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Key of F# Minor – Jonny’s Ghost Dance

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Instructor
Jonny May
Course
Beginner
01:02:35

F# minor is your first minor key that starts on a black key, and it has a dark, mysterious sound unlike any key you’ve played so far. It’s closely related to A major, so many of the notes will already feel familiar. You’ll learn the F# minor scale plus two variations that give minor music its unique flavor, with the fingering for each hand and strategies for playing them smoothly and building speed.

Next, you’ll learn the 10 chords you’ll find most often in popular songs in F# minor, along with tips for playing them comfortably. Then you’ll learn four of the most common chord progressions (chord patterns) in this key and put them to work: you’ll learn how to groove on each progression and improvise your own ideas over it. To bring it all together, you’ll learn Jonny’s Ghost Dance, an original piece with a haunting, beautiful melody.

Once you’re comfortable, you’ll use inversions to make your chord changes sound smoother and apply them to Jonny’s Ghost Dance. Then you’ll play it along with a bass and drums backing track to hear how it sounds with a full band. Finally, you’ll learn simple ways to play chords for someone else to sing or play along to.

Course Objectives
  • Play F# natural, harmonic and melodic minor in both hands with the correct fingering
  • Learn the 10 most common chords in F# minor and strategies for playing them
  • Learn four of the most common chord progressions and how to groove and improvise over them
  • Play Jonny's Ghost Dance, an original piece in F# minor
  • Apply inversions, perform with a full backing track and accompany other musicians
Learning Focus
  • Chords
  • Groove
  • Lead Sheets
  • Scales
  • Songs
Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

Dances With Ghosts!
As I have come to expect, the PWJ approach to learning new material, which in this case was the Key of F#m, was very thorough and comprehensive. I was disappointed that lessons on Inversions and Accompaniment Lessons were missing from the Key of F#m material. I'm assuming that it is due to what appears to be some personnel changes. I have gone through every Major and Minor Key in the the Early and Mid-Level Beginner Foundations Courses and will take it upon myself to apply the Inversion Studies from related material in other Courses. I am thrilled to finally be moving on to the Late Beginner Foundation Courses to be followed by the Intermediate and Advanced Foundation Courses. As a word of encouragement, when I first signed up with PWJ, I self-assessed at the Mid-to-Late Beginner Level based on material that I had learned from other Piano Courses. I soon decided that it was worth the effort to start at the very beginning of Jonny's Foundation Courses and attempt to master them one at a time. It has really paid off. I learned so much more from each and every one of the Foundation Courses and soon realized that there were gaps in my earlier learning that these Foundation Courses have filled in and I feel that I am getting a well-rounded learning experience as a result. Thanks PWJ!
easy yet sounding great
Finally, in this lesson I’m starting to get the hang of chord progressions (following the beginner learning track). I love how it all comes together without having to spend hours just doing exercises.
Good lesson to create a mood.
Easy melodie. Good exercise for the left hand.
Challenging because not so easy with the black keys
Comments and encouragement from Jonny
Short, Sweet and Scary!
This course only contains three lessons, so it goes quite quickly. I really enjoyed how Jonny used this minor key to write a haunting melody. He then explains how it can be personalized with several handy techniques!

Course Lessons

1
Key of F# Minor – Lesson 1
27:09

The Natural, Harmonic, & Melodic Scales

View lesson
2
Key of F# Minor – Lesson 2
13:28

4 Common Chord Progressions

View lesson
3
Key of F# Minor – Lesson 3
21:58

Jonny’s “Ghost Dance,” Melody, Chords, Groove

View lesson
Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

Dances With Ghosts!
As I have come to expect, the PWJ approach to learning new material, which in this case was the Key of F#m, was very thorough and comprehensive. I was disappointed that lessons on Inversions and Accompaniment Lessons were missing from the Key of F#m material. I'm assuming that it is due to what appears to be some personnel changes. I have gone through every Major and Minor Key in the the Early and Mid-Level Beginner Foundations Courses and will take it upon myself to apply the Inversion Studies from related material in other Courses. I am thrilled to finally be moving on to the Late Beginner Foundation Courses to be followed by the Intermediate and Advanced Foundation Courses. As a word of encouragement, when I first signed up with PWJ, I self-assessed at the Mid-to-Late Beginner Level based on material that I had learned from other Piano Courses. I soon decided that it was worth the effort to start at the very beginning of Jonny's Foundation Courses and attempt to master them one at a time. It has really paid off. I learned so much more from each and every one of the Foundation Courses and soon realized that there were gaps in my earlier learning that these Foundation Courses have filled in and I feel that I am getting a well-rounded learning experience as a result. Thanks PWJ!
easy yet sounding great
Finally, in this lesson I’m starting to get the hang of chord progressions (following the beginner learning track). I love how it all comes together without having to spend hours just doing exercises.
Good lesson to create a mood.
Easy melodie. Good exercise for the left hand.
Challenging because not so easy with the black keys
Comments and encouragement from Jonny
Short, Sweet and Scary!
This course only contains three lessons, so it goes quite quickly. I really enjoyed how Jonny used this minor key to write a haunting melody. He then explains how it can be personalized with several handy techniques!
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