July 2009 Archives

Song Writing 101 tip 04

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Today we will explore more common chord progressions.
Remember to reference  "Family of chords building blocks of songs" blog.

1) I, IV, V, IV or in the key of C major = C major, F major, G major, F major.

2) ii, V, I, vi or in the key of C major = D minor, G major, C major, A minor.

3) I, V, vi, IV or in the key of C major = C major, G major, A minor, F major.

4) I, IV, viio, iii, vi, ii, V, or in the key of C major = C major, F major, B diminished, E   minor, A minor, D minor, G major or G seventh.

Play (strum) each chord for one measure or 4 beats. Loop record or have a friend play while you play all positions of C major scale first using quarter notes only for 10 minutes, then eighth notes only for 10 minutes. Remember once you are comfortable in all voicings of C major then you must transpose to all other keys.

ATB,

Vince 
Lets look at the most common chord combinations or more commonly called "PROGRESSIONS" used in contemporary music. Referencing the "Family of chords building blocks of songs" blog lets take C major and its harmonized chords and put them to practical work!

ii, V, I = The two or D minor chord the five or G major or G seventh chord and finally the one or C major chord. This is how it is written for a basic rhythm chart. The lines are called hash marks and are the same thing as a quarter note. Each chord gets four beats.

Dm //// G //// C ///// 

Record or have a friend play this progression for 5 to 10 minutes while you play the C major scale using quarter then eight notes. I recommend strumming each chord 4 times and the one chord 8 times.
Stay tuned for more progressions.

ATB,

Vince Lauria 
When writing a song there is a standard structure that is used. This structure is varied but basically it is like the following: 
Introduction ( usually instrumental 4 to 8 bars)
Verse (Singing starts. Many times it is the same chords as the Intro or Chorus 8 to 12 bars)
Segway ( small instrumental section 2 to 4 bars - builds to next section)
Chorus (Many times the name of the song. Most remembered or hooky part)
Segway
2nd Verse (tells next part of story)
Chorus
Bridge (different then all other sections-breaks up song)
Solo (guitar, sax or piano)
Chorus
Outro (variation on Intro)

Thanks,

Vince

 

Bass tip 01

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To be a good bass player it is essential to be able to play with a pick and your fingers.

First when using a pick on bass I recommend the extra heavy ones.
For the bass to be heard in a band or in a recording situation the heavy pick will cut though.
Always use down up picking and start down.
When using your fingers remember to use alternate rest stroke. This means to pull the string with the first finger right hand and then rest it on the string directly above it. Practice going back & forth 1st, 2nd ,1st, 2nd and gradually increasing your speed.
More on this later.

Thanks,

Vince Lauria 
Today let's take the C major scale and its family of chords and see how we can connect the chords using scale note from C major. First take a basic open C major chord at first fret.
Our target chord will be the F major chord. Strum the C chord 2 times then walk up to the F chord using open D string then the E note 2nd fret of the D string, finally play the F major chord.
Experiment going up & back.
When playing common chords you can use scale tones to connect chords. This makes regular changes much more interesting and keeps the listener's ears going from chord to chord like a bouncing ball.
Starting with a simple A major chord at 2nd fret strum the chord down once and then add first finger to 2nd fret on the A string while holding the A chord pick the B note, then use third finger 4th fret A string and pick it. You can use this to go to D major. Next time I will cover doing this technique with other open chords.

Take care and keep on Rocking!

Vince Lauria  
When strumming open chords within the first 3 frets of the guitar (near the nut) remember to always strum the open strings with less volume then the thinner strings and the fingered strings.
Many times the open thicker strings overshadow the thin fingered strings. 

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