Couple questions

[Qwan]

What's up yall? Love the site and thank God it is available for beginners like me. It is a blessing to be able to ask some seasoned musicians questions directly. At my church me and another musician are trying to hold it down but we are not that experienced yet. It's really rough when you don't have someone to ask. There are some great musicians that pop up every now and then but they never really teach you, they just perform. Now I need some help. When analyzing a song that you will learn for your choir is their a way to predict what will happen? How about in the right hand as well as the left. I know that the left will let you know the progression but what about the right hand? Do you have to just listen for that? I would really llike to know this because it take me hours to learn a song.

Qwan

[BELLMS540]

 Let me be the first to welcome you to LGM. How long have you been playing???

[Qwan]

Thanks for the welcome. Church folk always got to welcome. I've been playing for about a year and a half now. I actually started on drums and kind of moved to where the church needed help the most. However I know that it was God's plan for me to play but to whom much is given much is required as I am definetly starting to recognize that it will require some work from me.

[lumbebear1]

to the LGM Family

[B3Wannabe]

Qwan,

Like everyone else said, welcome to LGM...

To answer your question, there is a way to predict what chord will be next. First you need to learn the circle of fifths. Do an internet search, you'll come up with a lot of good information. There are also some posts here, on LGM, concerning the circle. Next, and AFTER learning the circle, you need to learn the most used progressions. These are...

1. 2-5-1 or ii-V-I
2. 1-4-5 or I-IV-V
3. 5-1-4 or V-I-IV
4. 7-3-6 or vii-iii-vi
5. 2-3-4-5 or ii-iii-iv-V
6. 1-7-6 or I-vii-vi

...which relate to certain notes within any given key. For instance, if you're the key of C, "C" would be the 1st and F would be the 4th. Each one of the progressions above has basic chords that are played, so once you've learned the progressions, you can tell where they'll most likely go, by listening to the chords.

Again, take a look at the circle of fifths first. This will help get you ready for all the information that I typed above. If you need any help understanding the circle, let one of us know.

[bishopcole]

Qwan,

Like everyone else said, welcome to LGM...

To answer your question, there is a way to predict what chord will be next. First you need to learn the circle of fifths. Do an internet search, you'll come up with a lot of good information. There are also some posts here, on LGM, concerning the circle. Next, and AFTER learning the circle, you need to learn the most used progressions. These are...

1. 2-5-1 or ii-V-I
2. 1-4-5 or I-IV-V
3. 5-1-4 or V-I-IV
4. 7-3-6 or vii-iii-vi
5. 2-3-4-5 or ii-iii-iv-V
6. 1-7-6 or I-vii-vi

...which relate to certain notes within any given key. For instance, if you're the key of C, "C" would be the 1st and F would be the 4th. Each one of the progressions above has basic chords that are played, so once you've learned the progressions, you can tell where they'll most likely go, by listening to the chords.

Again, take a look at the circle of fifths first. This will help get you ready for all the information that I typed above. If you need any help understanding the circle, let one of us know.

Yes and also just to add a little bit more to this great answer, you qiuckly need to learn your scales in every key starting with C major.  Bishop Cole

[jt3n1]

Welcome to the board!!! Another thing to add is work with your triads(A triad being three notes.) on your circle of fifths. Something simple such as CG in your left hand and CEG in your right hand. The right hand has your full chord, but the left hand reinforces the chord, by bringing out the bass. Learn those major and minor. A minor triad would be CG/CEbG notice the C and G stay the same. This is because the THIRD tells you what kind of chord it is. A simple way to learn the major and minor chords in every key is to move each finger up one half step for the next chord, until you get all the way back to C. I know everybody these days is talking about PHAT chords and voicings, but a house built on a weak foundation will fail in the time of a storm.  Make sure you understand your theory basics!!! They will help you so much in the long run.
God Bless.

Let me know if this helps you out any.

[MrTea]

Ok folks let try a different approach based on the melody and not the chords.

Key of  B:   B,          c#,          d#,          E,          F#,          g#,          a#,          B
SCALE   :    1           2              3             4           5              6              7             8(1)
C
H               3           4              5              6          7              8              2             3
O
R                5          6               7              8          2              3             4              5
D
S
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Chord           B           c#m,          d#m,       E           F#         g#m,        a#dim,    B major
    No.           1               2               3         4            5             6                7           1 


Ok first pick a key.  We will use the Key of B.  Then assign numbers to each degree of the scale as above.

Chords are made by starting on a note B, in this case, and playing every other note.  Look down  the chord chart above.  A ' B chord or the ONE(1) chord  is made by playing the 1st, 3rd and 5th note of the scale.   The E chord or Four(4) chord is played by playing the 4th, 6th, and 8th note of the scale.  The F# or Five(5) chord is played by playing the 5th, 7th, and 2nd note of the scale.   Many songs can be play with just those three chords, the 1, 4, and 5chords.  But we will let the melody of a song dictate the chord we choose.  Ok boys and girls, let play ' Yes Jesus loves me:

First play the melody note with the right hand.  And the chords with the left.  Look down the chord chart and pick a chord that contains the melody note.  Re-arrange the notes so that the melody is on top.


melody note:           5                       3   5                          6                        8
Lyric    :                Yes                   Jes - us                       Loves                   me
Chords:                B(1)                                                      E(4)
Progression
:
                              5                       3    1                        3                         2
                            Yes                    Jes - us                     Loves                    me
                            B( 1)                                                  F#(5)


                               5                       3    5                        6                         8
                             Yes                    Jes -us                      Loves                   me
                                1                                                      4


                               7                 6                    5     1              3             2                  1
                             For               the                  Bi - Ble             tells         me                so
                                                                           1                  5                                1




 Each melody note does not need a chord.  Some times you will play two or more melody         
 notes per chord.       
  So if you can play the melody.  Pick a scale and choose chords that contain the melody. 

 You will need to know your scales especialy the major scale.  The minor scale is an altered       
 major scale created by flating the third, six, and or seventh note of the major scale.

Once you know the scale, don't think A, B, C etc,   think 1, 2, 3 etc, in the key of B or what ever key you are using.  Now you are playing Music by the numbers.  The Nashville number
 system.

                                                                                         
                       
   God Bless you,
    MrTea
                 
     

[MrTea]

Ok folks let try a different approach based on the melody and not the chords.

Key of  B:   B,          c#,          d#,          E,          F#,          g#,          a#,          B
SCALE   :    1           2              3             4           5              6              7          8(1)
C
H               3           4              5              6          7              8              2          3
O
R                5          6               7              8          2              3             4          5
D
S
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Chord           B           c#m,          d#m,       E           F#         g#m,        a#dim,    B major
    No.           1               2               3         4            5             6                7           1 


Ok first pick a key.  We will use the Key of B.  Then assign numbers to each degree of the scale as above.

Chords are made by starting on a note B, in this case, and playing every other note.  Look down  the chord chart above.  A ' B chord or the ONE(1) chord  is made by playing the 1st, 3rd and 5th note of the scale.   The E chord or Four(4) chord is played by playing the 4th, 6th, and 8th note of the scale.  The F# or Five(5) chord is played by playing the 5th, 7th, and 2nd note of the scale.   Many songs can be play with just those three chords, the 1, 4, and 5chords.  But we will let the melody of a song dictate the chord we choose.  Ok boys and girls, let play ' Yes Jesus loves me:

First play the melody note with the right hand.  And the chords with the left.  Look down the chord chart and pick a chord that contains the melody note.  Re-arrange the notes so that the melody is on top.


melody note:           5                       3   5                          6                        8
Lyric    :                Yes                   Jes - us                       Loves                   me
Chords:                B(1)                                                      E(4)
Progression
:
                              5                       3    1                        3                         2
                            Yes                    Jes - us                     Loves                    me
                            B( 1)                                                  F#(5)


                               5                       3    5                        6                         8
                             Yes                    Jes -us                      Loves                   me
                                1                                                      4


                               7                 6                 5     1              3             2             1
                             For               the               Bi - Ble             tells         me           so
                                                                        1                  5                           1




 Each melody note does not need a chord.  Some times you will play two or more melody        
 notes per chord.      
  So if you can play the melody.  Pick a scale and choose chords that contain the melody. 

 You will need to know your scales especialy the major scale.  The minor scale is an altered       
 major scale created by flating the third, six, and or seventh note of the major scale.

Once you know the scale, don't think A, B, C etc,   think 1, 2, 3 etc, in the key of B or what ever key you are using.  Now you are playing Music by the numbers.  The Nashville number
 system.

                                                                                        
                      
   God Bless you,
    MrTea
                 
     

[sjonathan02]

Ok, Mr. Tea, I pity the fool ( ) that can't help me. Sorry, just had to get that out.


So using your excellent method, how does one incorporate those fuller, phatter sounding chords?

[ferrente]

Welcome to LGM  Qwan 
 
 

[Qwan]

Thanks urybody.