Hi Guys,

I find your comments on chords, harmony and music theory most interesting. Chuck, I commend you in your presentation of chord structure. What I find especially interesting is that there are apparently many on the forum interested in deep harmony. We have come at a time where good harmony is no longer appreciated or necessary in popular music. Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Rap, whatever, has been popular for so long a time, most people who buy music today haven't heard or appreciate good harmony. It is a damn shame. Today's music enthusiast no longer appreciates the beautiful, well-written songs of yesterday and there are no songs replacing the songs of the 20s - 50s, that were so rich with harmonies.

Since I was a very young boy, (about 5) I was aware of good harmony and especially, beautiful arrangements, whether it was big band or a lush arrangement behind a pop singer. Being aware made me hopefully, a better musician. Harmony is interesting, for everyone doesn't hear it. By this, I mean most non musicians and many musicians with no real ear only hear basic harmony. Extended harmonies, i.e., alternative/substitute chords are not heard. For us, who understand advanced harmonies, find this hard to understand. I'm sure we have heard well-known pianists who have a great skill playing runs and their harmony is less than interesting - I have.

I think one can truly appreciate hearing harmony, when playing, if one doesn't have to read music as they play. In addition to being able to read music, having the ability to play by ear is a real advantage. Having to read and concentrate on your playing interferes with full enjoyment of what you are hearing.

I have rambled on enough - These are just my thoughts on harmony and the pleasure of hearing it. Thanks for all your comments.

KN6 Guy

Good Morning KN6Guy,

You have hit the nail squarely on the head! As I have said on this forum before, most of today's music is just noise pollution produced by a drummer who hits the drums with all of his might (no finesse), a guitar player who uses distortion with the volume turned to max, and a male or female screaming into a microphone connected to huge amplifiers that amplify their complete lack of a voice or vocal talent.

The harmonies of the music of the 20s through 50s, the full bands and orchestras backing vocalists of the stature of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaugh, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett et al combined to produce the greatest pop music sounds ever. And lets not forget those composers who wrote that beautiful music, especially those wonderful melodies. I've heard numerous pop songs of the present day where the melody is nothing more than four or five notes repeated endlessly. Is that music? I certainly don't think so. I honestly believe the young people of today have tin ears! Rhythm - the beat! - is what its all about these days. Oh, and that screaming male or female up front with the mic.

In fairness, I have to say that some pop groups have produced good music. I think Abba and the Beatles are a couple of examples. Paul McCartney wrote "Norwegian Wood" and it is a very pretty piece of music. If you don't listen to classical music you may not be aware that Paul McCartney writes classical music for string quartets. So there are good musicians in the pop music world who can and do write good music. Unfortunately, the radio stations don't play it. Here in the UK we have just two radio stations that play decent music - Jazz FM and Classic FM. On Sunday afternoons the BBC Radio 2 broadcasts several radio shows that play music from the 20s to 50s and I enjoy those shows a great deal, but they only last about three or four hours.

I'm off my soap box now.

Back to chords and harmony. It is probably not generally known that dominant chords can be bi-tonal. Let me give you an example. Take C7. The notes are C,E,G, and Bb. If you alter the chord by adding the 9th, 11th, and 13th (D,F, and A) you have a C major chord (C,E,G) with Bbmajor7 chord on top of it (Bb,D,F, and A) You don't see bi-tonal chords used very often in harmony, but they are legitimate chords in their own right. They are more likely to be used in the jazz idiom than in any other type of music. Bi-tonal chords came to mind after I had finished writing in the other thread about chords, so thought I would include that little bit of information here for anyone who is interested in chords and harmony.

Take care KN6Guy.

Chuck

there are so many manufactured bands nowadays that hardly anyone mainstream seems to write their own music anymore. And its obviously too dificult for the manufactured groups to remember more than three chords...

Hi Alec,

You hit the nail on the head as well! Sadly, most of today's so-called "music" is shallow. Shallow in that it is all too often just three chords with a rhythm backing and some so-called vocalist screaming three words over and over in sync with the rhythm. What a pity when beautiful music could be created instead. But, the trash produced today is what sells. I'll never understand why.

Now, back to harmony and chords. This is for those who like to dabble in harmony and chords and are looking for an easy chord substitution rule to apply to their music. If you are faced with a G7 chord and wish to reharmonize the melody note, play Dminor7 instead. So the rule is: when faced with a dominant chord, count UP a fifth (G, A, B, C, D) or DOWN a fourth (G, F, E, D) and play the resulting root note (in this case D) in a minor seventh form. It will not work with all melody notes but is frequently useful and surprisingly nice to the ear. So the next time you face a dominant chord, do your counting, play a minor seventh chord, and enjoy the difference in the sound.

Chuck

A very good musician and me were discussing ad lib. I was fairly young, around 28 at the time. We were on the subject because I admired how he came up with the things he did and how he arrived at his ideas. In the course of picking his brain he made a statement that has stuck in my head to this day. In fact I have heard it mentioned several times since then when discussing the art of presenting your music to others. I am not a great technician in my playing but with the idea of these three little words always in mind, I never fail to please the people who I play for. The words? ‘Chords Are Everything.’

Chords ARE everything! How you understand them and use them will lift you above the average and even give you an edge over some of the more skillful players.

Chuck, I also admire your skill in putting your thoughts into words. This skill is about as important to communication as chords are to music presentation. The quality of things discussed on this forum never seems to end and is always on a higher level than the others. Guys, and gals, I want to thank you all for the high standards you have set and your interest in music making. I really, and I mean really really enjoy the subject matter presented and discussed here. Thanks again.

Grandpa Doug

Hi Doug,

Thank you for your kind comments. Much appreciated. Like you, I have enjoyed this forum a great deal because of the quality people who particpate and their wonderful willingness to share their knowledge and skills and to solve problems for all of us when we encounter them. A super bunch of people with whom I am proud to associate.

Chuck

"How strange, the change, from major, to minor..."

Oh, Mr. Technicsplayer -

You are yanking our chain - "Everytime We Say Goodbye" - I'll say "Goodbye" to you. I'll bet you don't remember that one?

KN6 Guy

Ouote: “the trash produced today is what sells. I'll never understand why.”

Chuck, did you ever hear about the up and down and the in and out theories? What goes up must come down and what goes in must come out. When a plane takes off it must come down, one way or another. When you shove some thing in your mouth it must come out, one way or another. So it is with your mind. What goes in must come out. The mind has many ways to be fed. Two holes in the nose, sense of smell. Two holes for eyeballs, feeding the mind with porn and trash or beauty and goodness. Two ears also to take in the sounds and ideas the mind desires. And one mouth. Oh that mouth. Out comes the residue of what was fed to the mind. Some call the mouth the you know what of the head. The feet carry the mind to the desires of the mind and the hands purchase and carry the food of the mind to again nourish the mind with it’s desires. Just like computers, trash in, trash out! Keyboards the same, trash in, trash out. People, trash in, trash out. You say the music of today is shallow? The music is shallow because the source of it is shallow, the shallow people. Many choose to slosh around in the shallows of life and never learn to swim through the depths of life. “I’ll never understand why?” I understand why and I think you do too, deep down. Then again I have been wrong before, just ask Ruthie.

Grandpa Doug

P.S. Alec, how strainge, the change, from melody art, to bellowing fart.
Maybe we are poets and we don’t know it.

Hello Doug,

I think you missed your calling, good buddy. You should have been a philosopher. You seem to have an innate sense of what life is all about, in essence - what makes people tick. Seems to me you have been a keen observer of people and a keen interpreter of the motivations behind their actions throughout your life. I think I do understand why some people are shallow and others are not. But I could be wrong, too. I'll leave it there.

Chuck