I Love Chords

Jasaoke · Post by **Jasaoke** » Sunday Jan 22, 2012

I really do. There was a time when I looked at chords as a way to fill the time between solos. Now, I don't care for solos. They just seem like pompous self-indulgence or pentatonic wankery*.

But chords, oh, wonderful chords! There is something truly magical about harmony. Well-placed dissonance gives me chills. I'll take orchestrated ensemble work over technical flashiness any day.

Lately, I'm really into compound chords (C/E, Bm/D), the diminished 7ths, and minor 9ths, but I like them all. I find myself getting quite bored with music that doesn't explore other voicings and harmonious options.

* thank you, bassist_25, for this phrase. I've been using it a lot.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Sunday Jan 22, 2012

What if those solos are in modal scales or minor harmonic scales? The Allman Brothers solo over modal scales all the time and some of Duane Allman's solos are magical.

Or is it just pentatonic wankery that bothers you?

f.sciarrillo · Post by **f.sciarrillo** » Monday Jan 23, 2012

Isn't the pentatonic scale one of the most common scales used for solos?

kayla · Post by **kayla** » Monday Jan 23, 2012

f.sciarrillo wrote:Isn't the pentatonic scale one of the most common scales used for solos?

my guess, probably. but there are sooo many other scales and modes out there. i was stuck in the pentatonic box for a while and still find myself going right back to it when i'm not sure what to do with a lead.

but back to chords. i love the odd ball chords. 7th chords have a cool sound to em. i also really love playing minor chords for some reason. a minor is one of my favorite chords and one of my favorite to solo over.

- kayla.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Monday Jan 23, 2012

You should check out this book by Master Jedi Ed McGuire

http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Bay-Guitar-Fi ... 156222042X

moxham123 · Post by **moxham123** » Monday Jan 23, 2012

The Beatles - The REAL First Chord of "A Hard Day's Night"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvxPc5MPEuQ&sns=fb

Jasaoke · Post by **Jasaoke** » Monday Jan 23, 2012

Joe, please do not troll in my thread.

Jasaoke · Post by **Jasaoke** » Monday Jan 23, 2012

Moxham, yeah, I love that one, too. I love how the Beatles can make something unusual or unpredictable sound so comfortable.

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite is one of my all-time favorite progressions:

Cm, G+, Bb, Dm

I love how one note descends chromatically throughout. The chorus of YMCA does that, too.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Monday Jan 23, 2012

One of my favorite rythmn players, althought he also plays lead, is Dean DeLeo from Stone Temple Pilots. While a lot of his contemporaries were power chording their way through songs, he always had such great choices for chord voicings. There's a lot of dissonance in what he plays, but for some reason, it all falls together. I checked out some live footage of STP a while back, and I was surprised at how little gain he actually runs live. It makes sense, though, considering all of the strange intervals he has going on. His guitar still sounded huge.

Also, if you dig dissonance, check out this cat doing some 12 tone serial music on guitar. It's like Schoenberg on the six string. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBuK-MUOLI0

BTW, Other Voicings and Harmonious Options would be a cool name for a progressive jazz ensemble.

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Tuesday Jan 24, 2012

Jasaoke wrote:Moxham, yeah, I love that one, too. I love how the Beatles can make something unusual or unpredictable sound so comfortable.

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite is one of my all-time favorite progressions:

Cm, G+, Bb, Dm

I love how one note descends chromatically throughout. The chorus of YMCA does that, too.

What's a "G+" chord??

f.sciarrillo · Post by **f.sciarrillo** » Tuesday Jan 24, 2012

Merge wrote:
Jasaoke wrote:Moxham, yeah, I love that one, too. I love how the Beatles can make something unusual or unpredictable sound so comfortable.

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite is one of my all-time favorite progressions:

Cm, G+, Bb, Dm

I love how one note descends chromatically throughout. The chorus of YMCA does that, too.
What's a "G+" chord??

It is a regular "G" chord.

Correction, look below.

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Tuesday Jan 24, 2012

Thanks!!

Jasaoke · Post by **Jasaoke** » Tuesday Jan 24, 2012

Yeah, "+" is augmented: sharp 5th. It would be like stacking a major 3rd on top of a major 3rd. Mathematically, there are only 4 possible combinations of notes in this manner. E+ is E, G#, and C. G#+ is G#, C, and E. and so on and so forth.

Kayla, I often 'play' from a minor perspective, also. Not sure why; it's somehow easier for me to envision things that way. Many years of rock n' roll I suppose. probably the same reason I'm burnt out on solos