[Terminology, What's It Called When You..]

[Terminology, What's It Called When You..]

...have a song that is, for instance, in quarters only during the verse and then the drums appear to speed up or the song plays eighth notes only.. What is that called? .. a boring song? no, really I was wondering what this change is called.

Thanks

[Is There Some Way To Work Out Chord Progressions?]

As an example of how those ideas work in practice, let’s take the first 8 bars of Jerome Kern’s “All The Things You Are” – I know it’s not a rock’n’roll tune, but it’s part of the standard repertoire where I come from specifically because it contains within it all these little lessons and illustrations which are so fundamental to getting a basic understanding what’s going on in terms of progressions and the guidance they can offer to an improvising soloist.

I Fmi7 / / / I Bbmi7 / / / I Eb7 / / / I AbMaj7 / / / I

I DbMaj7 / / / I Dmi7 / G7 / I CMaj7 / / / I CMaj7 / / / I

The trick for an improviser is being able to spot from this that the first 5 bars are using VI-II-V-I-IV in Ab Major, and the last 3 bars use a II-V-I in C Major. So you can make a decent solo playing from those two different Major scales in their appropriate places.

Hmmm. How is it that you know that those two are in Ab Major and C Major? What are the tell tell signs?

[Is There Some Way To Work Out Chord Progressions?]

Thanks. I have read through your information and I am glad and happy that you have taken the time to explain or expand on what I have been talking about.

I think maybe I cannot actually ask anyone I know and get the right answer (be that unknowingly or not) about what I am asking. I might not even be asking the question right. I do need a knowledable teacher, this is true.

My understanding of a chord progression was gained through "stuff on the net" and this:

- though it doesn't explain how the chords came to be used.

Sadly, this is all I can actually get. I was reading Guitar all-in-one (dummies) but it seems that to be.. not too good! maybe you could point me in the direction of some books that you know are very useful? or even a webpage.

The time I have spent working on all this is quite insane and the mear thought of it makes me sweat

[Is There Some Way To Work Out Chord Progressions?]

I think you're confusing the numbering system with the letter names, so I'll take a quick shot at the numbers and see if that help...

Uppercase letters represent a Major triad, lowercase is minor...

All Major keys have the following order of chords:

I-ii-iii-IV-V-vi-viidim

With the vii triad being not actually minor, but diminished...

The natural minor keys have the following order:

i-iidim-III-iv-v-VI-VII

You may appreciate an interesting symmetry as these scales share the same notes, but a different note is considered the root.

So, are you now looking to figure out the letter name & spelling for each of these chords?

This is quite close to what I meant.

so for instance the A major chord scale would be, A, Bm, Cm, D, E, Fm, Adim ? and the roman numerals would be used to show which order they are played in?

[Is There Some Way To Work Out Chord Progressions?]

You are all sort of right. Sorry if I have not made myself clear. Perhaps if I put you in the scenario I found myself it will become clear what I am trying to ask

I understand how the WWHWWWH system works to find a major scale. I was wanting to know how to solo over a collection of chords. These chords would be within a progression. I am guessing you cannot just use any chords and have one scale work. For a single scale to work over a chord progression the chords need to be belonging to a chord progression, right?

Am chord progression for instance.

If I am still making no sense. What I am looking to do is play a solo/bass line over some chords. I have been writing some chords, they sound alright together but then when I come to solo or write a bass line things get annoying and when I follow a chord progression things sound alright. That chord progression is someone elses but it is telling me something yet nothing.

..or do I just move the pentatonic scale to the right fret to fit the chords I am currently playing? B Maj, 4th fret.. E Maj, 9th fret etc

hmm

[Is There Some Way To Work Out Chord Progressions?]

It is sort of strange as all the chord progressions feature a chord for each key (a,b,c,d..) and they just have the numbers that seem to sound best (I,V,IV,I).

How would I go about working out the chord progressions for A Major or B Major? or G minor or A minor?

this is probably a silly question and I have used the wrong terminlogy. Hope you know what I mean.

[Can You Play "off Notes" Around A Current Scale?]

Actually, it's extremely common.....and by no means anything new. Players & writers stray outside of strict key structure all the time. For lead guitarists, many times these things appear in the form of passing notes, which are played quickly (*in passing) on the way to notes that are more dominant in the given key. Notes like flattened 5ths & minor 7ths are added to standard patterns all the time. In the end, most experienced musicians & writers tend to view strict key structure as a guideline, allowing their ears to be the final judge of what sound acceptable. Hope this helps a bit.

Yes, it sort of echoes what I was thinking but not knowing. Thanks. I have always viewed scales like bike stablisers.. except maybe you keep them on most of the time. Not the best analogy! Maybe the speed limit would be a better analogy.

[Can You Play "off Notes" Around A Current Scale?]

I was looking at a few different bands and I noticed that they were playing to a scale but I also noticed that they (the player) played notes that were not in the scale, mainly it is one note at one time. The rest of the notes were in a scale. I searched for scales that featured the notes played.. nada!

I am guessing it is all down to the moment and what the players like.. Nobody is going to knock on there doors and sue them or cancel their concert or deals based on a note that is not in scale.

[Compression, The Problem Is..]

I never understand this… You set the threshold to a level that you want the compression to start, I have a track which is at, say, +2.1, I set the threshold to 0.0. Nothing. How come?

This thing always winds me up when reading a guide.. "Threshold – how loud the signal has to be before compression is applied."

[Here Is A Guitar Scale Scenario, Can You Help?]

I am playing the C major scale (the notes), I have a good little tune going.

For the sake of argument and not based on sound, the tune goes: C, D, E, F, G, F, E.

Which scales could I pick up on and write the next part on & why and what could these notes be? in theory

-

I can play guitar you see I just have seemed to have left the theory slide me by. I have looked around the internet and it has left me a little wound up with all the contradicting info.

[When Writing Your Songs, Do You Write The Drum Beat/loop First?]

I guess this is for the more computer based musicians.

I have been struggling to write the drums after recording a bass line or two and I was wondering if the drums first would be a better apporach. I am worried that they might take control of the song too much if I start with them. I guess control offers a direction though.

How about you?

[When Writing Your Songs, Do You Write The Drum Beat/loop First?]

I guess this is for the more computer based musicians.

I have been struggling to write the drums after recording a bass line or two and I was wondering if the drums first would be a better apporach. I am worried that they might take control of the song too much if I start with them. I guess control offers a direction though.

How about you?

[Phasing Problems?]

I think I am grasping the meaning of Phasing Problems. So I ask, are phasing problems a problem that only live performers/recorders will suffer from? Ie: A drummer micing up a kit or a guitarist using more than one mic or using more than one take or is this a problem that anyone can suffer from. Say, a computer based muscian.

It could just be that this is something I have totally overlooked.. How would someone go about finding out if they have phasing problems and how would they go about setting them right.

If you could maybe have a few examples of phasing problems that I have not mentioned that would be helpful. The common one seems to be the micing of a drumkit which does not really affect me.

Thanks

[Recording Guitar Straight Into Your Soundcard]

I have pretty much been doing the topic title since the start. I do it mainly due to living in a flat and being unable to mic up an amp (that I do not have). I used have an amp but it broken down and I haven't bought another one as of yet... ANYWAY!

I am using a Saffire Focusrite and plugging in straight from a Big Muff pedal. Is there anything that I should be considering/thinking about that I might have over looked? or should everything be fine and dandy before normalizing and mixing?

Thanks