Harmony

zavulon · Sea Monkey Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Posts: 12

I really need help in music theory. i am able to pick a melody by ear but i cant pick the chords for the song. Am i just supossed to play the notes on accended beats with chords?(like 5 fret on the E string will sound the same as any A based chord) Or are there some specific rules in picking harmony?

Something from the fridge · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 4:27 pm Post subject:

The general idea of learning scales in theory frees you up in practical terms. For example, if the guitar is playing in the key of A, depending on your style, you can safely play anything within the A maj scale, and it will sound passable. A good thing to practice with is 5th's. When your guitarist is cranking out an A, play an E, and see how it 'harmonises' with the chord (this just works because E is in the A scale). So you can get the pattern down, if the guitar is in E, play a B on the bass.
Stemming from all that, you get into relative minors, majors, sixtenth notes and all that jazz, but it's progressive. If you can pick a melody by ear, then you have a gift, and the more you hammer out on a bass, the more that will develop. I am very much a feel player myself, and I find the theory tends to follow the practical, not the other way around. Just keep playing, and it will make more sense.
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Most people are as happy as they make their minds up to be. - Lincoln.

Something from the fridge · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 4:33 pm Post subject:

IN general, though, you would start out like you suggested, and you would play an A (either fifth fret on E or open A string or seventh fret on the D or 2nd fret on the G etc...) when the guitarist plays an A chord. That builds a foundation, on which you can build your sound on. It's great to be all over the place with bass, but music needs the foundation, and until that's established, you had best act like the stereotypical bassist and, dare I say it, be boring.

Sorry about the novel length reply.
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Most people are as happy as they make their minds up to be. - Lincoln.

zavulon · Sea Monkey Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Posts: 12

ok that gave me some ideas:(by the way i play a 6 string but that does not matter now:)) so if my melody goes like this
E: 5 3 1 3 5 5 6 8 10 6

so the melody is in the key of A since the first note is A (right?)

the notes in the A magor scale are A B C# D E F# G# A

so the next chord will be anyone that give the correct note (when i ma checking the song with my voice?)

P.S. And thanks for taking the time to help man, i really appreciate it:) thanks agian

Something from the fridge · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 5:40 pm Post subject:

If the first chord is an A, it doesn't necessarily mean that the song is in A. IN fact, if the first chord is an Am, it's probably in C! Confused

General rule of thumb is the last note of your bass line (or melody) as it's charted will give you the key the song is in.
As for checking the chord chart/progression (the chords that are in the song) against the melody, it may pay to crank out the melody on a keyboard or tape your voice, and then mess around by playing over that with your guitar or bass. It would be rare for someone to write a song perfectly on the first go, so don't be discouraged if it takes some time. You may find later also that you make many changes as the song takes shape, and all your hard work initially will be the foundation for more complimentary work in the future! That's when it's fun. If you're writing songs, may I suggest that you get a chord structure BEFORE you write a melody? If you're just charting songs, then have the full melody written out or recorded, so that you can play along. That way you can HEAR what sounds right and wrong, and all the guess work is taken out of it.
_________________
Most people are as happy as they make their minds up to be. - Lincoln.

zavulon · Sea Monkey Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Posts: 12

thanks:) but that still did not answer my question, if one chord resembles a note( an A chords is the same note as the 5th fret on E) Which notes in the melody i gave before should be picked so i can substitute them with chords? And what about major minor 7th etc? If i decided (just for an example) that the 1st note that i will substitute is an A then i simply play the A chords and listen which one sounds best wiht the song?

Something from the fridge · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 9:07 pm Post subject:

I think I've lost the essence of what you're trying to work out. The melody can have up to four different notes in a bar (when using crotchets in 4/4), but the chord can easily remain the same for the entire song. To ask what chord should come next depends on the style, the speed, the song subject, and a million different other things. The melody line you wrote out suggests to me that you are in the key of F (sixth fret on the E is a Bb, and F has F G A Bb C D E F). Starting on an A chord, you can use any of the above scale. If I had a keyboard or guitar handy, I'd crank something out, but I'm at work so it's kinda difficult. But you have the idea with just listening to see which one sounds the best with the song. Set yourself a standard of two chords per bar (two beats per chord) and see how the song feels. If your melody you gave me before is one beat per note, try these chords A for two beats, F for 2 beats, A for two beats, Bb for two beats, and then D for two beats. Not that you want to follow the melody that close all the time, but it will give you an idea of the relationship between chords and melody.
_________________
Most people are as happy as they make their minds up to be. - Lincoln.

zavulon · Sea Monkey Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Posts: 12

hey man thanks:))) i finally understood how to do it! All u have to fo is to find out what key the song is in, then play the major scale of that key and listen to what chord from that scale is right one(closest to the melody)

I really appretiate everything u have done!
Thanks for ur time and again thank you for helping me! Very Happy

Something from the fridge · Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2003 6:13 pm Post subject:

No problem. I am glad that you understood what I was getting at. I hate it when people post (not necessarily here) really technical stuff that even someone like myself who's been playing 13 years has trouble understanding. There's no need, and it just takes the fun out of music.
I really do hope I helped.
Keep playing, and it will all fall into place.
_________________
Most people are as happy as they make their minds up to be. - Lincoln.