Writer's Block? What's that?
There is a way to escape the occassional episodes of writer's block or rehashing the same old thing over and over. It is by increasing our Scale and Chord vocabulary. The more Scales and Chords we are aware of, the more opportunities we can see.
Over the years I have collected Scales, Chords, and Chord Progressions as a way to increase my Scale and Chord vocabulary. This was a slow path of trial and error. But as I collected Scales and Chords I began to organize them into a very unique database.
I have harmonized 99 World Scales by identifying Chords that are members of each Scale. This database is written in 100% HTML and the user can explore it exactly the same way we explore internet websites.
You can select a Scale and a Root and you will see a page that shows all Chords that are members of the Scale and Root you selected. You can also select a Chord Type and Root to see how to play the Chord on the keyboard and you can see all Scales that parent the selected Chord. It is a complete forward and reverse lookup feature that enables you to instantly see relationships between Chords and Scales.
You can find this special CD-ROM database here: The Infinite Chord Guru!
If you have been trying to learn to play chords on the piano or synthesizer one-song-at-a-time, this special 200 MB database can immediately open musical doors for you to freely explore!
It contains Scale and Chord charts for the Piano and MIDI Samples so you can hear how each Scale and Chord sounds before you attempt to play them yourself.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
TimeStreams - A Source Of Energy
When we first learn to play chords we usually start out playing each chord for a full bar or four counts. This is good practice as we learn to juggle the notes of each chord and change from one chord to another. However, if we always play each chord for the same length of time it can become boring and dull after awhile. Once the feel of each chord is mastered and we are able to change from one chord to another without much effort, it is time to play with TimeStreams.
TimeStreams is a concept of creating energy by playing chords with different durations. Here is an example:
4/4 [ D(Add9)[E] E(Sus2)[Q] E(Sus2)[Q] E(Sus2)[QE] D(Add9){1} :][ Repeat five times
The chords above are played with the first chord having a short duration and the next three chords having longer durations. The fifth chord is played a full bar to separate each phrase. This is an interesting pattern to practice. This sounds very different than playing each chord for a full bar. When all chords are played for the same duration it is like a pool of water that is very still and has no movement. When chords are given different durations it is like adding ripples to a pool of water. All of the sudden there is energy produced by a changing TimeStream!
You can click on the chord progression above to hear a sample of it.
You will notice the [E] notation appended to the first chord. This represents playing the chord for a duration of an Eighth note. The [Q] tokens represent Quarter notes and the [QE] token represents a Quarter plus an Eighth or a dotted Quarter note. The {1} token represents a full bar of music. This is a special notation I use to write chord progressions in text format. It is a very handy way to share chord progressions on internet forums and blogs.
TimeStreams is a concept of creating energy by playing chords with different durations. Here is an example:
4/4 [ D(Add9)[E] E(Sus2)[Q] E(Sus2)[Q] E(Sus2)[QE] D(Add9){1} :][ Repeat five times
The chords above are played with the first chord having a short duration and the next three chords having longer durations. The fifth chord is played a full bar to separate each phrase. This is an interesting pattern to practice. This sounds very different than playing each chord for a full bar. When all chords are played for the same duration it is like a pool of water that is very still and has no movement. When chords are given different durations it is like adding ripples to a pool of water. All of the sudden there is energy produced by a changing TimeStream!
You can click on the chord progression above to hear a sample of it.
You will notice the [E] notation appended to the first chord. This represents playing the chord for a duration of an Eighth note. The [Q] tokens represent Quarter notes and the [QE] token represents a Quarter plus an Eighth or a dotted Quarter note. The {1} token represents a full bar of music. This is a special notation I use to write chord progressions in text format. It is a very handy way to share chord progressions on internet forums and blogs.
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