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Key of E Minor – PWJ Active

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Instructor
Jonny May
Course
Beginner
01:39:54

E minor is a favorite key in rock and pop music, with a dark, powerful sound that’s perfect for big, anthemic songs. It’s closely related to G major, so the notes will already feel familiar. You’ll learn the E minor scale in each hand, plus two variations that give minor music its unique flavor. Jonny also shares tips for crossing your fingers smoothly and building speed.

Next, you’ll learn the chords used in nearly every popular song in E minor and the chord progressions (chord patterns) you’ll find in real music. Then you’ll bring it all together with PWJ Active, an easy original tune and a tip of the hat to Imagine Dragons.

Once you’re comfortable, you’ll learn inversions, which are different ways to play the same chord, and use them to make PWJ Active sound smoother. Then you’ll play it along with a bass and drums backing track for the full pop-rock experience. Finally, you’ll learn simple ways to play chords for someone else to sing or play along to.

Course Objectives
  • Play E natural, harmonic and melodic minor with smooth, accurate thumb crossings
  • Learn the 10 essential chords and the most common chord progressions in E minor
  • Read slash chords and use inversions for smooth chord transitions
  • Perform PWJ Active, an original tune inspired by Imagine Dragons, with a full backing track
  • Create pop-style accompaniment patterns to support other musicians
Learning Focus
  • Chords
  • Groove
  • Lead Sheets
  • Scales
  • Songs
Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

Fun and rewarding
I love it, all the chords, inversions and patterns!
Finding beauty in simplicity
Although in some aspects I am an intermediate player, I have gone back to the basics to make sure I fill all the gaps that were missing in my musical education. And I find it VERY interesting that these lessons (and their original melodies) that teach fairly basic concepts are really fun to play and exciting to learn.
Great
Love the song
Smoothie!
So being on vacation this was definitely a fun course. I loved learning about smooth voice leading with inversions. Keeping the common tones and going to the next chord in the shortest distance. Time for a smoothie! Also enjoyed applying this to the PWJ-Active melody. Singing was a bit fun too.
Learning the Minors
What I enjoyed about this course was the explanation of the minor chord fingerings and all three minor scales. The theory and practice made a big difference in playing the chords. The chords were easier to play once I had the understanding of the scales. The inversions are always a hit! I applauded when it was time to practice the inversions and the accompaniment portion. Overall, I am having a good time re-learning the minor scale and its usage. Good course.

Course Lessons

1
Key of E Minor – Lesson 1
15:33

E Natural, Harmonic, & Melodic Minor Scales

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2
Key of E Minor – Lesson 2
17:36

4 Chord Progressions in E Minor

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3
Key of E Minor – Lesson 3
19:55

Song in E Minor, Melody, Chords, Grooves

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4
Key of E Minor – Lesson 4
19:46

Inversions

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5
Key of E Minor – Lesson 5
12:04

Play with Backing Track

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6
Key of E Minor – Lesson 6
15:00

Accompaniment

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Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

Fun and rewarding
I love it, all the chords, inversions and patterns!
Finding beauty in simplicity
Although in some aspects I am an intermediate player, I have gone back to the basics to make sure I fill all the gaps that were missing in my musical education. And I find it VERY interesting that these lessons (and their original melodies) that teach fairly basic concepts are really fun to play and exciting to learn.
Great
Love the song
Smoothie!
So being on vacation this was definitely a fun course. I loved learning about smooth voice leading with inversions. Keeping the common tones and going to the next chord in the shortest distance. Time for a smoothie! Also enjoyed applying this to the PWJ-Active melody. Singing was a bit fun too.
Learning the Minors
What I enjoyed about this course was the explanation of the minor chord fingerings and all three minor scales. The theory and practice made a big difference in playing the chords. The chords were easier to play once I had the understanding of the scales. The inversions are always a hit! I applauded when it was time to practice the inversions and the accompaniment portion. Overall, I am having a good time re-learning the minor scale and its usage. Good course.
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