The Minor v chord

Has anyone heard of such a thing? I've written music that contains what I can only anylise as such, and it sounds neat to me. My fiancee (who's much better at theory than I) says it has to be anylised some other way because there's no such thing as a minor v. I've also used a minor vii. I swear I've heard this kind of progression before, I just cant remember where. Can anyone here shed a little light on the situation? I think it just sounds like a mode (whichever one has a flat 7)

mixolydian

I assume you're talking about in a major key, in which case you might be referring to the Mixolydian Mode - 1 M2 M3 P4 P5 M6 m7 8 (eg C Mixo is C D E F G A Bb C) - the fifth mode of the major scale. Using a minor V in major is certainly possible, and while it was almost never (to my knowledge) done in the common practice period I personally see nothing against it. It could be analysed either as Mixolydian, or (how I would do it) as borrowing V from the parallel minor.

Hope that helped ;)

You can use the minor v chord in any major key - it's a borrowed chord from the minor key, just as is the minor iv chord, and the bIII and bVI.

It would typically be used as a 'special effect' rather than all the time, otherwise it's more likely to be a modal piece.

(btw Mark, it IS found in the 'common practice period')

(btw Mark, it IS found in the 'common practice period')

*practice :P

I was referring to it's use at cadences, which to my knowledge was

I didn't mention a cadence - that usuage would probably be modal.

"I assume you're talking about in a major key, in which case you might be referring to the Mixolydian Mode"

Mixolydian mode automatically precludes "major key".

Also, the aeolian mode has a minor seventh, as do a few others.

Oh, and far too slow with trying to correct me :P

Extra note: composers DID use modes during the common practice period.

Daniel: I shall re-read your posts when I can think straight - for some reason exams mean I am physically unable to sleep so stay up to 4 o'clock watching QI :closedeyes:

OP: Please ignore all that I have said as it appears I am in no fit state to be giving advice. *falls asleep*

I'm not even sure whether it's that much more common in minor than in major, as for harmonical purposes harmonic minor is the standard, not natural minor (in the common practice period). A dominant in minor will never sound like a "real dominant", because of the missing leading tone, and will always sound somehow "modal", no matter whether your key is minor or major.

That what I was thinking. Thanks for resoponding. She has since encountered an arrangement of a negro spritual that used both minor v and vii (follow the drinking gord). I have a feeling that it might be from that body of repitorie that the sound of this kind of progression does not sound odd to me.

Can anyone think of a specific peice that I could look up other than a spritual that might have this kind of thing as a cadence?

What context is your minor v used, what are the chords around it?

I know an imperfect cadence (of sorts) is used in a lot of Western films that includes a V with a flattened third which resolves upwards.

Unfortunaly I havent seen the context, she only told me about it, and that it resolved to i

minor v. what notes are in those minor vs?

It's a minor chord, on the dominant of whatever key you're in :huh:

Example in C - Major Scale is C D E F G A B C, so Minor V would be G Bb D ;)

I've used it in a minor key, resolving up to VI. It kinda "softens" up the minor key.