 minutes

Review from Developing Your Musicianship I12 minutesPreview module
F Major and D minor6 minutes
Intervals and Chords - Part 16 minutes
Lesson 1 Ear Training Practice5 minutes
Write and Practice in the Key of F Major and D minor2 minutes

2 readingsTotal 40 minutes

Lesson 1 Study Guide30 minutes
Check Your Work: Write in the Key of F Major and D minor10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Lesson 130 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Write in the Key of F Major and D minor60 minutes

In this lesson, we will explore diatonic 7th chords in the key of G major and F major. We will learn four new popular chord progression using diatonic triads. We will continue to train our ears, reviewing the intervals and chords from the previous lesson while adding minor 6th and 7th intervals and the dominant 7th chord.

What's included

6 videos3 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt

6 videosTotal 32 minutes

Review from Lesson 13 minutesPreview module
Diatonic Triads and 7th Chords in F Major5 minutes
Popular Chord Progressions Using Diatonic Triads7 minutes
Intervals and Chords - Part 27 minutes
Lesson 2 Ear Training Practice6 minutes
Write and Practice the Popular Progressions2 minutes

3 readingsTotal 45 minutes

Lesson 2 Study Guide30 minutes
Sign up for the full experience!5 minutes
Check Your Work: Write the Popular Progressions10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Lesson 230 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Write the Popular Progressions60 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Popular Progressions10 minutes

In this lesson, we will learn about the key of G major. We will play with the popular chord progressions from the last lesson by adding the 7th. We will continue to train our ears, reviewing the intervals and chords from the previous two lessons while adding the tritone and the half diminished (or the minor 7 flat 5) chord.

What's included

6 videos2 readings1 assignment1 peer review

6 videosTotal 30 minutes

Review from Lesson 25 minutesPreview module
The Key of G5 minutes
Popular Chord Progressions in the Key of G Using 7th Chords3 minutes
Intervals and Chords - Part 36 minutes
Lesson 3 Ear Training Practice6 minutes
Write and Practice in the Key of G Major and E minor3 minutes

2 readingsTotal 40 minutes

Lesson 3 Study Guide30 minutes
Check Your Work: Write in the Key of G Major and E minor10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Lesson 3 Quiz30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Write in the Key of G Major and E minor60 minutes

In this final lesson, we will explore the major pentatonic scale. We will also learn how to write a chord chart using the popular chord progressions from this course. We will continue to train our ears, reviewing all of the intervals and chords from the course.

What's included

7 videos3 readings1 assignment1 peer review

7 videosTotal 33 minutes

Review from Lesson 35 minutesPreview module
The Major Pentatonic Scale7 minutes
Chord Charts6 minutes
Lesson 4 Ear Training Practice10 minutes
Compose an 8-Measure Song1 minute
Giving and Receiving Feedback1 minute
Congratulations!0 minutes

3 readingsTotal 45 minutes

Lesson 4 Study Guide30 minutes
How to Record Yourself for Your Assignments10 minutes
Advancing Your Knowledge and Skill5 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Lesson 4 Quiz30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Compose An 8-Measure Song60 minutes

Instructor

Instructor ratings

5.0 (71 ratings)

Top Instructor

George W. Russell, Jr.

Berklee

10 Courses159,871 learners

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Berklee

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Reviewed on Aug 31, 2020

Excellent class taught by an engaging and knowledgeable teacher. The Berklee classes are the best music classes I have found on Coursera.

Reviewed on Jul 7, 2020

This is a helpful, top class programme. Do it at a flexible pace. The instructor is excellent and the assignments make sense. I learn about chord progressions, chord charts, and F and G major scales.

Reviewed on Oct 8, 2020

I enjoyed this course and felt like I learned a lot! I appreciate the way the course material builds, challenging the learner to keep moving forward. Thank you!

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