MORE ON PROGRESSIONS

Hi again. I want to elaborate a bit more on the subject of chord progressions, the backbone of any piece of music but first, a bit of news.

Guitar for Beginners dot Com gets about 600 visitors -- not hits, visitors -- per day now. I've added a bunch of sound files which demonstrate how chord progressions can generate an infinite amount of music. I keep getting really nice feedback in the guestbook there, makes it all worthwhile. Here's one that came in from South African David Palmer last night:

"Great site. You have helped me more than anything or anybody. I stay on a farm so I have to teach myself how to play guitar. Your site is the only one on the internet that has truly helped me. Thanks a lot !!"

Thanks David. Check it out if you haven't already. It's more than just a beginner's site. http://www.guitarforbeginners.com

The book/video special from my other site, http://www.lorange.kirk.net , now includes both of my CDs for free. One is an album of my songs, the other is a collection of my slide guitar instrumentals, rough but honest demos. What with the low Australian dollar ($US 0.51), now is a great time for anyone but an Aussie to buy.

OK, more about chord progressions.

These chord sequences, progressions, are so integral to a piece of music that often you'll find they are the first thing a composer settles on. A great chord progression almost HAS to give birth to a beautiful melody. If the chords sound good, as they follow each other through time, then the piece will be strong and memorable. Most of the songs I've written, in fact all of them, were composed around a chord progression first. I tend to steer clear of the common progressions -- I figure enough writers are dealing with them -- and I wait until something a little unusual sparks my interest. Often, it's simply the order in which the chords come and go, or maybe one slight deviation from the key. You can hear my tunes at http://mp3.com/kirklorange if you're interested.

The most important aspect of the progression is that each chord within it sets the rules for its duration. If the chords are all from the same key, then each will highlight the scale notes which have come to the foreground. If you've been reading my columns, you'll know I'm talking about the One Three and Five. These notes represent home, safety, 'rightness'. If, within the progression, the composer has decided to leave the key by writing in a chord which is not one of the seven, then you must deviate accordingly. If you are improvising against such a background, the new chord will still be setting the rules, but in a new key. Even if that rogue chord is the only one, you should still see it as a key change. More often than not, it's one of the three minors which has been 'majorized'. You get to hear this quite easily after a while.

A great example of this 'majorizing' (my own term) is The of Dock of the Bay. The first chord of the verse is the One chord (99% of tunes start on the One chord), but the next is a 'majorized' three chord. Then it moves to a Four chord, then to a majorized Six chord. This is what makes that tune that tune. If we're in the key of G, this means G, B7, C, A7 instead of G, Bm, C, Am. Play both versions and you'll hear that each works, but only the 'majorized' version is Dock of the Bay. This trick is often used in jazz and becomes very easy to hear.

I often have said in these articles that the chord of the moment is the most important thing to be aware of. The second most important thing is to be aware of the entire progression. Together, they set the rules and form the map of the piece of music.

All the best, Kirk

http://kirklorange.com
http://lorange.kirk.net
http://guitarforbeginners.com
http://mp3.com/kirklorange