Violin · Level 6 · Intermediate
The minor ii–V–i in C♯ minor on Violin
Don’t just read about The minor ii–V–i in C♯ minor. Play it.
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The minor ii–V–i uses a half-diminished ii and an altered V. It is the dark, dramatic cadence behind many jazz ballads and Latin tunes.
D♯m7b5
Notes: D♯ · F♯ · A · C♯
G♯7b9
Notes: G♯ · B♯ · D♯ · F♯ · A
C♯m
Notes: C♯ · E · G♯
HOW TO PRACTISE IT
Six steps to a clean loop.
- Play each chord as an arpeggio, one note at a time: D♯m7b5, G♯7b9 and C♯m. Press play on the card, then match each note.
- Stay in first position: use the open string where you can and keep the fingers close to the string.
- Set the tempo to 63 BPM and play the progression with one chord per bar. Find the note that moves by a half step from V7♭9 to i.
- Play the chord tones one at a time, one note per beat, with a full, even bow on each.
- Raise the tempo to 84 BPM once you can play the loop three times without stopping.
- Record one take, listen back and check for tension in the ♭9 that melts into the minor tonic.
Listen for
Aim for tension in the ♭9 that melts into the minor tonic. A common mistake is using a plain minor seventh for iiø7.
Why it works
iiø7 and V7♭9 both come from the harmonic minor scale, which provides the raised leading tone.
C♯ minor has 4 sharps; its relative major key is E major.
Questions
What are the chords in iiø7–V7♭9–i in C♯ minor?
In C♯ minor the progression is D♯m7b5 | G♯7b9 | C♯m | C♯m.
What is the key signature of C♯ minor?
C♯ minor has 4 sharps. Its relative major is E major.
Is this lesson right for my level?
This is a level 6 lesson (intermediate). If it feels too hard, start with “Augmented chords”.
Your hands learn faster than your eyes.
Reading a chord chart is step one. Play it to a metronome, record it, and hear yourself get better, all in one app.
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