Q. If you have ever studied music theory, you know what I'm talking about (If not, just google "Chord Progression Chart"). Be as detailed as possible. Talk about what would happen if you didn't choose to follow the chart. Don't say, "It has to follow the circle of fifths" without explaining to me WHY that is important.
A. I went through music conservatory as a piano performance major and later did a second upper-level training in theory and composition, and never -- in all that classical study -- ever seen a "Chord Progression Chart."
ADD: I just googled it: this is a form of popular music theory, and specific for guitar playing more than actual 'music theory.' Please Do Not Mistake It In Any Way As Music Theory: what you learn from a chart like that would not qualify you for admittance to or be of any help to you in a freshman college theory 101 class. It may help you learn your way around basic guitar, but if you ever want a handle on music theory, of any sort, I'd ditch it. Thinking in nothing but 'chords' is very "pop theory" and wholly detrimental to your full development as a musician, regardless of musical genre. /// The shock there is another planet of music theory, often at odds with the pop theory terminology, shows up often enough in this category of Y/A, especially when it comes to analysis and identifying chords beyond the basic triads and seventh chords. END ADD
Some chords work, to all ears, better than others going one to the next. Initially, it is what is first learned, classical or other theory, since one has to start somewhere, and from the basics and beginning is almost always the best as well as most logical starting point. I repeat your chord chart has at least as much or more to do with 'the handiness' of playing guitar at a basic level vs. actual theoretic musical use, or other real musical possibility.
After one further investigates theory, there are no 'rules' but only examples of how, formerly, someone else 'made music work.'
If everyone 'followed the chart,' as if it were a law there would be no more music, no need to make anymore, and all listeners would be bored to tears!
Some progressions, within a certain context, may have one chord sounding really 'weak' - and your flow or structure collapse. That same chord, approached with different horizontal voicing of parts - individual lines, in an otherwise similar harmonic context, could sound 'fine.' That is nothing you will learn to do anything about if you are studying 'chord - chord - chord' instead of approaching those chords as a consequence of several simultaneous lines. -- Because, that is after all, how you learn enough to make anything sound good!
No rules, no laws, just examples of what most commonly 'works' or what others before you have made 'work.' At the time, at least in the common practice period of classical theory, what ended up in textbooks was 'breaking rules' of that day!
You are in trouble if you take those examples you study as a rule or 'law.' - you may have to mimic those examples closely for an assignment, that is so you learn how to work them yourself. It is not intended that will be the way you 'should' or will later compose.
That chart, again, is for pop music more than anything, all the conventional progressions, and very much about how to physically negotiate the guitar while mucking about within that set of conventions. It is a list of what has commonly worked and been done before, no more, no less.
Best regards.
How to improvise over a four chord progression?
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
Reference for chord voicings on piano?
Q. Hi, I was wondering if you guys know of any online reference or book with different chord voicing styles? Lol, I have writers block right now and need some inspiration. Thanks in advance.
A. "Chord voicing styles" ... I'm not sure what that means. Are you asking for a chord chart, inversion of chords, or progressions. I personally don't like the approach of writing music from a chord progression; I write melody first and then work on the harmony.
I don't have any ready reference for chord progressions, but you can go to http://www.pianoworld.com/fun/vpc/piano_chords.htm to build chords and scales.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers