T ABLE OF CONTENTS
. . . . . . . . . . .. 2
Introduction l.
5
How to Interpret the Diagrams
11. How to Mernorize Chords
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10
111. Homonyrns......................................................................... 12 DlATONIC CHORO PROGRESSIONS IN MAJOR KEYS
IV. V. VI.
1 ili IV V (1) ........................................................•...•.......... 15 Diatonic Charo Scales (Major Keys) and String Transference
17
Progressions Built from Scalewise Root Movements and
Progressions Built from Scalewise Bass Lines (Major Key) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 24
VII. I vi ti V and iti vi ii V A. B. C.
Short _. . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 26 Longer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 44 Repeated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 48
VIII. The Di.tonie Cyele 01 4th! in Mllior Keys
"
49
PROGRESSIONS USING SUBSTlTUTE CHOROS (MAJOR KEYj IX.
ili7 VI7 ii7 V7(.nd 1 VI? ii7 V7)
X.
üi7 vi7 117 V7 (and 1 vi7 117) V7..................................................... 74
XI. XII.
1117 VI7 117 V7
59
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 78
Recommended Books . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . .. 106
1
r
MOOERN CHORO PROGRESSIONS
VOLUME I
INTROOUCTION
When 1 was flISt leaming to play the guitar, my teacher would come to my house and, if 1 recall correctly, the routine went something like this: He would entcr the house, say helio, ask me ir 1 had practiced (l would lie and say ''yes'' or be more truthful and say "8 littte"), and then say "Let me see the box" (no kidding-this is what he said and, now that 1 think oC ¡t. my first guitar did look something like a box). Anyway, he would take rny guitar, tune ¡t, and then playa tilde chord progression which woold just tloor me. NeedJess to sayo the chards and progressions he would play were quite a few nolches above the simple sounds like e to G7 that 1 was struggling with, and 1just figured that the lhinlS he was doing \\'ere light years away for me. WeJJ, al $Ome stage of the game 1 received rny first chard book and, in a short time, I remember becoming very disappointed with it because, although the baok was teaching me sorne good chord fonns, there were no nice chord prQ&I'eS§jons; there were no little passages that sounded like music; instead, there were just exercises, where you took the same chord forro and moved it up one fret at a time, in order to tearn the names of the form on the different frets. While exercises can be very helpful, most people also like to be able to play sometbing thal sounds like music, to ¡ive thern an incentive to practice; and if that something can be the vehic1e by which they acquire a goad portion of their musical education as well, it seems right to expose tbem to such material, doesn't it? As you might gather, J sincerdy feel that lms book, and the succeeding volumes, aITer yau the opportunity to beoome friends with just such sounds - sounds that wíll not only delight your ears but will, when analyzed carefully, enrích your understanding of sorne of the glories of this phenomenon lhat we call music. It must be pointed out that this book is not for the complete beginner. If you fall into this calegOl)'. it is to your great advantqe to find a good teacher (ask around but shap carefully, as you woutd befare any major in\/estment) he or she wm speed up the learning process and help you to avoid the creation of bad habits. Later, after you are able to play !he basic chords (you willlearn the basic chords from almost any guitar teacher in the world), you will be ready to tackJe this book. Also. in arder to rnost fuUy understand this book, you will have to have a knowledge of the fWldamentals oí music theory (like scales, intervals, keys, key signatures, triads, inversions, and seventh chords). TItis infonnation can be acquired, agajo, from a good teacher or flOm one of the many books on the subject (see recommended list near the back oí this book). The reason that this inforrnation i5 not included in the present volume is lbat it reaUy requires a whole book in itself if the 5tudent wants to thorQughly Jcnow tbese fundamentals and, unfortunately. this is the only way to go if you want to really understand music - it is well worth lh!: time anó effort, so start as soon as you can, and Jet it out of the way. One bright spot - even if you d2n't understand what's going on as Car as the theory aspect of this book is concerned, you will stin benefit in quite a few ways ¡fyou begin praclicing the e'l:arnples given while you are simultaneously Cltching up on muse theory. Sorne of these benefits are: l) You wiU be training aod developing your rmgers, 2) Dcveloping your musical ear (by coming into contact with musical examples), and 3) Sharpening your Icnowledge of the guitar finlcrboard (at lcast Ieaming where aH those weírd chords like e speckled 9th are, even ifyou don't know why sorne oí them havc, say. a fermented fifth yet). Eventualiy, ir you keep working faithfu'ly at your study of music theory, understapding wJ1l enter !he picture, and you will experience the joy of lcnowin&,oCnot only being ab~ to see where everything is coming f1Om, but of being able to make up your own \/ariations using the principies ¡nvolved.
2
You may be wondering what 3 "modero" chord pf'OII'Cssion is. Ask ten different musicians and see what they sayo Probably the only thin&: that most of them wiJl agree about is that ies pretty hard to defme this concepto So why did 1 use this title? Well, the progressions in these books form the backbone for rnuch oC the music written in the 20th, century, so it didn't seem too far off base to use the W'Ord "modern". However, 1 must confes.-. to having thrown in sorne examples in the styles oC sorne earlier eras in music; this was done, quite frank1y, with the hope oí inspiring you to delve more deeply into a study oC the wondeñul sounds len for us by OUI musical ancestors. There is tremendous value, on many levels, in such a study, and you can be sure that the rewards will repay you many times over Cor the necessary time and eneri)' spent. 1 Another lOad question that you may be ask.inS is, "Where does one use a1I tbese progressions?n Although this depends to sorne extent on the individual, there are certain areas that IDost musicians are interested in; sorne oC tbese ! areas are: 1
i
Whether you want to improvise with others oe by younelf, you will probably rllld the going i quite a bit t::asier, in almOtit any type of musico if yoo have a know1edge of chord progressions. ,;
1. Improvising
~
2. Composing - While yoo may be Cortunale enough to be able to write sonp or pieces by "car", the eae can only take you so Car. There are many sounds that you may not have dreamed even existed or, ir yoo did know oC them, maybe yoo dldn't have tbe foggiest idea abaut where to Iook Cor them oe how they were derived. Once you undee· stand the principies of chord progressions, whole new worlds of sound will open up for YOllr use and enjoyment. 3. "Recomposing" - This deals with taking someone else's song ar piece and working it out in yaur own style. As you might guess, a knowledge of progressions is priceless bere also. 4. Arran¡.in¡ - Very similar ro reoomposing o but you mi¡ht also wish to anange your own song or piecc. Virtually every gaad amnger understands about progressions and malees use oC them in introductions, tTtlls", hannonizations of melodies, modulation pasnges, and endings. Earlier ir wa.s mentioned that your musical ear will be sharpened ir you practice the material in this book; this is true in at least a twofold way: Not oniy will your ability to select and hear sounds for your own playing improve, bUl in a like manner, your ability to recognize what others are doin. (on records, tapes, live perfonnances, radio, ete.), will grow, slowly but surely, or if you woek harder, even by leaps and bounds.
.
.
i !
¡ '
There is a strong emphasis on melody throughout the entire book and if you study all the examples, you can be conlident lhat your feeling for melody in general, and Cor melodic variations on chord progressions, will be in pretty good ,hape.
Many of the examples can be applied to different rbythms (soro as jazz-waltzo swing, bossa-nova and others); if you have trouble in this area, a good teacher might be yoor best bet apio. You will probably find that quite a few oC the examples in this book wiil not be as easy to playas YOll, would like them to be - in fact, sorne may even seem impossible at frrst, causing you to grace rny name with a few four.letter titles. DON'T GlVE UP! Remember how hard barre chords were at first? How is it that you can play them now'? One magic word: PRACTICE. You don'! get something ror nothing on the guítar, but Nature has a way of stJ'etching and reshaping your hands ü yoo meet her halfway. Even a person with small hand!, who is willing to ~ will be abIe to play these examples (don't be alanned at cramps, calluses and other assorted aches and pains ... they're all part of Che leaming peocess).
Key words: PATIENCE and DETERMINATION. If you encounter any progression that sounds at all strange or unatteactive to you, make sure you are Ienily playing a11 the right notes, and then play it a couple oC more times. Many times your ear wU1 adjust to sornethinl that, upon flrSt hearing, sounded a httle "out in the twinkies". and you may even begin to reaUy like sorne of tbese sounds. (Sorne people who do not respond very favorably to modern chords ato flISt o acquire a passionate lave fOl them, with continued exposure.) Actually, It is a good habit to repeat every progress.ion o no matter what your feeli~ are toward ito because there is a stIong possibility that yoo will hear new things in then: each time (eveJ'Y choro progression is really a col1ection of melodies being heard simultaneousJy, and your ears might latch on to different ones of these melodies at difCerent times).
3
I
lt is highly recornrnended that you go through ihis book in order, thoroughly absorbing the principIes and at least sorne of the examples in each section before moving on lo the next. The book is laid out in such a fashion that this is the onIy way to get tbe most oUt of ir; if you skip around, you are doing yoursclf an injustice; tite reasons for this will only be clear arter you have gone rhrough (he book in order.
As you play through tlle progressions, you wilJ probably wonder why many of thero are so shoet. There is good reason for this. If you \Itere to ana1yze the chord progressions of many dífferent songs or "c1assícal" pieces, you would lloUce that the same short progressions keep appearing over and over again but in different combinations with each other, and these short chord progression combinations fonn much of the bulk of these songs OT pieces. 10 be sure, there are sorne longer prog.ressions tbat are commonJy used, and thc~ will be covcred as well (mainly in Volumes 2 and 3). But even these longer progressions are often derived from the shorter progressions, so we can amI should consider these common short progressions to be our essential building blocks. You may be asking, "How wiU 1 Iellro how to combine all these progressions'!" Good quesüon. Mainly by experimenting andjor using the principies to be given Ílt Volumes 2 and 3, no! to mention lt;arning by observing how others have dealt or are dealing with the subject. The short progressions are systematically arranged according to certain concepts which win become clear as you go; these progressions utilize vietually aH of the most important chord forms and the entire fingerboard, while offering enough varialions so that, in aJllikelihood. you will havc little desire or need to create more, even though you wiU be thorough.Jy able too The ¡ooger progressions are less systematic:, while not being totally witbout Jogic that you wiil be able to relate too In case you are curious, systematic variation techniques on thesc longer progressions will be given in Volume 2. Finally, while H is absolutely in your best interesl to play through anlhe examples gjven, don't fee1 as though you have to spend your time rnemorizing alJ of them; this is neither necessary nor desirable because your time is precious and you don't need to know, say, thrce hundred different ~..a ys to play the same progression before you can start work· ing 00 another. You wHI naturally want to memorize sorne of your faverites though and please remember that the shoet propession& are eventually going to be combined with each other, as wcll as with longer progressions. and with other harmonic tool5. Sincerely hoping that this boolc, and its brothers to follow, will be stimulating, rewarding and enjoyable.
I ,
I
HOW TO INTERPRET THE DIAGRAMS
The type oC diagrams used in this book are lhe standard ones used fOf guitar. The fol1owing points are given with the hape of clearing up DOY coní"usion on how lo Tead them: The vertical lines are the strings; the horizontal lines are the (rels.
2. The fret rhat the chafd is to be played on is indicated by
ti
number to the left of the djagram. Example:
~ ,,,,,,, .FT_ ~I"
3. The dots (darkened-in circles) in lhe diagrams are the notes of the chard and only tbose strings whích contain notes are to be pll1yed - 1n other words. your rigbt hanó should only pluck (hose particular strings Ihat llave the dais. 4. Speaking of pluck, the progressionli in thi!;; book wen: geared to be pJaycd without a f1at pick, tbat ¡s, they are meant to be played uf;ing only the thumb and fingcrs of the righl hand (howe\'er, ir you are accustomed to using a thumb pick or finger picks or both. this book is also right up your alley). Now maybe many of you have never played with your fingen up till now and might he hesitant to leam. There is nothing ro fear - SUTe it wiJI be awkward for a week or two but the benefits that follow soon after this. far outweigh the initial period of discornfort. The two main benefits are: 1) the ability to play all the notes in a chord ar the sarue time; most peoplc fmd the sound produced by this techniquc to be very attractive; 2) the availability of many new chords that are very impracticaJ when approached with JUS! a llat pick. Oue bonus of playing finger·style: Once you ha't'c gotten 'used to it, lhe sensation ofyour fingers grabbing the strings on four or five·note chords just feels greaL Okay. so how do you go about getting ioto this type of right hand technique if you are a complete beginner at it1 A few simple guidelines are all you real1y need: a. Yow thumb (T) should strike the 10west (thickest) string involved in Ihe ehord; yaur olher fingers just gel added on "in order" (starting witb the 1st finger) according to haw rnany other notes are in the chord. Examples:
5
!
II ,,
".",.,
~T'''' , 3 5
, 'T'.' 5
T,.., 3
T''''
y I
'A'
.,., ..,
.,. .la}
I
.,. ,..,
¿
, Don 't be alarmed if yon can't quite play mese ex.amples yet; the main thing rigIlt now is to understand how you will use your rigbt hand in plucking the strings. b. Almost aU guitarists who use their bare thumb and fingers for plucking have round it necessary to lel their nails grow here so as to produce a ciearer and cleaner sound. c. Holding your right wrist up away from the guitar puts your fingers into a position wl1ere it is easi~r to achieve 800<1 tone, accuncy and speed. This posture may seem a little awkward al ftrst (mainly because it's new to you) bul graduaIJy this beco mes an incredibly relued way to play. As far as how high to hald the wrist. just staft out with a moderare height (about 2 to 3 ¡nches) and ¡raduany you will fllld yourself going up higher automatically (although al fInt, you wiJI probably keep lending to go lower if you den'l k.eep a pretty constanl eye on the situarion). Incidentally, if you play with a thumb pick, yoo won't be able to hold your wrist up as far and, in fact, you may not fmd it desirable lo hold you! wrist up al a11; experiment and see what you think. d. As far as Ihe actual plucking of the strings goes, all you need lo do is usqueeze" gently lo produce a sound. Exceptions to lhis arise when dealina; with a chord that has six notes in ¡t. In such a case, one recommended approach is to just use your thumb io strum all the strings. 4. Optional notes will be symbolized by " ínstead oE Ir optional noles ~ given, it's worth your while lo inv~tigate the subt1e differences that resuit froro their inclusion. If more than one optional note is given, try a1I posslble t:ombinations. 5. Open slrinllS wil] be symbolized by a dol "above" !he diagram if!he diagram is on 1sI fret (as al left). If á ~ diagram were on, say, the 4th fn:t and a note was above the diagram, Example: this note would be on the 3rd fret, Dot o~n, unless otherwise I indicated.
m.
6. In many chords, more than one goad fingering is possible (referring to the left hand now); but in certain progrelSions, sorne fingerings are definitely more advantageous than others and so in theJe cases, if there was a reasonable degree of doubt as to whether or not you would readiJy see the best rmgering, it was written below the diagram. Example; Sometimes the "best" fingering will onJy provefso in the long ron "7 4 and you might think il is the worst fUlgering at frrst, causing.you te> jump lo an erroneous UlIumption about the marital status of rny parents at the time of my birth. But have faith, the fmgering is there for a good reuon and has been successful1y tested witlt .. , . .. , . .. 3+1 .. I H& 4students. ,.qr _ _1/04 . By the. way. coneemin¡ left hand fingerin&: 1be index fmger is cOl1!iaered to be the flISt finger, the uliddle finler is the second, and so on; if the thumb were to be used, ir would be indicated by a T.
!
*'
6
7. ... .J .....1bi! symbol between two notes of two different diagrams means that you should hold the note and let it rin¡ but not pluck. it again in the second diagram (in other words, Id the note SUSTAIN fiom one chord to the nut; this will make sense when you encounter this type o( situation). 8. When you see symbols with the 2nd or 3rd finger on two adjacent strings, tbis is often going to requirr: yoo to use a special technique !hat we will call the double stop. We can defme the double stop as a technique where you come down with the tip of your finger right between two strinWj, so as to sound them both. Unless you are lucky enough to have wide fingen already, this is not goin¡ to work. out too weU at fint (sound famili.aJ1) However, (bere he goes again), just lceep on practicin' - Magically enough, more skin will appear on the tips of YOUT fmgers, enabling yoo to 8U.ccessful1y execute these double stops. A goad way to spced up your development in this area is to practice on a classicaJ (nylon string) guitar; as you prohably know, the fingerboard is much wider and the strings are farther aparí than on other types of guitars. This will rnake it even hardcr to cope with double !ttops, but somehow this is good. Whatever it is that produces more skin will produce it faster when ir keeps receiving signals that yoo are in e1ire need of help; aJso there are sorne goad psychological reasons, that nccd not be explained here, fOl occasionally practicing on a classical guitar.
Thece are certain types or cases where you have the 2nd, 3rd or even tlle 4th finRer covering two adjacent strinP. OOt in which you will find that it is more advantageous to flatten yow finger across both string,s instead of trying to come down bdween them in !he manner of !he double stop. Examples
~i
..4'3
A general guideline for deciding when to fiarten and when to double stop might be something like: If the two adjacent notes are al the top oC the chocd (in terms oC pitch), use the flattening technique; if they are in the bass or towards the bottorn of the chord. then use tne double stop. However, to help yon, double stop fingerinss will actually be notated with a titt1e connecting line to distinguish them from the Oattening technique: Example: Oh yes, don't be discouraged if yon aJways have trouble double--stopping on the classicaJ guitar; it will always be pretty rnuch of a battle on the wide neck, but it wiU serve to make the technique surprisingly easy on the electric guitar, which ¡s, quite fnnkly, the instrument that this book is most suited fo!. During aU this taIk about double stops yoo may havo. aslced yo rself, "Why does this nut want me to use these things, anyway?" or "What good will they do me?" Fair enou¡h; you deserve sorne answers to these - sorne oC the most importünt benefils oC the double stop lechnique are: ]) the ability to play chords that could not be played any other way. 2) lhe ability to play some chords on higher frets th_n would nomially be practica!, and 3) the freeing of an extra finger, which can be used foc certain melodic effects while you sustain the chord (more on this ro come).
a
9. lt is very imporllnt lo always strive for cleanliness in al1 chords; by cleanliness, it is meant thal a1l notes which are 5lIpposed to be sounding should be doing just ¡hato Obvlous, you say1 Maybe so, bul it has been my experience lhat it is easy lo deceive yourself on lhis matter by taking it Cor granted. Far instance, suppose yoo are given the foUowing chord: A~ Let us suppose that you try and play it but, for sorne 1 reason. you eithec miss el muffie the note on the (ourth' string, thereby producing the following sound: Now, this chord has a nice sound to the ear, but it is not what was intended; if you are aware, as you play this chord, that somethina is not quite right, then you will go back and with a Hule extra practice, correet the problem. But the big danger lies in not even realizing that an error exists. (You won't ever COtTect a problem if you don't know ·that it .is there to begin with.) 1f your eae cannot detect these errors yet, try arpeggiating (holding the chord down and pluclcing each note of the chord one at a time) chords and progressions to check your accuracy. Eventua1ly, there wiIJ be no nud foc this. as you wí1l be able to teH whether or not you are rnaking the intended sounds, but until this h.a:ppens, mue it.a hab,t to check yourself quite often.
7
10. If you encounter a diagram with indications for one finger on tWQ different frets, don't be alarmed; this is what George Van Eps calls the 5th fmger principie, and YOll can be sure that it is practica!. Here is an example: ..,.-l
tAt~m
l
s:?
To perforrn this technique. the ..ti2. of your fmger gets one note, and me side of the 3rd ~--su joint oC the finger gets the other: in the tase illustrated here, the tip of your 1st finger .,... get.'i the bass note (A) while the side of the 3rd joint of yaur 1st finger gets the G# note on the 1st string. Compared lo sorne of the other te<:hniques fOU have already leamed on the guitar, this one is re1atively easy,
1 J. In order to indicate moving melodic lines with a sustained chord. the folJowing symboh are used: The symbol x indicates a note that is added to the chord, after Ihe chord has heen sounded, and while the chard is still rinKini (try not to muffie any of thc ringing chord notes while you bring in this new note). ExampIe: A...? ln this diagram, your right hand wouid pluck the 6th, 4th and 3rd slrings together ando while they were stitl ringing, you wOllld pluck the 5th string ~ 7th ftet (E). 1t would look like this in music notation:
Sometimes you may wish to mume the string you have just H(;ome from", Example:
1
This e note and the B note (x) 1l)ight tend to clash (this is a matter of personal laste) to your ear.i, so in placing the 4th finger on the B note, you may choose to Iightly brush against the 2nd string, thereby stopping the sound oC the e nole, However in a situabon Iike the following, YOll will probably agree that the e note and Bb note (x) sound great, when ringing togcther. So experiment in cases like these and jusi let your ears be tbe final judge.
I
I
If more than one x appears in a diagram, bit aH the x"'s together (aCler the chord). Example:
f7... J
Ir an x appears on top oC a regular note
X, fint ¡nelude the note as part oC the chord and then treal it as an x.
Example: I
Gol'
,. , i 8
The !yrnbol o indicates a note to be played after aD x. Example:
tt-7
3fm~ _....,~
As with x's, iC more than one O appcars, play thero together Carter lhr: x's).
Any pro¡:ressions whic:h contain melodies that are more complicated than what has been discussed so far, will be indicated in musical notation only (no diagrams). Thls situation wiU not arise in Valume l. lf left hand fingerings are indicated in a diagram which contains x's or 0'5, these fingerings indicate the initial chard sound anly unless atherwise indicated.
Tbe naming oC chords wilh x's is reaJly debatable. Far instance:
Both approaches are fine and yon will see hoth af them used, so don't expect consistency here. Why? Because as you will see, there are times when ane approach would be ridiculous, and vice versa. Example:
POOR
BETIER
5 ,,ec ....
a ..
tIt1f' ..,." . . . D ... '" _ JIU""
)CUI
J~
Mast situatíons are toss-ups though as far as the naming goes, so be Oexible. IC you are ever writing YOUI own examples, it's not worth splitting hairs overo
9
12. You won't have much trouble understanding the names oC chords, but a few poiots should be mentioned: a) a s1ash through a number means major (Example: ~= Major 7th); b) + means sharped 5th unless it comes befare 11 (+ J 1) in which case it mean! sharped 11 th; e) sus.is an abbreviation foe the word suspended which means that the 3rd has been replaced with the 4th (it also has another meaning bul you needo't worry about it in this book).
HOW TO MEMORIZE CHORD5
Durina: the course oC this book you will probably encounter quite a few charos that you have never played before, and you might wonder if there ¡s a quick. way lo memorize them. Ves and no. While the leaming process never seems to 10 as quickly lIS we would like it to, there are a few things that rnight speed it up a bit for you: 1. Many guitar playen learn new chords quickly by re1ating thero visually to chords they already know. Example: Suppose you encounter the following cherd for the fim time.-... and after playing it, YOU
'1~ decide that you like the sOW1d enough to want to memorize it. Suggestion: try relatihg it visuaHy to:
i
I
You can probably see tbat this type of operation will work well jr yau already knQW guite a few cherds. Now Let"s suppose you don't~ here is a simplified vemon of the sarne thing (quite a few pla~rers also use this approacb): 2. Divide the neck. up into five main areas for any major er minor chord aOO use these: areas as reference points fOl' any chard that yau learo. Far instance, using th.e A major chard as a model, the fJve areas would be:
,
10
A
You could relate il lo Ihe 4th orea ea!Üy.
Now suppose you encounter tJtis chord for thc flrst time:
A f
fHf
Or wppose you encounter the foUowing:
This can be euily relaled lo lhe finl area (transposed lO
ThereJ!d1L.be chords that don't seem to neatly faU into one area. such as:
71+++'fl
A chord such as this can be related to one of two areas or both of them:
Dominant 7th type chords can be related to the major chord areas: Suppose you encounter this chord for tbe fll"St time:
it lOes with
Diminished and augmented chords are more easiJy leamed by the third technique (given below) or by some otber
method of your own devising.
II
el
The five main areas as a modcJ):
fOI
minor chords are (using Am
7
, Another good technique
fOI
learning chords is:
3. Remember the chord by where the TOot is; tbis way assumes that: a) tbefe is a root in the chord somewhere; b)you are able to locate it; and e) you know the names of the notes on the fingerboard. Far instance, suppose you have neveT leamed this chord: but you have declded that you would like to so that you can use it as a reference in the 7 five-area concepto The root in tbis chord i~ on the: 4th string, so if you know the names of your notes on the 4th string, you will be able to transpose it and rnemorize it fairly • easily by focusing on the root a.o;¡ a visual anchor point. This technique takes practice but it works very well. esp~cially as a last fesort when the other techniques don't seem lo be doing !he jobo But remember to effectively use this, you should Imow the note names on the fingerb03.rd. (fo leitrn this, you might wish to make up drills Iike: "Find the"A notes on each string; likewise with B, e, D, etc.; then Ah, Bb, erc., then AfI, B'-, etc." al any other dril! you can think up that seems effectiye; or )'ou can work on your note reading _. tbis too wi1l eventual1y teach you the note names on the fInger· board - see recornmended book li5t at end of this volume.) Most players use a rombination of all three methods outlined here, so experiment with all of them tUld you will fmd what works best for you.
A
¿
HOMONYMS Webster's dictionary defines the word homonym aS "a word with the same pronunciation as another but with a differcnt meaning." In otber words, the two words saund the sarne but come from diffcrent places (like read and reed or principal and principie). In playing through this book, you are going to enCOllnter charó homonyrns, that is, chords that sound the same but have different origins and names. For instance:
1
1 So which name i5 right for trus chord? It depends on the siruatioR.
If you are working with the progress.ion. sayo Em Am. and you see this chord being used in place of Ero, guess what ifs going to be cal1ed (how about Em6?).
Likewise. if you are working with C#rn7 F#7 Bm and you run mto this chord being used in place oC C4Itrn7, YOU can expect it to be narnt:d C#m7b5. Finally if you are working with Em 7 A7 D and you rmd this chord being used in place of A7, then it will be called
.1\.9. So. as you can see, the naming of hornonyrns will be dctermincd by "what is easies'" or just plain common sense. (Hawcvcr, it must b~ mentioned that there are advantages in sometimes going with a name other than the one dictated by cornrnon soase. These advantages have to do with advanced chord substitution concepts and wandering into related keys, but they will have to be coyered later.) Memorizing a chord form with more than ane name (such as the aboye) might be a liUle confusing at first, but ir you apply the principies given in the section "How to Memorize Chords," you will do just fine after awhile. You will have to know a1l the useful names for a chord form or you will just be making it hard for yourself in the long runo
12
,
DIATONIC CHORD PROGRESSIONS IN MAJOR KEYS Sorne of the most common chord progressions are those using only chords derived from a major scale. Because of their beauty and the bright, happy sound thcy produce, thousands and thousands oC musicians have been attracted to these progressions. Also, from a theoretical standpoint, they are very important because they fonu the foundations for many oC the advanced sounds that arise out of certain substitution prim..1.ples. The following inforrnation is given to make sure that YOll, first oC all, know just what chords can be built using only the notes of a major scale (the Key of e will be used for demonstration purposes but the infonnation can be transposed tú all other keys too). In other words, every chord in the following lis! contains only notes that are found in the e majar scale. These chords are said to be DIATONIC to the key ofC (in this book, diatonic means: using only notes ofthe seale). You will already know rilUeh of this infonnation (remember this book assurnes that you understand the basic fundamentals of music theory - see the Introduetion if you missed this point), but if there are sorne chords in this list that perplex you as to their eonstruetion, rest assured tbat if yon analyze the ehord fonns (ehord forrn here meaos the same thing as ehord diagram) you will meet in this book, you will understand the eonstruetion of virtually anyehord. Analyze, as used here, means to find out what tones of the ehord are present and aecounted for (many ehord forms leave out 5ths or roots oc even other tones sornetirnes). Examples: Given
Given
S
I
,:/,
Analysi.s :
>
Analysis:
The 3rd and 5th are rnissing
Twa questions you might have at this poiot: 1) "How do I know what tones are supposed to be in an 11 th ehord (oc any ather ehord, for that matter) to begin with?" and 2) "How do I know what tones can be len out of any chard?" /' The answers to the first question can be gotten from, you gucsscd it ... a good teacher; or froro my frrst book, CHORD CATASTROPHE (also known as CHORD CHEMISTRY), amongst other books. However, if you cannot afford either of these alternatives at the moment, just remember that chords are built in 3rd intervals (if you are still asking "WhaCs a 3rd interval?", I'm afruid that you will have to get a teacher and/or sorne basic theory books, 36 explained in the lntroduetion). CHORDS BY 3rd INTERVALS Triad, - 1 3 5 Illhs - 1 3 5 7 9 11 7th, - 1 3 5 7 13th, - 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 9th, -13579
- Very general vicw
The answer to the second Question can be found through sheer ohservation. As you progress through this book, you will see many chords with "rnissing" tones; many chords that have missing tones are used to create smooth VOleE LEADING (voice leading is the art of eonneeting eaeh note of a given chord with eaeh note in a follawiog chord. See CHORD CHEMISTRY .. Section 13.) El 2779
13
Usualiy these missing tones are e.ither the 5th aT the root, as mentioned befare, but don'l be shocked ir any otht::r tone is left out. The main thing to roncem yourself with is leaming good sounding chord forms, and learning how to Ule them. and these two points are what this book ís abaut. Anyway, on with the show ...
The diatonic triads in the by of e are:
e Dro Ern
The diatonic 7th chords in the key of C are:
F G Am 6 0
C~ Dm7 Em7 F;t G7 Aro7 Bm7b5
A complete list or the mast commonly used diatonic chords in the key or e including thc EXTENSIONS (extensions are chords lhal add other diatonic notes on to lhe diatonic triads al diatonic 7th chords) i~: (capital Roman numerals indicate a major triad) 1: C, C'I-, CÓ, C/9, CÓ/9, C\l, CH-. (C'fIÓ. Csus. C/9sus) h: Dm. Dm7. Dm7/ll, Dm/9, Dm9. Dmll, (Dm7/Ó, Dm6, Dmsus) w: Em, Bm7. Em7/11, (Em7b9, EID ..... Em7+) F.
n,
Fó, F/9, Fó/9, F~ FH-. F/9+ 11, F6/9+ 11, F;t+ 11, F,\l+ 11, (FT/ó, F/+ JI, F+.>+ 11)
G, G7, G7/ó, G9, G13, G7sus, G9sus (usuaJly callcd GIl). Gl3sus, G7/ósus, Gsus, G7/IJ. Gó VI: Am. Am7, Am7/11, Am/9, Am9. Amll. (Am+, Amsus. Am/9sus. Am7+) vu: BO. Bm7b5, Bm7b5/11, Bm7/IJ (no 5th), (Bm7bS<;5)
also called B~ diminished 7th and written like B;? --- both symbols .....i ll be used in Ihis book. These chqrds can be and have beco combined in counUess ways; for instance, in the Haroque period of music (rough1y 1600(1750), mosUy triads and to a lesser extent, 1thchords, suspensions and addctl9ths were used. Example:
t
e I
JI
Vi
x
In modern times, the 7ths aud extensions are used very often, with the triads playing a lesscr role. Example:
,
S
Ff'
f Vi
11
Vou rnay have noticed in examining the Roman Numeral symbols under tllesc two progressions tha1 1hc numbers Ivi ü V and IV V 1 appear in both; these are two examples of what we will ca1J HARMONIC FORMULAS (meaning progresslons, fhat because they are so well liked. are canslmUy used by musicians as a basis for improvisation. rompositian, anangin¡ and what have you). As you can imagine, it is very important to be well acquainted with hannonic formulas, and part of the funetion oC this book will be to cover this aspeet of the study of chord progressions, in great detai1. The first ane we are going to work with is: [ili IV V (1). Only triad symbols will be used for diatonic harmanic fonnulas (in other words, even if a prop-ession uses, say C/9 Em7 F/9 G7sus C~. in a general sense it is stilll iü IV V 1, eveu though specifiooly it is 1/9 üi7 IV/9 V7sus I?-).
14
The exarnples in this book will only be given in one key each, but it is important to be able to play them in all keys (where this is physically possible); so it is a good idea to at least transpose your favorites ioto aH the keys. How· ever, sorne .chords, especially sorne very modern voicings coming up lateT, sound preUy terrible in low registers (that is, on the lower frets) so let your ears be thc guide in determining how low to take any progression (if you don't understand this, you will when you encounter the problem).
I iii IV V (1)
(j) 5
1'mit
I
15
lQ.(.,c e.. 7
E;,..7
D1ATONIC CHORD PROGRESSION:
1 üi IV V (1)
...ft:··L,
3
I
...
"
1
,'"
+
El9
~IJ
"
1
ü can substitute for IV because thcy are virtually the satne chord - like F#m7 = A6 (the homonym ooncept).
16
Occasionally
@j:(1t
l:I.
non·diatonic note will be thmwn in for color; thcy wiJI be discussed later.
E~
1!-7
,
~
5
";¡1~ ~7
@
1"
"
t!.Al/TloN: It is important to THINK when you are first Jearning any chord progression to get the information to sink in. The two things to thinl. Iibout when playing chord progressions. chord scales(to be discussed beJow) or what have you, are: 1) The n.mes ofthe chords, and 2)the "numbtTs"(like 1 ¡ji IV V). 1t won't bccasy al first, butin the long run, you will be:: able lo do more, be more crealive if you can play and Ihink logether.
D1ATONIC CHORD SCALES AND STRING TRANSFERENCE
1Ia-('(" e Play lbe following:
5
F
E.-.. •
/O
,
G 1
..J.
This is what !'vill be rcfcrred to as a DIATONJC CHORD SCALE in a majar key (C in this case) - for short, we will just call it
17
""r-«c. You would get the following chord scale~ rn(,'r 3 J_
Starting from this choró:
5
I
I
1$:'
..
"""
u.
F
.l.
11
..
,
,
F
J
,
I
As you might have guessed, chord scaJes using diatoníc 7th chacds 'Can aJso be pJayed on the guitar. Hero is an C~
example: Slarting from Ibis chon!:
You would gel Ihe following:
,
I:.'t
,
I
S
j
Et-1
lO
......., lO
~7
Aeo1
753
......7
1
The principIe is the same as ibat described aboye foc triads, that ¡s, you just move all the notes in !he next notes in the major sca1e, theceby creating the other chorós.
e
Now try lhe following: ,
ClI
...., I
1f.-7
7
1
,:~
lO
~
up to the
.,
7
This chord scale utilizes a technique that will be referred to as STRING TRANSFERENCE. Notice that this technique enables yeu te playa IOlj,j;er chord s¡;aJe. The secret of being abJe to utilize this technique Iies in the foUowing guidelines: higher .,.
rIJ
lower
<. ¡:¡:m:¡
1. Te find tbe same chord voicing on the next higher group of strings, move a1l the notes in the chord over to the next higher group o( strings; retain the same visual shape unless any note has landed on the 2nd string, in which case you move the note.!rn one Cret; now move the whole chord clown Ove frets (or up seven i you want to hcar the same chord an octave higher). Now that you're probably totally 10st (seriously, ifyou are, read the directions slowly once more); herc is an example:
18
ttW:1
is the saine as
....'7 Here are the steps involved, as described aboye: . ..,
J).a"
5W
/O
•
,,'. ,..
.. -+
JOOIl
~
More ex.llmples: (,,:Jo
I 2. To find the same chord voicing on the next lower group of strings. move all the notes in the chord over to the next lower group of strings; retain the same visual picture lUlless any note has landed on the 3m string, in which case you move this note down one fret; now move lhe whole chord up live frets (or down seven ir you want to hear the
same chord an octave lower). Examples: ~:¡.
L'
.c~
7
Mere are Ihe steps involved. as deSf.:ribed aboye:
j,
ffiI.. .tí:t±:tJ
...
-~
..
>
7 ,..rn;.,.,
-+
MIICI: &k'~:
I¡t,
J
A~
6H:OO
, The slring lransference principie can be helpful in situations where you sturt to "run out oC room". For instance, while the following is theoretically possible: it is nol (hat easy to play the chords on mch high frels (abo, t "
.,
lhe sound is weaker up there 00 the lower strings).
19
But ,
usin~
the string transference principie, you might play any of the following instead:
~1
e.;,.
11-7
"'
"
,.
4-7
...
,
~
lO
.....'
7
E..7
F", ,
•
• NaturaJly. all of the inforrnation discussed in this section can be applied to any and all keys. Examples: Key of G
3
J
7
I
lO
r
,
,.
/O
11.
"".
,
PHT_7
'Iij
..,;-
Also, the principIes apply to minor scales and keys, but this will be covered late!. A knowledge of chord scaJes wiU prove to be most valuable for the serious guitarist; many, many ¡de.as spring from sUl;h knowledge. PRACTICE MATERIAL:
The following is a list of chord forros to start your chord sca1es from; the fonns that would be derivcd (rom the string transference rncthod are grouped together (if this is not cIcar, it will be when you practice building the chord scaJes from aH the forms). The fonns are given in the key of E, but you slIould practice them in a11 keys eventually,
20
FORMS FOR DIATONIC CHORD SCALES IN MAJOR KEYS
E
E.
E
1
2.
11
You will Batice that these are 1st inversions; there i:; a ¡;ertain magil: in 1st inversion ehord ::leales that seems to have drawn compasen and players to use them more fre(]uently than rheir root position ar 2nd inversion brothers, but this is üllly tme as far as 4-note triads go, llot 3-note triads ar 7th chords. One more poil1t tha! should he mentioned here - these ehord scales wil! he more fun and will sound more inlerest· ing if you decorate them. By decoratían, 1 mean "breaking lherrt up" in certain ways such as: 1) de1üying notes.
Examples:
~
A
A
E
7
7
2.
\
,
:1-
This technique involves finding two interesting ¡ntervals in a .chord and alternating rhem. This is whar George Van Eps caUs the "team concept", Actual1y, 1 think George refers to it as this only if separate "tearos" oí fingers are used in the len hand. Por instance, getting two notes with one finger would not be applying the "team" concept.
2) Using moving lim:s built from ulltcr uialunic scalc lunes. Examples:
;
~
1
Moving Hnes are more easily physicallv played when working with 3-note triads. Here are sorne more chord forms (this time - 3 note triads) for chord scalcs ano foUowing thern, a few more examples illustrating the moving Hne concepto
21
il.
7
7
"
I
5'
Ié I
E.
E.
•
1
t
• E. I
,n'r:I This pattero combines lhe delay principie and a mO\'ing line. Yoo will probably wanl lo tift off your 2nd finger from the A note in arder 10 play Ihis D#; sometimes ~ituations like this are unavoidable on the guitar.
'1tttH
7
Notice that tbe moving effect is lransferred to different yoiees altcmately in this example. A1su natice that the pattem starts on IV, nat 1; patterns using chord scaJes can start on
7th CHORD D1ATONIC FORMS (MAJOR KEY)
Try building diatonic 7th chords from the following fonns:
.,
lo'
U
1:Z
U
ElI
1
El,
~
~,.
q
¡"mi:¡
Remember to go down in aH your chord scales, too (that is: E:r D'ilrJ7 CIFm? B7 etc.)
..,.
"
, rn-n-
I
. 1
1
7
...
l' Breaking these cb.ords up softens 't
Examples oC sorne decoration:
the dissonance.
USlItIJII;
~...
23
. • . ...... .. ... ..... .. .... ..... ••.• .
SWR and SWB PROGRESSIONS This section wilJ deal with two typcs or progrcssions: L PROGRESSIONS BUlLT FROM SCALEWISE ROOT MOVEMEt-:TS (Majo, Key) (wilL be abbrevialed: SWR) Another name for these progressions might be "Progressions dcri'icd fram diawnic chord scales". Analyze the examples &i..-en and yon will see why. 2. PROGRESSIONS BUILT FROM SCALEWISE BASS UNES ~lajor Kcy) (wiIL be abbreviated: SWB) Many pio,;ccs o[ music have been written llsing these kil1ds of sounds and you will probably find thero to be very attract\ve. The logic hehind them will be cIear ir you understand your fundarncntals uf music theory conceming jnversiQDS. tf you don't. eojo)' them anyway, but if YOll want to conSiluct similar variations, you rna)' have to gel YOUT music theory aet together. Also, Valum..: 2 will go into thi~ subject of "BassProgressions" ver)' thoroughly. The few brief examples presented hefe are jost Uteasers··.
24
K...t~E .1t.J~
,'hTIE
,
"""7 1lm ~ ,
¡
8
,
I vi ü V (and iii vi ü V) Another imponant diatonie hannonic formula is 1 vi ti V (and the closely related ili vi ti V). 1llls progJession has been UJed as much IS probably any other in the history of music. lt is especiaUy common to fmd this proaression used IS an "opener", meaning the fint progression in a SODg or piece. You will probabty wonder why so many examples oC fuis progression are given ("Look Mabel, this SUY Greene's gane cruy - more than twenty pages on the same progres~on. "). Mainly to show just what can be done with a simple harmonic formula, and also Cor the purpose oC exploring the entlre fingerboard from rnany different angles. AlI 1 ask i5 that you give each example a Cair shake, meaning: playeach one al leut a couple oC times with a reasonable amounl of continuity and smoothness befare rnakilll any value judgment about iu worthiness. As mentioned earJier, you may mn into physicaJ difficulties at first which will prevent you from being abJe to hear the ¡ntended sound of sorne progressions. In these Ca9CS, continued practice ofthe examp1es which pose the problems will help you in another way: the progressions then become your friends as fu as devcloping th.e necessary manual dexterity and coordination which are essential to coping with this difficult instturnt\nt. Remember to pay close attcntion to the len hand fmgering where it is indicated.
You may be curious as to hoVo' the many variations on a given hannonic formula are organized. MainIy by melodies (melody bere refers to the higbest pitch in the chords in almost: al1 cases) starting from different forms (chord !ih&pes). While playing through the examples in order, you will become aware of this. Remember, they are meant to be played in order. One more tbing: You should always try resolving the V to J. Sorne of the examples will give you ideas on how to do trua, especia1Jy in the fllSt few pages, but after dtis, yon're on yon.. own. (Volume 2 will llave complete charts on !he resolution of V to l.)
26
AH t:xamples are givcn in the keys uf e or E at first, laler in variuus keys. This is done to avoid monotony which can creep in if you stay in one key too long. In faet, if anything in music ever sounds monotonous to you, changing the key can be like a breath of fresh airo Try it and see_ Say you know a song in the key of G. Changing it to E or B \ViII make a lot oí" ditIerence. ("Yeah," you're saying, "1 won't be able to play it any more.") Seriously, do try changing keys on any of these if you g¡:t bOTed and, as rnentioned before, naturally, you shouJd transpose, at least your favorites, to a1l keys ir possible.
~~C
S
.....7
3
27
r
CO\~ I
I
28
Remember, tlle IIngering applies lo lhe ., not the x (unJess otherwise indicated).
5'
,
• ji
_.. l'
• . . . 'd".,.-
l1I'r Jo
29
,
30
C-7
, 31
F",,7
5:
32
7
,
Q
,
S
etJ:"T*" F"tn7 7
7
.87
33
PI.)J,w¡7 1"· •
I
C-1
8
,
C.7
.....1
';"'7
t:tt:tJ:j1l1 7
L..J...l.U.J
.,
t~
., P4t.7
'mm
34
<61
¡¿~
7·
,Ctl:..1
f
7
I
,
~7
7 ffit-H •
Fft-7 87 7
~1
r
oH7
P't.,7 7
35
7
7
';"'1
,
,
36
~
1/
,
rfn3
3
c:r
,
,
9
'1'
T
m
37
, J
e-7
';"'7 I
38
7
I
39
~7
s
7
A7
,
-+++
7
,e.,.7
oS
31+tt
4U •
,
.(" /1
••
41
7
,
f
C«"7
7
1
,
1
¡m
,
, 42
.
,
,
5
1
PW
et..7
7
7
1"*7
8
,,
I
!,
43
LONGER I vi ii V's and iü vi ii V's
Jó:J#(F F I
J
J
8,
1
,
I • 1 7 7
mm F])".1
{;,.7
•
JI 44
,
Fli
3
I
F6
5
7
JJ-I" I EL 2719
45
~
e7~ rrrlI
7
"'"
I
e,'
---'-r't 1'"
10
'R:m
_ _n .,I/Í .i·x .... I
,
46
'%
."rTit
Jt
~f
"rmí
.... Gk..6 .
IJ
I
I
"7 3
47
,·1,,;60
•
REPEATED 1 vi ii V's and iii vi ii V's These sounds can tend to get monotonoUíi if played as given, but latcr you wiU be able to use partions (rather than the whole) effeclively.
7
I
E6
E6
+Hf
"
c~
7
E~
FlA1 J7/' 1
!I
1/
E",.7,4",7 5 3 3
1/
1J~ Ji,..¡ 9'15'
5'
...... 7
,~ "¡:¡:
mm E-7 4-7 J, 51-tT S S S fm
C-1 1
'n
"
48
,
i
THE DIATONIC CYCLE OF 4THS IN MAJOR KEYS The harmonic formula 1 IV vii o ¡ii vi ii V 1 IV viio iii vi etc. has heen very popular for a long time. It is often referred to as tbe CYCLE üF 4ths (or 5ths) meaning cadl chord rool is a 4th higher (or 5th lower) than the previous chord root. Example: In the key of e, using 7th chords, the diatonic cycle of 4thS is C~ F.:r Bm7b 5 Em 7 Am7 Dm7 G7 C~ F1- etc. 1 IV vilo üi vi ii y 1 IV Looking al the rool names of the chards, you will see that F is a 4th abuv(: C. B is a 4th (..4th) aboye F, E is a 4th aboye B, ano so on.
f.
Noticc (hat üi vi ii v. wilh which you are :dready familiar. is oonlainec.i in the cyclc of 4ths. Also you should know that it is common roe tite cycle to begin on alhce chords than the 1; roc im;tance, you might encounter the cycle in a song i.n lile folloYt'ing form: IV 'lijO iii vi ii V 1. Ko matter which chard it starls on. as long a::; cach chord is a 4th higher in lhe key, it ü¡ still the diatonic cyde of 4th5. Most cydes of 4ths use a SEQUENCE pattern (a sequence- is an exact repetitian of a musical idea bUl u~ing diffcrcnt pitches. Example: IGU" c.: ~ F~ .B-7 6-1 4001 I I 7 7 5,
,
mm 1
3
~
e
Notiee that the sequence pattem used here ínvolves ullits of two chords: C:r F~, B07 Em7, Aro7 Dm? G7 C1", F~ Br/;7, cte. (the string transference ~lightly changed the pattem at thc end, but unfortunately the physical lünits of the instrumt;nl nect:ssitatc this type of thing sometimes, if you wish to kccp a pattero going a little ¡onger). One trick to creating a good cydt: oC 4ths pattern is to ge-t a good connection oC the fiest two chords, and thtm carry lhe p1l.ttern down. This is where your knowledge oC chord scales comes in. lMPORTANT: A cycle of 4ths paUem as iIIu...trated above, can also be viewed as two chord sales descending, while they alterna te wilh each other.
Try playing just the first, third and fifth diagrams aboye; now play just thc sccond, fourth and sixth diagrams. The first , third and fú~ diagrams belong to one chord scale and the second, fourth and sixth diagrams belong to another.
Rere is another example:
i
A
j)
,
'"""
G la
REMINDER _ When you play th~s~ cycles. or any . < - - Th· 1 d ·11 b d· d 1 t progressions. for that maner)o ~ 1S e lor Wl e Iscusse a eL THINK in Human Numerals and CHORD NAMES whilc you play: in ¡he Ion, runo they wiJl sin!;. in betler wil!l this tcchnique.
49
i
1
Again notice that once the initial good connection of I and IV is made, it is ;ust a matter of figuring out the de~ending chord seales from both chords and alternating them, The firigering on tbe G#o and F#m chords neae che beginning was also changed to make the playing él liUle easler (don't laugh, in the long run these. fingerings will be easier; likewisl: the fingering on the C#m and Bm near the end).
OK, so how do you find all these good J to IV connections? Well, you can try and find them youIself or you can consult the following list. Only the 1 and IV chords will be given in this list, but you should make Ihem into cycle of 4th patterns (if you are going to work with thero) by figuring out the. chord scaJes, most of which you already know if you have done your homework. Occa.o;;ionally the IV and "'üo chords will be given inlOtead of the 1 and IV, for the sake of variety. But the procedure of figuring out the cyc1e by me two altcmaling chord scales is stiU the same, whether you start from IV viio or I IV. Here 1s an example of a dial. cycle of 4th s starting from IV: .)'1'
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This is fine bu I there is still more than half th.e neck being left unplayed (on the same strings). So. maybe you couJd stm an octave higher lile so:
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Sorne chords (particularly iii7b9 and vii7b9) that you will encounter as part of a few cycles will nol sounó too great, but t1le rest of the chords in those cycles will make the whole thing worth checking out anyway. Be prepared to see some amazing ¡nverse relationships with cycles (nothing to worry abaut, this will be clear, anó you will probably get a kick out of thern as well). Finally, ane reminder: The cyc1e of 4ths is a beautiful harmonic tool, hut it can be monotonous if overus.ed, so try combining it eventually, with ather ideas. Yan will be learning more abaut this in later volumes of this series, as mentioned, hut there is no harm in experimenting right away on your own. Even just combining different cycle patterns might be [un for now.
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PROGRESSIONS USING SUBSTITUTE CHORDS (MAJOR KEY)
iii7 VI7 ii7 V7 (and 17 VI7 ii7 V7) Many chord prugressions in major keys use chords that are ¡widiatonic. You have already seen sorne examples of ii DI V chords that weTe nol diatonic. Example: F#m7+ and B7b9 in the kcy of E ... the F#m7+ contains a D note and B7b9 contains a e note and, as you know (I hope), both of these notes are non-diatonic to the key of E. Chords such as these are what we will call SUBSTITUTE CHOROS and soon we will work with sorne new common hannonic fonnulas that utilize such creatures. But first, ane simple, yet very important, concept must be stated: ANY rn? TYPE CHüRO MA y BE REPLACED WITH A DOMINANT 7th TYPE CHORD, ACCORDING TO PERSONAL TASTE. Ihis principie is very cornmonly utilized in almost an kinds ofmusic. FaI instance, suppose you are playing a song in the key of e, and you see the progression e E7 Aro; there is the conccpt at work - E7 is replacing the normal Em? (nI? is replacillg üi7). If you keep your eyes and ears open, you will start noticing similar applications of the "dominant for minar" principIe in much music that you already hear. Anyway, the first new harmonic formula is going to be iii7 VI7 ii7 V7 where Vl7can be any dominant 7th type ehord (7th ehord symbols are going to be used from 1l0W on, most of the time; to make sure we have OUT symbols straight, vi? in e would be Am7 while VI? would be A7). Occasional1y, I?- will be used for iii7. You willllotice that V17 and V7 commonly use what are usually referred to as ALTERED TONES (name]y b 5, #5, b9 or #9). In fact, in a üi? VI? ii? V7 progression, these are the nonn rather than thc cxception. Why is tbis? Because they sound good. And why is this? I tried to work out a simple explanation for this and kept running up against a subject that requires a complex explanatioll to do it justice, and also depends to sorne extent on personal taste. So rather lhan wast¡,: your time and mine, it seerncd more reasonable to just give many good examples of the progressions, and let you be your own teaeher on this subject. if you care to be. Actually, ifyou are like most pIayers who dea} with this subject, you will make and rerncmber your own "rules" as far as what type of colors you prefer on a given degree. Example: You might say to yourself, "7b9+ chords are great on VJ7;" this is a "rule" you might remember.. Or you might go furthcr and generalize in a similar manner to what was said befare: "V17 sounds good with ~ny altered tone when the VI? is used in smooth connection with the chords that precede or follow it." ('rhe examples will iIlustrate tll¡': wid¡,: range of ground that the term "smooth connection" really eovers). For the curious: There are reasons for most of the musical phenomena enjoyed by the human ear but don 't be afraid to admit that sorne questions as to the "Whys?" may lead to dead-ends or back to the same central question, the one fundam¡,:ntal qucstion undcrlying alllife. For example, let's follow the chain of qucstions gcneratcd by the ques!ion, "Why does a 7b 9+ chord sound good on VI? (In other words, if we are in the key of C, why does the A 7b9+ sound good when used smoothly with oth¡,:r chonls?)" Possible answer: Most of the notes are diatonic to !he majar scale of the key of the T chord. Question: Why does a majar scale sound good? Possible answer: Because it is based· on the tones of the majar chord which is part of Nature's overtone series. Question: Why should Nature base ib overtone series on the major triad'! Or even more basic, why is there an overtone series in the first place? (If you are not aware of the overtone series, it should prove very interesting for you to check it out.) Possible answer~ Apparently for man's enjoyment. Last question: Why? Although a qucstioning mind is onc of your best fricnds, and this is in no way meant to deter such a spirit, there are certain things that may have to be accepted on a "that's the way it is" basis, at least for now. Can you answer the question, "Why lioes man have only five fingers on each hand, inst¡,:ad of six or nine Uf eleven and a half!" The person who can answer this type of question will probably help us answer OUT most basic questions about music as welL The üi7 VI? ii7 V7 pattern has witItin itself!he potential for many different colors and moods; in this section (as well as others) uf lhe book, you will encounter sounds which were used in different time periods during tIte history of classical, jazz and popular music. For instance, play the following;
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You will noticc a different chord are pretty much grouped different starting chords given in nique would be gaod on the 1 vi
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type oí organization in this section ... aH progressions from any given "starting" together. A gaod way to rncmorize your favorites is to flIS! make a list of aH the these üi (1) VI ii V's, and then group your favorites accordingly. (In rae!, this techii V section also.) Remember to resolvc the V7's to l's occasionally.
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iii7 vi7 117 V7 (and 11 vi7 117 V7) The next harmonic formula to concern liS is going to be iii7 vi7 117 V7 (sometimes 1'1 will be used in place of ¡ii7). The quickest way fOI you to come up with sorne good cxamplcs of this progression is to go back to your ¡ii? vi? ti? V7 progressions and raise the 3rd (one freí higher) in the ii7 types, thereby making thero IITs. Tf there are .two 3rds in a ii? type, try raising the 3rd that is the lower in pitch of thc two, and just leave the other ane alone; this will create a 1I7*9 chord in many cases. ]f you are dealing with a iiro?!ll with its 11 th in the soprano (highest pitch) then nane oí these ideas will work ver)' well. Vou may be wondering why we didn't derive the Hi7 VI7 ti? V7 progressions from the iin vi? ii? V7's in a similar fashion. Actually sorne ofthero were (that IS, lhe 3rd was raised in the vi?, thereby creating the V17), but most ofthem were derived in other ways, specificalIy to produce more desirable sounds. However, if you are curious, you may wish to go back to the iii7 vi7 ü7 V7' s and raise the 3rd on the vi?, as explained aboye, just to see what you come up with. Anyway, here are sorne other variations on iii7 vi7 Tl7 V7. Rernember to try resolving the V7's to 1, occasionally.
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The lasl hannonic formula we will deal with in this bcx:lk is IlI7 VI7 117 V7. Thcrc are many diffcrcnt cxamples given be<:ause thece are many different attractive sounding choros thal tit together well on this progression. These . examples are organized, once again. according to which chord starts the progression. A surnmary of starting forros is as [0110W5: -1'
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