SongTrellis
Music and Musical Know-how For You

Members
Join Now
Login

Home | How-Tos | Directory | Our Composers | The Rhythms | Play Rhythm | Rhythm Web | Tonematrix | Chord Grid | The Changes | Song Discussions | Public Ideas | SongTrellis Recommends... | Video Links | Great Performances | SongTrellis Music Editor | The Lessons | Jukebox | The Animations | Our Contributors | Latest Topics | Tunetext | Workscore Chord Entry | Chord Entry By Grid | Workscore Composer | Music Tool Lore | Harmonic Interval Palette | Harmony Projects | Search | Video Demonstrations | Playlists | What's a Songtrellis? | FAQ | Feedback

Author David Luebbert
Posted 5/2/10; 1:15:33 AM
Msg# 5747 (top msg in thread)
Prev/Next 5746/5748
Reads 481

This week I figured out how to customize a chord grid and publish it inside of a post made to the Song Discussions.

Below this, you should see a Chord Grid that lists only four chord types (mi7(b5),mi7, 7, and MA7), the types that are the cliches of the Major harmony that popular songwriters of the early 20th century used more than any others.

Here's a tiny experiment to try:

Click on any square in the bottom mi7(b5) row in the B through C range. Then click in the mi7 row on the three squares that are immediately to the right of the one you chose in mi7(b5). Click on the 7 chord square that is just to the right of the last mi7 square that you clicked on. Finally, in the top MA7 row click on the next two squares to the right of the 7 square that you picked and then click back one square to the left in the MA7 row, so that you you come back to the first MA7 square that you visited.

If these instructions make sense to you, and you start your excursion in the lower left corner of the grid by clicking on B in the mi7(b5) row, you will visit in succession the Bmi7(b5), Emi7, Ami7, Dmi7, G7, CMA7, FMA7 grid squares and then return to the CMA7 square.

If you listen to the chords that play, you will hear all of the 4 note chords that are available to be used in the key of C Major, arranged in a way that seems inevitable to your ears.

If you shift the pattern of visitation by one square to the right of B, you"ll visit all of the 4 note chords in the key of F. If you shift two squares to the right of B, you will visit all of the 4 note chords in he key of Bb.

If you press the "Add Chord To List" button each time you click on a new grid square, you will build this chord sequence in the right panel of this page.

Another experiment: click on each square in a row from left to right and then from right to left. Can you characterize the sensation of moving betwen chords in the forward direction and its reverse?


Chord Grid - (Click on a root name in a chord type row to hear a chord
of that type built upon the selected root. Click on a chord type name to perform
the chord cycle generated by changing chord roots via the selected root motion,
starting the cycle with the leftmost root of that row)

Organize chord grid roots by:

Leftmost grid root: 
   
1 cycle of 12 roots
MA7    B E A D G C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb
7    B E A D G C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb
mi7    B E A D G C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb
mi7(b5)    B E A D G C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb

Lore for best use of the Chord Grid page

Chord List:
Once you've clicked on a grid square, and have heard a chord you like, press the Add To Chord List button to add the chord here.
You can type comma separated chord names here also.
Press the Play Chord List button to perform the list.

    Tempo:  beats per minute




MIDI Out:

   

Performance type:   Play the chord only
                          Play chord with arpeggio 
                           Play arpeggio only

Arpeggio style:      Play arpeggios quickly Stretch arpeggios to fill chord duration
Arpeggio direction: Arpeggiate from bottom to top Arpeggiate from top to bottom
blog comments powered by Disqus

Please join our community at SongTrellis. Our contributors welcome your comments, suggestions and requests. As soon as you join the site (or login if you are a member) a response form will appear here.




Last update: Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 4:29 PM.