{"id":8383,"date":"2022-07-15T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-15T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=8383"},"modified":"2023-01-13T10:00:14","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T18:00:14","slug":"d-minor-practice-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/d-minor-practice-routine\/","title":{"rendered":"A Complete Practice Routine in D Minor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Sometimes, it&#8217;s nice to branch out from C Major. Because while C Major is great for learning new concepts, ideally, piano players should learn scales, arpeggios, chords, and more in all twelve keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But don&#8217;t worry, we won&#8217;t jump into something crazy like F-Sharp Major today! Instead, we&#8217;ll look at a key with just one flat: D Minor. And we&#8217;ll do a complete practice routine based on this key:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#scales\">Scales<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#chords\">Chords<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#arpeggios\">Arpeggios<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#improvisation\">Creative Exercises<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#concerto\">BONUS! Concerto No. 3 (Adagio) in D Minor<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#routines\">More Practice Routines<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure to download the practice routine resources before you begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/d1923uyy6spedc.cloudfront.net\/Practice%20Routine%20In%20D%20Minor%20QT%20-%20Exercises%20-%20Score-1657564660.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DOWNLOAD LESSON RESOURCES<\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"scales\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>D Minor Scale<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>First things first: let&#8217;s play the D Minor scale. D Minor is the relative minor key of F Major, so they both have just the one flat (B\u266d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"d-minor-natural-scale\" style=\"font-size:28px\">D Minor Natural Scale<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Start by playing the scale in its simplest, natural form for one octave, D to D. Remember your tucks and cross-overs! If playing the scale hands together is too challenging, practice it hands separate first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/D%20Minor%20Practice\/D%20Natural%20Minor.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"d-minor-harmonic-scale\" style=\"font-size:28px\">D Minor Harmonic Scale<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If the D Minor natural scale sounds a little funny, you\u2019re not alone. One way to make a minor scale \u201cresolve\u201d nicer is by raising the seventh note. In our case, we\u2019ll add a sharp to C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/D%20Minor%20Practice\/d%20minor%20harmonic%20scale.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"spice-up-your-scales\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Spice Up Your Scales<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Eventually, playing scales up and down will feel easy. And you might feel tempted to zone out&#8230; \ud83d\ude34<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Time to refocus! Try playing the scale with a specific articulation in your right hand. Then do the same with your left. You can try staccato practice on one hand while the other plays legato. Like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/D%20Minor%20Practice\/D%20Minor%20Staccato%20Practice.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Get More Practice Routines Just Like This<\/b><\/h2><p>Subscribe to <i>The Note<\/i> for exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chords\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>D Minor Chord Progressions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, it&#8217;s time for chord practice. You may have heard of the legendary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/four-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">four chords<\/a> that unlock hundreds of pop songs. The original Fantastic Four are C, G, F, and Am. They all belong in C Major as the I, V, IV, and vi <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/diatonic-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">diatonic chords<\/a>, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there&#8217;s a version of these four chords in <em>all <\/em>keys. In D Minor, your magical four chords are <strong>Dm, B\u266d, Gm, <\/strong>and <strong>A.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Dm (i)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/D%20Minor%20Practice\/Dm.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Gm (iv)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/D%20Minor%20Practice\/Gm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"402\" height=\"201\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\"><strong>B\u266d (VI)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/D%20Minor%20Practice\/Bb.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\"><strong>A (V)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/D%20Minor%20Practice\/A.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"basic-chord-progression-practice\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Basic Chord Progression Practice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s start with something simple. Play the Fantastic Four with your right hand and a simple fifth outlining the chord with your left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/D%20Minor%20Practice\/Dm%20Progression%20-%20bigger%20font.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once that feels good, try playing the chords in both hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chord-inversions-practice\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Chord Inversions Practice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve been playing piano for a while, you know just how useful inversions can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-chord-inversions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Inversions<\/a> are when you play the notes of a triad in a different order. Knowing inversion shapes can help you quickly transition from chord to chord. It&#8217;s a useful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/chord-shortcuts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shortcut<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Traditionally, students learned inversions by playing them over and over. This can sound bland, so we encourage you to practice them as part of a chord progression. Like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/D%20Minor%20Practice\/Dm%20Inversions.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weekly-email\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"arpeggios\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Arpeggios in D Minor<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone loves arpeggios. They look impressive and sound beautiful\u2026but minor arpeggios? Minor arpeggios are on another level!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/D%20Minor%20Practice\/Dm%20arpeggios.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, you can make your arpeggio practice more songlike by playing them as part of a chord progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"improvisation\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Creative Exploration in D Minor<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you\u2019ve gotten your scales, chords, and arpeggios out of the way, it\u2019s time for a creative treat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep that progression going on in your left hand\u2014we suggest rocking fifths as an easy rhythm to start with. Then\u2026just play whatever you want with your right hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/D%20Minor%20Practice\/dm%20improv%20-%20fixed.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep to notes found within D Minor and you\u2019ll sound good. Drop a C# here and there too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"concerto\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>BONUS! Concerto No. 3 (Adagio) in D Minor<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Scales and chords are great and useful, but the point of playing piano is to <em>play songs<\/em>. And since we\u2019re in such a D Minor-y mood, let\u2019s play a piece in D Minor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/d1923uyy6spedc.cloudfront.net\/Concerto%20No%203%20In%20D%20Minor%20BWV%20974%20-%20Score-1657564894.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DOWNLOAD SHEET MUSIC<\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This is Bach\u2019s Concerto No. 3 (BMV 974) in D Minor. It was originally an oboe concerto by Alessandro Marcello, but Bach arranged it for keyboard. It\u2019s often called the Adagio in D Minor. If you want to learn more about this piece, <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/OndWnKJ8wC4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here\u2019s<\/a> a short and delightful documentary by the Netherlands Bach Society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Meanwhile, here are some tips for sight-reading a piece like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Look for patterns. <\/strong>Patterns are shortcuts. Right off the bat, we see that the piece opens with a series of repeating notes. That\u2019s an easy first measure!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Learn it hand by hand. <\/strong>Play the right hand part by itself first, and then the left. Get to know how the song feels in each hand, individually, before combining things.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use your bass and treble parts to line up your rhythm.<\/strong> The handy thing about sheet music is the left and right hand parts match up, so you can visualize hand independence this way.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Go slow.<\/strong> Be patient! Speed comes with time. For a piece like the Adagio (which literally means \u201cslow\u201d), you shouldn\u2019t rush anyway \ud83d\ude42<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/2\/28\/Alessandro_Marcello.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"368\" height=\"459\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alessandro Marcello<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"routines\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>More Practice Routines<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you enjoyed this practice routine in D Minor! Getting better at piano is all about practice. But we get it: practice can get boring. So, we\u2019re all about finding practice routines that mix technical skill-building and song-like fun. Here are more Pianote practice routines to keep you progressing instead of falling asleep:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-morning-routine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Ultimate Morning Practice Routine<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-practice-routine-for-beginners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Piano Practice Routine for Beginners<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/classical-piano-exercises\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3 Classical Piano Exercises for Master Playing<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h3 style=\"font-size:22px;\"><b>Master the Piano YOUR Way \ud83d\udd25<\/b><\/h3><p>As a Pianote Member, you\u2019ll get access to our 10-step Method, song library, and growing community of piano players just like you. Plus: get coached by world-class pianists and learn whenever you want, wherever you want, and whatever you want.<\/p><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS<\/a><\/center><br><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A 15-minute piano practice routine in the key of D Minor that includes scales, chords, arpeggios, improvisation, and a bonus piece!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":10680,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1108,1112],"tags":[1069],"class_list":["post-8383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-musicianship","category-practice-musicianship","tag-gsotp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8383"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10823,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8383\/revisions\/10823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}