As you can see, Hooktheory trends does not support searching for songs in minor keys. Not only is this a major oversight, but no one labeled that the trend page is only for songs in major keys,
This makes the trend page terribly inaccurate. If I shared any of these pictures, people would think that the people at Hooktheory had lost their minds. Ironically, there is a “share” button on the trends page. So I can share this top notch analysis, showing that only 3 songs have an i - v chord progression:
I’ve mentioned this before, but it was like shouting into the void.
Can you guys please add support for minor on the Hooktheory trends page, or at least label the page’s limitations correctly so it doesn’t look like it is a massive glitch? Thank you.
The problem is that it is difficult with many pop songs to define a correct mode. Some hear a song in major, others in minor, others might hear the same song even as lydian or anything else. I know that with some songs it’s clear that they are in minor, but others are not so clear. And it might even depend on the listener and his experience to determine which songs are clearly written in minor.
So in Trends everything is viewed from a major perspective. If you are looking for a i - v chord progression instead you have to search for vi - iii.
The examples you have displayed above are not songs which are written in minor but songs which are written in major and somewhere in the middle have a minor i-chord. There’s no wonder there are so few of them.
Thanks, for your long reply. Although you deleted it here I got an email with the full version
Coming from a metal background I listened mostly to songs in minor my whole youth and I also had sometimes to do some “translation” as others would hear a song from a major perspective when I would hear a minor key.
But if we put all our hatred beside, the major key is as versatile with emotions as any other key. Some of the saddest songs I know are written in plain major. Music is so much more than a key. But of course there are many songs which just have this everything is a bit to bright and happy attitude which I can totally understand when it’s hated.
A filter is a great suggestion and perhaps some day we will be able to do something like this, but to tell the trough, it won’t be a priority although it’s still a great idea. Until we do something like that you can train your translation a bit more when a I in dorian becomes a ii in major etc.
