Creating a song with a mixture of Major and Relative Minor Chord Combinations (Autumn Leaves)

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Hi - I’m following a tutorial which is an exploration of the jazz standard Autumn Leaves … https://youtu.be/wETt4u4ZRno?si=6C_agwK0SclSeHOI

The song has 2 repeating chord progressions.

ii - V - I from the major scale : in this case Cmin7 - F7 - Bbmaj7 (Key Bb major) AND
ii - V - ! from the relative minor : in this case Adim - D(m)7 - Gmin7 (Key G minor)

Two points:

i) It would be helpful if the Relative Minor was an option in the ‘Borrow From’ drop down. Now I appreciate that if you know your scales, etc. then you will know that the vii - iii - vi of the major scale is the equivalent of ii - V - I of the relative minor but for simplicity,transparency and ease of use for those of us that are still sticking our toungues out of the side of our mouths and working this out on paper, it would be a real time saver.

ii) A more straight forward theory question. Why does using the D7 rather than the Dm7 in the second sequence work given that it is Dmin that features in these scales and not D which is carrying the major third?

Thanks.
Patrick.

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i) Temporarily switching the project key to the relative minor mode while you’re entering those chords takes 3 clicks and provides exactly what you’re looking for.

grafik

ii) The ii - V - I progression follows the classic predominant - dominant - tonic formula. In order for a chord to have dominant function, it needs to include the leading tone (half step below the root note), which is not the case with the diatonic five chord in minor. That’s why classical composers invented the harmonic minor scale, so that they could have satisfying dominant to tonic resolutions in minor keys as well. I’d suggest learning the basics of functional harmony before diving into jazz standards - that will make things a lot easier for you.

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Thanks for taking the time to respond SilentPaaw. :+1: