| Title: | GUITARnotes - Where Every Note has Emotion |
| Notice: | Discussion of the finer stringed instruments |
| Moderator: | KDX200::COOPER |
| Created: | Thu Aug 14 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 3280 |
| Total number of notes: | 61432 |
Following along with last week's entry, let's look at how (and
why) chord progressions work as they do. We'll start with that old
standard, the I-IV-V.
I IV I V IV I
1st 1 4 1 5 4 1
2nd 3 6 3 7 6 3
3rd 5 1 5 2 1 5
Remember, the notes of each chord are expressed with respect
to the key, not with respect to the root of each chord.
Look at the I-IV transition. The 1 note is common to both,
and the 3 and 5 notes each get raised a second.(one scale tone).
I see the relationship of the IV chord to the I chord this way:
The 6 note makes it major(as opposed to minor)
The 1 note serves a dual purpose - 1, it gives the two chords
a common tone, and 2, it emphasizes the tension of the 4 note.
The 4 note, as stated above, pprovides a tension that "wants"
to resolve to the 1 chord. (Listen to the Who's "Pinball
Wizard" to hear a classic example of the 4 note's tension and
release.)
Next, the IV resolves back to the I, releasing that tension
caused by the 4 note.
The next transition is from the I to the V. This you can look
at in a number of ways. The most common way is that each note of
the I chord gets blasted up five scale tones. This is a very strong
movement. Another, more subtle way is to keep the 5 note common,
and drop the 1 to a 7 and the 3 to a 2. This transistion doesn't
have the power of the first, but can be an interesting substitution,
especially when used as a turn-around.
(You can hear the difference like this: Play an A chord on the
second fret, then go right to an E chord on the seventh fret. Do
this a couple time, then use a first fret E chord. You can hear
the different "moods" of the two E chords coming off the A.)
From the V we come down to the IV. This is lowering each note
of the V chord by one scale tone, which leaves us with a IV chord.
This transition has two effects; 1, it's a simple step-down that
"pulls" your ear along with it, and it sets up another "tension-
release" situation of the IV chord to the I chord.
Another common progression is I-VI-IV-V. (A Teenager in Love,
Crocodile Rock, Heart and Soul, etc.) Just a quick look:
I VI IV V
1st 1 6 4 5
2nd 3 1 6 7
3rd 5 3 1 2
See the pattern of the first three chords? Raise the third and
keep 1st and 2nd. This results in a very even step-by-step pro-
gression. The V chord breaks the pattern nicely, without being too
drastic of a change. Instead of raising a single note of the previous
chord, as we did in the first two transitions, we raise them all. This
keeps in the "step-by-step" mood, but is a stronger step, and signals
the end of the progression. It's almost like a drummer putting the
accent on the fourth beat of the bar.
An interesting look at the relationships of chords in a key
is to take the above progression and instead of going to the V chord,
keep the pattern of the first three chords going. That is, take
the notes of the IV chord and change them to get the next chord
the same way you change the VI chord to get to the V chord.
Lunch time. See ya!
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 531.1 | Wait a minute! | JACKAL::MURRAY | Tue Mar 15 1988 10:52 | 11 | |
Let me clarify one thing. In reading over my completed entry,
I realize that the reference to "Pinball Wizard" isn't a true com-
parason.
the use of the fourth in that song is this; after the intro,
the fast, flamenco-type strumming is a Bsus4 chord, which then resolves
to a B major chord. It is not the same as a IV chord to a I chord
transition. However, the relationship of the 4 note to a 1 note
is one of tension-release, as is the relationship of a IV chord
to a I chord.
Sorry 'bout that
| |||||
| 531.2 | its is a human number | MARKER::BUCKLEY | Boost 800Hz! | Tue Mar 15 1988 11:14 | 8 |
Good lord, you didn't voice lead your numbers!
;^>
Fav chord prog's of mine are I-III-IV-V and IV-IVm-I-V
to name a couple
| |||||
| 531.3 | ?????????????? | JACKAL::MURRAY | Tue Mar 15 1988 13:28 | 6 | |
re .2
I don't understand the title or the "Good Lord..." sentence. What
do you mean?
Thanks,
Scott Murray
| |||||
| 531.4 | Poor pun | INK::BUCKLEY | Rocker Built for Speed! | Tue Mar 15 1988 14:41 | 31 |
As Foghorn Leghorn would say:
"It was a joke son, a joke"
What I meant was when you wrote your numerical anaysis of the chord
tones they were kinda in a jumbled manner. like:
1 4 1 5
3 6 3 7
5 1 5 2
I IV I V
I was making light of it.
it could also be written as:
1 1 1 7
3 4 3 2
5 6 5 5
I IV I V an example of voice leading.
but its numbers, not notes...do you get it???
never mind
wjb
| |||||
| 531.5 | a suggestion | STAR::KMCDONOUGH | Tue Mar 15 1988 18:33 | 10 | |
I am enjoying the column so far and will take this one home tonight
and peruse it with guitar in hand. One suggestion, though. You
could enter the weekly column as a reply to one note instead of
creating a new note each week. It would make it easier to find
the column if it had a constant number.
Keep up the good work. It is appreciated!
Kevin
| |||||
| 531.6 | More More More | POLAR::PENNY | NOTHING is Beatle proof. | Mon Mar 28 1988 10:14 | 9 |
Re: 531.0
Any more, huh, huh, any more, any more??????????
I'm presently taking songwriting/music theory from a professional
musician. What I'm learning is right in stride with what I'm seeing
here and in Guitar Column I. I can't get enough. I've been playing
(rythm(sp?)) guitar for about 18 years, and I'm only now understanding
why things go together and how music is constructed. So please keep
it up! dep.
| |||||
| 531.7 | Chord Resolutions | MARKER::BUCKLEY | Rocker Built for Speed! | Mon Mar 28 1988 11:43 | 25 |
Here are some examples of cool harmonic resolutions.
Real common is the V to I resolution. Also, the II-V-I resolution.
IIIminor and VIminor can be used as substitute I chords for `deceptive'
resolutions. So, using the above example, you could have:
IIm - V - VIm or IIm - V - IIIm
Other resolutions to the I chord that sound neat are:
IV - IVm - I
bIII - IV - I
bVII - VII - I
bII7 - I (sub 5)
Try using these resolutions with the I chord at the end, and the
the substitute IIIm & VIm chords for I. You can come up with some
nice stuff.
wjb
| |||||
| 531.8 | What is IVm ? | MLNAD1::TURNER | Got my mojo workin'... | Fri Jul 15 1988 08:26 | 15 |
I've read over the notes contained in both Guitar Columns and found
them extremely useful and illuminating, not least because I learned
to play the guitar in the good old-fashioned way, i.e., listening
to records. What limited knowledge I have of chord theory has been
picked up by accident! So please have patience with what might be
a rather naive question, regarding the lesson in .0 and reply .2.
I'm quite at home with the progression I-VI-IV-V (another example
of this is Presley's "Return To Sender"), which is C-Am-F-G in the
key of C. But what flummoxed me in .2 was the progression IV-IVm...
If IV is Am, what is IVm ? (This is beginning to sound like an algebra
lesson!) Can someone explain what I'm missing, i.e., how these
progressions translate into chord forms ?
| |||||
| 531.10 | My mistake | MLNAD1::TURNER | Got my mojo workin'... | Fri Jul 15 1988 09:33 | 6 |
Sorry - working in a hurry as usual. I meant the VI chord is an
Am. But the question still stands - what is IVm in .2 ?
Dom
| |||||
| 531.12 | It comes from the subdominant minor | MARKER::BUCKLEY | I wish it was Summertime - all year | Fri Jul 15 1988 10:41 | 8 |
Yeah,
4, 4minor to 1..its part of my `resolutions to one' repertoire.
Its cool, no?
Buck
| |||||
| 531.13 | SCOMAN::WCLARK | bite the wax tadpole | Fri Jul 15 1988 12:26 | 4 | |
IV - IVm - 1 and (alternately) IV - IV7b9 - 1 are 2 of the most common
resolutions to 1
-Dave
| |||||