OMG, I gotta learn the Chords!

[Tom]

All good points once again!

 

[Waldo]

Jerry; I didn't see a link or specifics on the chord ID app. Did I miss it?

Tom; My first accordion was a PA. Enroute home after buying it, I stopped into a Guitar Center store looking for an accordion tutor book. While they didn't have any (figures), they did have a Big Book of Piano Chords ( or something like that). It was close to 1/2" thick and had maybe 20 chords forms shown per page. It was this book that drove me to the i-net for more research and the discovery of CBAs. 4 hand forms cover all the triads in all the Keys, and simply add a finger or two for everything else. (slightly simplified). Add two forms to the big 4 triads and you've mastered all the inversions as well. You might want to consider switching over to CBA......the left hand IS still the same.

 

[Tom]

Good point, Waldo, but I think I've got too much invested in my piano accordions at this point to make the switch

Btw, the chord app is called "Chord AI," it's free and pretty amazing. I have android version, not sure of it's availability on Ios or Windows..... Good luck!

 

[JerryPH]

Jerry; I didn't see a link or specifics on the chord ID app. Did I miss it?

Sorry, I did not have any more info than what Tom shared with me n that brief email... but I know he has an Android phone, and if one searches in the Playstore for the name I mentioned (Chord AI), it should come up. There is a free and "pro" version there, I just noticed. I don't use it myself, just wanted to share it because Tom was so enthusiastic about it.

 

[Waldo]

copy that. i'm investigating. could be very helpful figuring out the DBA chords.

 

[Ffingers]

copy that. i'm investigating. could be very helpful figuring out the DBA chords.

Chord ai – Chords and beats for any song!

www.chordai.net

Is this the one?

 

[Tom]

Chord ai – Chords and beats for any song!

www.chordai.net

Is this the one?

Yes. As of this posting, there is a free and a pro version. It works!

 

[mmuussiiccaall]

Another approach that I personally changed to is thinking totally in steps of the scale. I think of the melody notes as Do Re Mi..... actually 1 2 3...
and the chords in that scale in the same manner as per the 4 chord PDF which gets you by in millions of relatively simple songs. This integrated system provides the theory of why the various chords are used to harmonize the melody, functional harmony if you will. I also attached a PDF with all or almost all the chord names that exist. Quite a daunting list if you think about the usual leaning one chord at a time method.

 

[dan]

they did have a Big Book of Piano Chords ( or something like that). It was close to 1/2" thick and had maybe 20 chords forms shown per page. It was this book that drove me to the i-net for more research and the discovery of CBAs

There are some "resources" that make learning music more intimidating than it needs to be.

I'm also a fan of the moveable chord shapes on CBA, but music is full of patterns that can make learning any instrument easier.

Starting out on piano accordion, that little I-IV-V7 cadence I learned in C major was easily adapted to D major just by remembering the distances involved and warming up with a scale to remember where the black keys occur in that key signature. And if I needed a reminder which scale goes with two sharps, the Stradella system has a built in cheat sheet (feel two buttons up from the marked C for D major, or another 3 buttons for its relative minor). Later on, the maj7 and dom7 chords were easily adapted from a major triad with an octave by moving my pinkie down one or two keys. As far as fingering is concerned, can't most chord and scale patterns on piano be grouped into 3 or 4 shapes?

So I'm sure Tom can make good progress on chord comping with the instrument he has!

 

[Tom]

There are some "resources" that make learning music more intimidating than it needs to be.

I'm also a fan of the moveable chord shapes on CBA, but music is full of patterns that can make learning any instrument easier.

Starting out, that little I-IV-V7 cadence I learned in C major was easily adapted to D major just by remembering the distances involved and warming up with a scale to remember where the black keys occur in that key signature. And if I needed a reminder which scale goes with two sharps, the Stradella system has a built in cheat sheet (feel two buttons up from the marked C for D major, or another 3 buttons for its relative minor). Later on, the maj7 and dom7 chords were easily adapted from a major triad with an octave by moving my pinkie down one or two keys. As far as fingering is concerned, can't most chord and scale patterns on piano be grouped into 3 or 4 shapes?

So I'm sure Tom can make good progress on chord comping with the instrument he has!

Thanks Dan! Yup, and I'm discovering the patterns on PA too.

For example the simplest I ii IV V pattern in root position. Let's say in C, the I is 3 notes, 2 keys apart. Move the lower 2 notes down one key for the V. Move the higher two notes up one key for IV. Move all three up one key for ii. (Move the middle note up one, and the bottom note down one for V7.)

This pattern holds for any Key, as long as you keep your sharps and flats in mind. Inversions of the I chord yield other convenient patterns.

So many fine chords, so little time!

 

[losthobos]

Thanks Dan! Yup, and I'm discovering the patterns on PA too.

For example the simplest I ii IV V pattern in root position. Let's say in C, the I is 3 notes, 2 keys apart. Move the lower 2 notes down one key for the V. Move the higher two notes up one key for IV. Move all three up one key for ii. (Move the middle note up one, and the bottom note down one for V7.)

This pattern holds for any Key, as long as you keep your sharps and flats in mind. Inversions of the I chord yield other convenient patterns.

So many fine chords, so little time!

Tom...this is essential stuff...well explained..
As a side note this chords are gonna sound a lot funkier and less vanilla if you invert a step...
So C is voiced E,G,C..drop the outer two notes for the V, raise the first two for the IV..and drop first two for the ii..
Simple..you've got it..now work out inversion higher so C is G,C,E....this for me is probably the nicest inversion to be working in..
Just an idea

 

[Tom]

Tom...this is essential stuff...well explained..
As a side note this chords are gonna sound a lot funkier and less vanilla if you invert a step...
So C is voiced E,G,C..drop the outer two notes for the V, raise the first two for the IV..and drop first two for the ii..
Simple..you've got it..now work out inversion higher so C is G,C,E....this for me is probably the nicest inversion to be working in..
Just an idea

Thanks, good ideas Terry!

 

[dan]

the next steps after initial creation in someone's head are often very important

One thing I've learned: In order to be good at something, you have to be willing to be terrible at it for quite some time.

Yes. Songwriting is a skill which can be improved with practice and dialogue with other musicians. To practice, expect to write dozens of bad songs or rewrite a song dozens of times until it’s less bad. There will be moments of inspiration but if you can get faster at generating ideas and willing to let go of the first version you kind of liked to try for something better, you will have more raw material to work with. I have no great ambitions but I enjoy the process. I’ve taken a 3/4 song and recast it in 4/4, taken an upbeat song and slowed it down, and keep coming back to lyrics to find a better rhyme or a less trite way of saying something. The main block to songwriting is people short circuit the process by worrying about they’ll perform, produce and distribute the work. Heard one songwriter say Oh my band has a backlog of songs we wrote a decade ago, it doesn’t make sense to add more. Give yourself permission to write and you may be surprised at what you come up with!

 

[Tom]

Yes. Songwriting is a skill which can be improved with practice and dialogue with other musicians. To practice, expect to write dozens of bad songs or rewrite a song dozens of times until it’s less bad. There will be moments of inspiration but if you can get faster at generating ideas and willing to let go of the first version you kind of liked to try for something better, you will have more raw material to work with. I have no great ambitions but I enjoy the process. I’ve taken a 3/4 song and recast it in 4/4, taken an upbeat song and slowed it down, and keep coming back to lyrics to find a better rhyme or a less trite way of saying something. The main block to songwriting is people short circuit the process by worrying about they’ll perform, produce and distribute the work. Heard one songwriter say Oh my band has a backlog of songs we wrote a decade ago, it doesn’t make sense to add more. Give yourself permission to write and you may be surprised at what you come up with!

We should have a song writing challenge. With or without lyrics. Who wants to organize it?

 

[dan]

We should have a sing writing challenge. With or without lyrics. Who wants to organize it?

Sure I'm game! I'll start a new thread.