Q. Ive been playing the piano my entire life but only a couple of years ago I started exploring jazz improvisation. As of almost a year I've become very interested. Here's my question, I've become quite good at improvising over charts with, let's say, a higher volume of chords. So for example something like I Got Rhythm is one of my favorites. However, I have a lot of trouble creating melodies and just basically improvising with less chord volume. For example a blues or some of Cole Porter's songs with only 4 or so chords, each being used over several bars at a time. I use the many guide tones between chords to make melodies so when there are less chords it's as if I run out of ideas. Any suggestions, videos or links?
A. learn some theory so that you can substitute other chords in place of the stock chord changes. That's really what jazz is all about. I can't just give you a formula because there are sooooo many ways to do it. So don't set a goal of becoming great at this in a short period of time; instead, enjoy the process, the journey, the reward of each little nugget of understanding that you gain. That's what it's like for me when I learn a cool chord substitution... its a little thing that makes my ear happy, and understanding how and when to use it any time I want to do so makes me happy.
Here are a couple to get you started.
Substitute the relative minor for a major chord.
Ex.substitute Dm for Fmajor.
Substitute the relative major for a minor chord.
Ex. substitute F maj for D mi
So lets say you have a chord progression C F G. You could play C Dmi G, or even C F Dm G
Put "secondary dominant" chord in between two other chords.
Example: say you have the progression C F G C. Put a D7 between the F and the G so that you have C F D7 G C. You can do this to the D7 too: put an A7 in between the F and the D7 so you have C F A7 D7 G C
The explanation for why you can do this is too long to get into. Just build a major chord off the fifth of the chord you're going to. Example An A chord is A C E, so the secondary dominant is E7. Going back to the previous example, you can put that E7 in between the F and the A7 so that it leads into the A7. thus we have C F E7 A7 D7 G C.
Substitute the chord that is an augmented 4th or b5 away in place of the secondary dominant. Going back to our example of C F Dmi G C you can substitute a Db7 for the G7 so we now have C F Dmi Db7 C. Notice how this produces nice chromatic voice leading... D Db C.
Extend chords: make major triads into major 7ths or 9ths. Make dominant 7 chords into 13ths. Example: Cma7 Fma9 D-9 G13 Cma9. Doing this right also smooths out voice leading; for example, the 9th of the D is E and that is also the 13th of the G. The root of the D is the fifth of the G13 and the 9th of the Cma9. So this one note can (and usually should) sustain through all three chords.
BTW a "dominant 7th" chord just has a 7 in the name: C7, G7, A7, D7
A "major 7" chord has "major" in the name: Cma7, Gma7, Ama7, Dma7
Both are built on major triads (example C maj triad is CEG)
The difference is the 7th of the chord. A "major 7th" is further up from the root of the chord than a "minor 7th" is. Example if C is the root of the chord, the ma7 is B and the mi7 is Bb.
so, to spell a major 7th chord, you spell a major triad (CEG) and add the major 7th (B). Thus Cma7 is spelled CEGB.
To spell a dominant 7th you spell a major triad (CEG) and add the minor 7th (Bb). Thus C7 is spelled CEGBb
so thats about two years of music theory in five minutes :-) hopefully it helps more than confuses.
Take a good theory class or take some lessons, there's a lot more where that came from and a good teacher will make it a lot easier to learn
What is the most harmonic chord progressions for the Piano?
Q. I understand this is a little broad and heavily opinionated, but what would you say is?
A. AHHHH this is like my dream question. :DDDD thanks for totttallly making my day.
First of all, I'm sorry if some of this isn't clear in my description. I'm a teenager and haven't had the heavy music theory stuff. It's like I know everything that happens in songs and exactly what notes are being played in whatever key I choose, but I just don't know the official names like tonic and dominant and all that. I plan on learning it though⦠:) )
My NUMBER 1 favorite chord progression of ALL TIME is in Angel of Music from Phantom of the Opera. It comes on the lyrics "and I knowwww he's hereâ¦." Let's say it's in the key ofâ¦. Eb major. Cuz I love that key. The chord progression is F minor, Db major, Bb major. It's FANTASTIC. I guess in intervals it would be a major 2nd (minor chord), a major second DOWN from the tonic (I think tonic is the first scale degree) and then your perfect fifth. :D It's amaaaazing you should look up the string version of that. You can hear the chord progression really well.
Coming in at number two would also come from Phantom of the Opera, in the chorus of the Point of No Return. In the key of Eb, the CP would be Cm, G7, Cm, C MAJOR. And the C major chord is just SO PERFECT there! In the words of the Phantom, "â¦could make my soul take flightâ¦" :)
Ummmm the last one I'd say would be one I wrote myself (I'm sure it's been used somewhere else probably), in the first symphony I ever wrote. It was in the key of B minor, and it went Bm, A, E/G#, F#/A#. I really like that one.
That was fun.
:)
Chord Piano players.?
Q. When you have the chords for a song, how do you get a melody from that? Is there a certain order that you play the notes in or something, because I just can't seem to get a good sounding melody.
Please explain in detail. Thanks.
A. If you're going for a BASIC catchy melody, you just need to have the melody follow the chords as they change. let's say you're playing a C E G chord, then you go to a A C E chord. Your melody could be something like [while on 1st chord]C D E G [while on 2nd chord]A.
Being able to write catchy thematic melodies with nice harmonies is something that has to be more intuitive than learned. I can't even really explain how I write catchy melodies so often for people. It's just something I've easily been able to do for clients over the years.
Learning lots of chord progressions can really help with melody development though.
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Title : How to improvise over a four chord progression?
Description : Q. Ive been playing the piano my entire life but only a couple of years ago I started exploring jazz improvisation. As of almost a year I...