An easy way of designing chord structures

Angstrom · Post by **Angstrom** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:10 pm

heh, I knew I'd seen that somewhere but couldn't put my finger on it, (IE couldn't google it..)
I think/ thought we used H here in the middle ages. I could be wrong on that though, I was quite young at the time.

BTW 'here' is the UK, despite the nom de plume I am actually English with all the linguistic skills to prove it

AFAIK we don't use H/h in notation.

beamsville · Post by **beamsville** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 4:56 pm

"it's not chosing WHAT chords to play that is difficult... it is knowing WHEN to play them"

mikemc · Post by **mikemc** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:55 pm

i had a thought, it is a poorly formed vaguely grasped thought. the thought involves something like a relative-to-last-postion trigger: the melody is filtered in a way that indicates whether the melody note is rising or falling, a chord-type plug adds 'outrunner' notes on either side of the melody that are separated at some interval distance, to act as the harmonies, but the melody filter triggers a scale on or off, in such a way that the outrunner notes are moved in or out appropriately based on something that escapes me.

noisetonepause · Post by **noisetonepause** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 11:15 pm

nolus wrote:i dont know anything about Swedish or Scandinavian notation, but in german classical music h = Bb

You sure? I think it's the same as here (i'd be surprised if we'd invented something like this ourselves + I'm quite sure I've heard), meaning that B = Bb and H = B.

kennerb · Post by **kennerb** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 11:48 pm

not a# ba#d ideda# adt a#ll

ve#ry intedredsting

DeadlyKungFu · Post by **DeadlyKungFu** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 12:13 am

I agree, H = Bb.

Sorry to be an asshole, but this tip is the dumbest thing I've ever read pertaining to music. LMFAO! Are you tone deaf? Do not ever compose music like that, you might as well record a child pounding randomly on the keyboard.

Every composer and song writer in history is rolling over in their graves.

Learn some theory, here are the major scales listed in 5ths, pick a key and any combination of notes from that key, at least your music will be harmonized:

Code: Select all

							
C  D  E  F  G  A  B								
G  A  B  C  D  E  F#								
D  E  F# G  A  B  C#								
A  B  C# D  E  F# G#								
E  F# G# A  B  C# D#
B  C# D# E  F# G# A# = Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb
F# G# A# B  C# D# E# = Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F
C# D# E# F# G# A# B# = Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C
Ab Bb C  Db Eb F  G
Eb F  G  Ab Bb C  D
Bb C  D  Eb F  G  A
F  G  A  Bb C  D  E

there's a pattern to these, whole step, whole step, half, whole, whole, whole, half... nevermind.

This reminds me of a Scooby Doo episode where some rock star was murdered, all that was left behind was a bad sounding song that turned out to spell the murderer's name ACE DECADE. If it wasn't for those meddling kids...

noisetonepause · Post by **noisetonepause** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 12:14 am

DeadlyKungFu wrote:I agree, H = Bb

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_%28musical_note%29

... in concordance with what the scandos here have said

DKushner · Post by **DKushner** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 1:43 am

I seriously hope that B never = Bb. How retarded would that be? Just use the god damned Bb! If you're going to use the B as a Bb, then I'm going to play a B, not a Bb. H? do what you gotta do with H. But leave B alone. B=B=B and never should = Bb.

rbmonosylabik · Post by **rbmonosylabik** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 1:54 am

DKushner wrote:I seriously hope that B never = Bb. How retarded would that be? Just use the god damned Bb! If you're going to use the B as a Bb, then I'm going to play a B, not a Bb. H? do what you gotta do with H. But leave B alone. B=B=B and never should = Bb.

Hello and welcome to classic theory

*modulates to A# Major and plays Fx furiously*

DeadlyKungFu · Post by **DeadlyKungFu** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:06 am

noisetonepause wrote:
DeadlyKungFu wrote:I agree, H = Bb
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_%28musical_note%29... in concordance with what the scandos here have said

Noted, thanks for catching that

Damn scandos with their sensibly designed automobiles, seat warmers and delicious women.

DeadlyKungFu · Post by **DeadlyKungFu** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:10 am

Since the thread's here... this is how to make harmonized chord progressions.

This is coming from a guitar point of view...
Chordsare 3 or more notes played at once.
Generally chords are 3 or 4 notes, but can be expanded to anything you want.

Take the notes in the C major scale:
C D E F G A B
Those are the white keys. The major scale always follows the same pattern, whole steps (two keys) betwen each note except between 3-4 and 7-1, ie in the key of C, E-F and B-C. C is the 1 OR the 8 since the scale repeats.
There are 7 'n' (n=3, 4, 5, 6...) note chords that can be harmonized in every major scale (aka diatonic). They ALWAYS follow the pattern I=MAJOR, II=MINOR, III=MINOR, IV=MAJOR, V=MAJOR, VI=minor, VII=diminished, which is a weird sounding chord that's typically ignored.
So, in C major, take every other note:
C E F = C major
D F A = D minor
E G B = E major
F A C = F major
G B D = G major
A C E = A minor
B D F = B diminished
(I can explain chord spellings if someone wants it, or you can take my word on it, no big deal, I'm glad to teach what I've been taught)

Playing those notes at once creates chords that go together in the key of C major. Adding the 4th note makes them all major 7 or dominant 7 chords. Major chords are more 'solid', minor chords are more emotional, and 7th chords add tension. Generall speaking you want to start/end on the chord in the key of the tune, ie if it's in Bb, start/end on Bb.

BTW C major is the same as A minor (exact same notes, different point of view, tonal center, tonality), so you can compose tunes around a minor scale just as easily with the same tools.

Anyway, the beauty is that you can pick between these chords and they're 'guaranteed' to work together. There are 12 keys to work from too. C, E, G, Bb for horns, F are the most common. It's also good to just play the black keys, who care what key it is

.

Anyway, it's a deep subject, but learning it piece by piece isn't so bad and goes a long way in composing music.

noisetonepause · Post by **noisetonepause** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 10:58 am

DKushner wrote:I seriously hope that B never = Bb. How retarded would that be? Just use the god damned Bb! If you're going to use the B as a Bb, then I'm going to play a B, not a Bb. H? do what you gotta do with H. But leave B alone. B=B=B and never should = Bb.

I could say the same to you. H is a whole note above A and has been so for centuries here... and more importantly, was when I learned to read music!

If I say 'football', what goes through your head?

jajja · Post by **jajja** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 3:24 pm

DKushner wrote:I seriously hope that B never = Bb. How retarded would that be? Just use the god damned Bb! If you're going to use the B as a Bb, then I'm going to play a B, not a Bb. H? do what you gotta do with H. But leave B alone. B=B=B and never should = Bb.

Relax DKushner, Europe is abandoning the H!
in fact we did that quite a long time ago... I´m a music teacher and at the university we were encouraged to teach kids the B and Bb since it makes more sense. That was ten years ago.

J