So I was watching a Carol Kaye video on youtube earlier today, and she stressed many times the importance of knowing your chordal notes. Obviously I know what a chord is, and how a major chord is constructed, but that's about it.
I was wondering if anyone would be able to show me around a bit, how to get the relevant chords from the modes etc... if that makes sense?
Very confusing!
Nothing new - the other posts have you going in the right direction. Perhaps a different slant will help.
Lets try this with the scales first after you understand how to get the chords for a scale - then you can take on modes. Just start with the notes of the mode and then stack 3rds.
As mentioned stacking 3rds - every other note in the scale gets you the chords for that scale. Play with this see where it takes you.
Take the scale then by skipping a note you build the chords for that scale. Skip a note is an easy way to identify the notes within the chords of that scale. From that you can then using the chord’s spelling to name the chord, i.e. 3 = major, b3 = minor, 7 = maj7, b7 = dominant seventh or minor seventh, m7b5 = ½ diminished, b5 bb7 = Diminished, etc. From there you can identify that specific chord’s function within the key, i.e. I-IV-V, etc. This chart can be used as a study of how chords are formed.
Code:
A Major 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Note Chord Spelling Chord Name Function
A A-C#-E-G# R-3-5-7 Amaj7 I Tonic
B B-D-F#-A R-b3-5-b7 Bm7 ii
C# C#-E-G#-B R-b3-5-b7 C#m7 iii
D D-F#-A-C# R-3-5-7 Dmaj7 IV Subdominant
E E-G#-B-D R-3-5-b7 E7 V Dominant
F# F#-A-C#-E R-b3-5-b7 F#m7 iv
G# G#-B-D-F# R-b3-b5-b7 G#m7b5 vii ½ dim
Notice to get the chord spelling you compare the notes you got from stacking
3rds with the chord's tonic scale, i.e. the Bm7 chord compare this with the
B major scale B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#. The D# and the A# must be flatted
to be the same notes you came up with. Therefore the chord spelling for
Bm7 is R-b3-5-b7. Which tells us it is 1) minor because it has a b3 and 2) it
is a minor seventh because of the b7th.
Code:
A Natural Minor 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7
Note Chord Spelling Chord Name Function
A A-C-E-G 1-b3-5-b7 Amin 7 I (tonic)
B B-D-F-A 1-b3-b5-b7 Bmin7b5 ii ½ dim
C C-E-G-B 1-3-5-7 Cmaj 7 bIII
D D-F-A-C 1-b3-5-b7 Dmin 7 iv (subdominant)
E E-G-B-D 1-b3-5-b7 Emin 7 v (dominant)
F F-A-C-E 1-3-5-7 Fmaj 7 bVI
G G-B-D-F 1-3-5-b7 G7 bVII
This may help.
http://www.smithfowler.org/music/Chord_Formulas.htm
Playing from fake chord sheet music you see the chord named, let's say it is a Cmaj7 chord. Here are some of your choices for a bass line:
Roots of the C note played C, C, C, C following the beat of the song. Then when the chord changes to the F you play F, F, F, F or........
R-5-R-5
R-5-8-5
Major chords will have a 3 in their makeup so you could try something with roots, fives or eights or add the 3 - R-3-5-8 for C major.
Minor chords will have a b3 in their makeup so you could try a R-b3-5-8 for Cm.
That Cmaj7 is a major chord so we know R-3-5- is going to work and if we add a 7 - R-3-5-7 we get the full chord tone for the Cmaj7 chord.
Now a dominant seventh and minor seventh chord would use a b7. C7 = R-3-5-b7 and Cm7 = R-b3-5-b7.
The 6 is neutral it'll go with major or minor chords - I like R-3-5-6 with a major chord.
The 2 and 4 make good passing notes, just do not linger or land on them.
The diminished chord will have a b5 flatted 5th and it is a minor chord so you have R-b3-b5 for a diminished chord. R-b3-b5-b7 for the 1/2 diminished chord (one with the circle with a line through it) and the full diminished chord is R-b3-b5-bb7.
Sometime just roots work just fine and other times a full 4 note chord tone is called for. The song dictates what is needed. Most of the time roots, fives, eights and the correct 3 will play a lot of bass.
That's it in a nut shell. Next is how do you get your C major chord walking to the F chord? Let's see C major tells me that R-3-5 will work for the C major chord and Scott Devine tells us that R-3-5-X will work great as a walking bass line to the F. What's X?
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f22/walking-bass-lesson-crash-course-762653/
Have fun.
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