Chord Chart Question

PaulMacCnj · #1 06-09-2008, 03:53 AM

I'm creating some chord charts of songs. I have a question about how single notes are charted. For example, a progression is: Em - F# - G where the Em and G are the full chords but the F# is a single note. How should that be noted on a chord chart?

cowsgomoo · #2 06-09-2008, 04:12 AM

it depends what's happening in the music... is this just one huge single F# note played by all the instruments?

if the F# is used as a passing tone in the bass while the E chord is played or implied over the top of it, then you'd probably be better off showing it as a slash chord: E/F#

if this is just one single note, say in the guitar, used to connect Em to G (very common kind of guitaristic thing to do), then you do not normally show it on a chord chart.. the chords generally show the underlying harmonic movement, not the erm 'melodic chord embellishments'

Bruce Lindfield · #3 06-09-2008, 04:17 AM

I think you would say either "F# Bass" or just "N.C." for "No Chords"...?

Deacon_Blues · #4 06-09-2008, 05:41 AM

I'd like to add also that in the progression E - F# - G on bass, the chords are most likely Em - D/F# - G.

cowsgomoo · #5 06-09-2008, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

I'd like to add also that in the progression E - F# - G on bass, the chords are most likely Em - D/F# - G.

yeah... Bm/F# is another old chestnut... in all those Beatley type songs that artists like Oasis do, you tend to get things like:

G -> Bm/F# -> Em

a scalar trundle downwards on the bass etc...

PaulMacCnj · #6 06-09-2008, 06:42 AM

This is part of a larger progression. The entire progression is:

Am - Em - F# (passing note) - G - D

On guitar, the F# is played as a single note on the low E string as a walk up to the G chord.

Is there such a thing as denoting a slash chord with just the bass note and not the chord as /F# ?

The progression: Am - Em - /F# - G - D

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowsgomoo

it depends what's happening in the music... is this just one huge single F# note played by all the instruments?

Bruce Lindfield · #7 06-09-2008, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

I think you would say either "F# Bass" or just "N.C." for "No Chords"...?

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulMacCnj

Is there such a thing as denoting a slash chord with just the bass note and not the chord as /F# ?

No - see the first option above!

Stumpy · #8 06-09-2008, 07:31 AM

I have seen things in Jazz that fit the descending bass note under chord progressions...

"Is there such a thing as denoting a slash chord with just the bass note and not the chord as /F# ?" This I have never seen.

If it were me I would just write the chords and forget about the passing tone all together. Let the theorists figure it out later.

JMT

Deacon_Blues · #9 06-09-2008, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulMacCnj

Is there such a thing as denoting a slash chord with just the bass note and not the chord as /F# ?

I *think* I actually have seen this once in a real book, and I use it sometimes to write out e.g. Am7, Am7/G, Am7/F#, Am7/F in a shorter way, (Am7, /G, /F#, /F) especially if the chords follow quickly after each other or if there's too little room to add five or more letters per chord. Exactly in this context I think I've seen this being used, but I can't for the life of me remember which song it was or even which book it was in...

onlyclave · #10 06-09-2008, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stumpy

I have seen things in Jazz that fit the descending bass note under chord progressions...

"Is there such a thing as denoting a slash chord with just the bass note and not the chord as /F# ?" This I have never seen.

If it were me I would just write the chords and forget about the passing tone all together. Let the theorists figure it out later.

JMT

+1

That is where playing experience comes in.