You can read further about this project on my blog: Fool for the Muse. Here's this week's entry.

12 Weeks. 12 Keys. Approaches & E Flat.

Ok. It’s week 2 of my study of all 12 of the major keys. It’s been fun to see the growing interest that friends, students and fans have expressed in learning even just a little bit about every key. I ran into a friend in the grocery store who told me he was sorry he couldn’t take my "online classes" but he was just too busy. Funny, I hadn’t intended to teach free "classes" but I'd love to share some of what I’m working on, encourage folks to join me and help out where I can.

So I’ve already done a week in the key of A but you can start wherever you like. The chords listed below show 2 rows of chords in A and E flat. The first row is the basic harmonization the second adds the 7. This makes for a ‘jazzier’ sound. With my study, I’m going deeper into voice leading, further extensions, arpeggios and more, but just learning 3 or 4 chords in each key is a huge boost to anybody looking to expand their knowledge of music.

KEY of A (3 sharps)

A Bm C#m D E7 F#m G#m7b5

AMaj7 Bm7 C#m7 DMaj7 E7 F#m7 G#dim7

KEY of E flat (3 flats). Note: The I, IV and V chords are the only ones flatted.

Eb Fm Gm Ab Bb7 Cm Dm7b5

EbMaj7 Fm7 Gm7 AbMaj7 Bb7 Cm7 Ddim7

The relationships are exactly the same in both keys. A to Bm is the same distance as Eb to Fm. (and can be sung as “DO then RE”). Notice I’ve gone from the key of 3 sharps to the key of 3 flats.

APPROACH:

This study is NOT meant to overwhelm or confuse. The idea is to take it very slow and let each 2 chord combination sink into your ears. Take your time. With each new key you’ll learn a little bit more about the relative nature of music and thus free yourself from playing the same old stuff in a vacuum. As I’ve said before, learn your BASIC triads. This will really help you to hear how chords move and why. I will post a few handouts of how to find basic triads on guitar and mandolin in my next post. A good book to get started with mandolin triads is Mike Marshall's chord book.