Composition Challenge #3 "Chord Fun"

steamabacus

mellowsun said:

Can you use extensions of the given chords? If the rules state 'and the notes within them', and F# is one of those notes, then can I play an F# with Gmaj to make Gmaj7?

Seems fair enough.

viz

I'm not qualified to say but for me that particular example would be ok, because G major has a major 7 in it anway, by default as it were. But I wouldn't say you could change it to G7 (if an F natural were allowed in the whole scheme), because then you would be deviating from G major, where as with Gmaj7 you're not.

Fazer

Antique_Guitars said:

I think

Bmaj7 has B - F# - A# - D#  - Gb - Bb - Eb

Gmaj has G - B - D

Esus4 has E - B - A

can anyone confirm this?

Bmaj7 is B, D#, F#, A#
there are only 4 specified notes in a 7th chord, the 1,3,5,7 of the scale

so if it had to be strictly derived from only those 3 chords the harmonic environment would be
e f# g a a# b d d#
which is an interesting sort of extended blues scale in E

but i think its simpler to just say write a song/music using only those 3 chords, and people will have a bit of freedom in extended melodies from those chords

not_the_dj

My brain hurts....but still, I'll have a go with this one as well. Haven't picked up a guitar yet to even play those chords together, but I'll give it a go and see what comes out of the amp.

Antique_Guitars

Fazer said:

Antique_Guitars said:

I think

Bmaj7 has B - F# - A# - D#  - Gb - Bb - Eb

Gmaj has G - B - D

Esus4 has E - B - A

can anyone confirm this?

Bmaj7 is B, D#, F#, A#
there are only 4 specified notes in a 7th chord, the 1,3,5,7 of the scale

so if it had to be strictly derived from only those 3 chords the harmonic environment would be
e f# g a a# b d d#
which is an interesting sort of extended blues scale in E

but i think its simpler to just say write a song/music using only those 3 chords, and people will have a bit of freedom in extended melodies from those chords

OK thanks I will update that later.

Antique_Guitars

imalone said:

Are partial versions of those chords (or whatever the final chords are) allowed?

yep

Antique_Guitars

mellowsun said:

Can you use extensions of the given chords? If the rules state 'and the notes within them', and F# is one of those notes, then can I play an F# with Gmaj to make Gmaj7?

Yeah OK lets allow 1 note extensions to the chords as long as they remain in their original scales.

Fretwired

Been strumming away .. not found anything that 'works' yet. Out of interest can we bend notes?

Antique_Guitars

Fretwired said:

Been strumming away .. not found anything that 'works' yet. Out of interest can we bend notes?

Yeah why not

PolarityMan

Man...c# is so awesome I have 2 strings tuned to it

Antique_Guitars

Vid up now (I will add the annotations tomorrow)

steamabacus

I had a session on the computer yesterday and I have a piece that's developing nicely - although it's mutated into something quite different to the original idea. Not having a C# (or even a C natural) to play with caused a few head scratching moments as my melody ideas kept wanting to use that C#. I seem to have come up with something, though, and it's a bit different to what I might have come up with left to my own devices.

I now have a 'main section' and an 'alternate section' roughed out and need to come up with an arrangement - my biggest problem may be keeping it under 2 minutes. Maybe I should have set the tempo quicker than 110bpm - I could have fitted in more bars. I might even be able to squeeze in an Eminor pentatonic solo on a fade out.

Interesting challenge.

Fretwired

@steamabacus - if you don't mind me asking how do you go about roughing out a task like this? I've strummed the chords and recorded them- I have a Godin midi guitar so I can make some string pads but I get a sense I could be more creative.

steamabacus

I don't mind at all.

I started off with a guitar and a pen and paper, jotted down the chords, the notes within them and tried to see if I could find any convenient links between them. Very early I came up with a sort of repeated figure/sequence based around a kind of blues scale pattern - this ended up being slightly simplified and used as an underlying sequence (kind of like a repeating synth arpeggio but I did it on guitar). I also played around with various inversions of the chords and tried to find a nice chord progression with some sense of movement - I ended up using my looper to play the repeated sequence and found a chord pattern that went well over the top.

I used the looper quite a lot to play around with ideas for a melody over this sequence/chord progression using just the notes from the three chords. I was initially using an ebow for this  - I find it useful to limit my 'speed' and focus on strong melody. I also worked out a bassline (still using my guitar and looper) that worked with the chord progression. So eventually I had a sequence/chords/ bassline/top melody and this was my 'main' section.

Then, going back to just the sequence, I worked out an 'alternate' section with a different chord sequence (actually just a different inversion of an Esus4) and a different bassline (based around an E - in the main section the bass is playing an A under the Esus4) and another melodic idea.

So I had a main groove idea and an alternate section to add a bit of variety, all worked out on guitar and looper with ideas recorded onto a minidisc so I wouldn't forget them - I find it much easier be creative away from the computer.

The next stage was to find a drum groove on Addictive Drums that would suit and then record the various parts of the main groove onto Cubase, just as 1 or 2 bar loops. I love layering up guitars and so added a complimentary guitar line playing the chord sequence. So, I had a drum part, a bassline (played on guitar still), two guitar parts playing versions of the chord progression and a main melody (as clean guitar rather than ebow). This is where I was at last night.

I have just finished another session on the computer. I've basically done the same again with the 'alternate' section laid down as short 1 or 2 bar loops. I then cut&pasted and moved stuff about and worked out a short arrangement. I have an  intro, a build into the main melody which plays through twice (16 bars, I think) and then a change into the alternate section, which I think I'll fade out on with a bit of a guitar solo - and I'm pretty much bang on 2 minutes!

So I've now got a rough recording of the arrangement, all played on guitar and cut&pasted from short snippets. The plan now is to re-record all those parts as continuous takes with a bass and various tones to suit, maybe do a bit more editing on the drum parts (which I find mind-numbingly slow and laborious work) and then finally mix it all down to stereo.

I hope that all makes some kind of sense.

ThePrettyDamned

Going to hve a crack at this tomorrow after work.

Going to try something a bit different.

not_the_dj

Just had my first strum with those chords. Hmmm, inspiration didn't really strike, but I'll work on it.

Antique_Guitars

not_the_dj said:

Just had my first strum with those chords. Hmmm, inspiration didn't really strike, but I'll work on it.

Play them wearing a thong and see what you get.

PolarityMan

My piece for this might be spoken word......

octatonic

stickyfiddle said:

Is it me or are these horrible chords?

Hmmmpf.

I chose the chords.

They are the first 3 chords to Coltrane's Giant Steps.

EDIT: Ah I see Sheldon changed them from my original suggestion.

Nevermind- not my fault.

not_the_dj

Antique_Guitars said:

not_the_dj said:

Just had my first strum with those chords. Hmmm, inspiration didn't really strike, but I'll work on it.

Play them wearing a thong and see what you get.

Silk or PVC?