Song Keys Question

[Bingefeller]

Say you have a song and the chords go something like: Dm - F - Bb - C.

It's obvious that the Dm is the i chord so would you say the the progression is i bIII bVI bVII (which all relate to scale degress of the D aeolian scale)? Or do you relate it to the major scale? In which case the song would be in the key of F and the progression would be vim I IV V ?

Which is the correct method used when trying to work out the I chord?

[octatonic]

That sounds more like a minor key progression.
It would be weird to think of it as a major key progression- it would be vi, I, IV V.

I'd think of playing D Aeolian over that progression, amongst other things.

[Bingefeller]

That sounds more like a minor key progression.
It would be weird to think of it as a major key progression- it would be vi, I, IV V.

I'd think of playing D Aeolian over that progression, amongst other things.

Thanks. So in any progession that is obviously minor you use the scale degress of the Aeolian scale to number the chords?

[octatonic]

Thanks. So in any progession that is obviously minor you use the scale degress of the Aeolian scale to number the chords?

Different people use different terminology but I'd think of that as a 1,3,6,7 minor progression.
Have you checked out the Nashville numbering system?

[musophilr]

I'd agree with 1,3,6,7 but I'd write it as i III VI VII using the lower case for minor chords convention.

[SevenSharpNine]

I'd agree with 1,3,6,7 but I'd write it as i III VI VII using the lower case for minor chords convention.

I agree that i III VI VII is preferable, but vi I IV V is fine too. The Nashville system isn't too clear when dealing with minor keys. Honestly, I don't see much point in ever using the Nashville system. The Roman numeral system is basically the same thing, but with more clarity.

[musophilr]

I agree that i III VI VII is preferable, but vi I IV V is fine too. The Nashville system isn't too clear when dealing with minor keys. Honestly, I don't see much point in ever using the Nashville system. The Roman numeral system is basically the same thing, but with more clarity.

I think it depends on whether you see F as the tone centre (vi I IV V) or D (i III VI VII). Either way, we're talking about the same set of notes (ie the F major scale or the D aeolian mode aka D natural minor scale).

[Bingefeller]

Different people use different terminology but I'd think of that as a 1,3,6,7 minor progression.
Have you checked out the Nashville numbering system?

Yeah I knew about the Nashville numbering system but I hadn't really read up on it a great deal. I thought that it all related to the Ionian scale (which is why I mistakenly put in a bIII and bIV chord in the minor progression!) I guess that you could safely assume if the 1 chord is written as a minor, eg: i, then it's in a minor key?

[musophilr]

Yes, it is convention that if the chord contains a minor 3rd, then its roman numeral is written in lower case.