Aria in D minor “So oft ich meine Tobackspfeife”, BWV 515

2.2 Meet the minor key

Study the Aria in D minor, BWV 515. Find B flat in the signature and C sharp where the harmony calls for a raised leading note. Learn the sixteenth-note subdivision from its card before playing the written figures; then practise the D harmonic-minor scale.

Ideas

• Relative major and minor
• The natural minor scale
• The harmonic minor
• Sixteenth notes

Theory cards

• The relative minor
• The harmonic minor
• Sixteenth notes

Technique

• D harmonic minor scale, hands separately, 2 octaves
• D minor broken triad, hands separately, 2 octaves