How do you get the correct chord voicing?

[docjohn]

Fen's last comment on CCM rings especially true to me in many ways.btw;I played mostly CCM for about 6-7 years in church while listening to jazz,soul,and gospel at home.There are some CCM songs that I believe LORD has ordained and lead the folks into HIS presence,MANY do NOT,and specific artist(imo) are just capitlizing on the "christian " market.One is David Crowder,who came out of nowhere,and zoomed to the top.Read a couple articles about him;his "mission" is to bring technology into the church.REALLY??? I thought as Levites we are to bring folks into HIS throne!!!!!!!

Who knows what's in any man's heart,but I noticed the lyrics in one of crowders song;it's for you seemed to MOCK LORD!!!!! Lyrics go on and on ,"it's for you,but never mentions JESUS.In fact,when I left that church,went to pastor with the song set(5)showed him we spoke the NAME of JESUS 1 time,1/2 thru the 3rd song.We had something like 75-100 references to "god,him,etc",and felt SERIOUS conviction from the HOLY SPIRIT we had done an unclean,UNholy thing!!! I resigned at that point.My advice is to maybe consider if HOLY SPIRIT is showing you something.Maybe it's not the blandness of the chords,but the lack of SPIRIT !!!! Not that phat chords are an indication of LORD's presence,killer chords,licks,and runs may be equally wrong if not unto HIS GLORY.In my soul,believe LORD has led me to LGM to learn from the many talented folks here and do a new thing in my life.

The comment about your church hiring outsiders does concern me a bit.Maybe they want to give you a break,maybe they just want a "name" to draw folks in.Might be a good idea to explore if they would be open to you guys to stretch a little,do something different,etc. If it's a rigid NO,that shows from where their wind blows.WORD says "where SPIRIT of LORD is there is freedom".Had shared with pastor several times how I thought self,band,and congregation just wanted to move on,that what we were doing wasn't a blessing.He listened,smiled ,and continued to dish up same stuff,btw instead of 7 instruments and 5 singers,now he plays solo quitar with maybe his son and 1-2 singers.So,if style is more important than LORD,brothers and sisters,HE may move some folks,leave some folks.

As people and believers.we are to continually grow in ALL areas for HIS PURPOSE,a stagnant pond ONLY grows slime,don't be stagnated;move on up.If they wont grow and GO with you on some liberty in songs,chords,styles,go ON with LORD.

[Ramar]

Let me give you a couple of tips:

1)The best advice I can give is what has already been given... Learn the bassline first... It will eliminate most of the other possibilities and you will easily get a better idea of what the chord is...

2)Adding to #1... try to identify the highest pitch in the chord. It's usually the one that stands out the most and can easily be picked out... In most cases it corresponds with the melody... once you get the highest pitch, work your way back down to the bass note.

3)keep in mind that most gospel keyboardists play along with a bass player, so that frees up their left hand to add tritones and other additional notes/chords

4)Also, sometimes you DO got it right, but it just sounds differently when you hear someone else play it... When you are listening to someone else, you can kind of absorb and appreciate it more, because you can concentrate more on the sound, rather than yourself trying to get it right ... Also, oddly, some chords sound different on different instruments... Hearing a chord on a Piano is much different than hearing it on the organ, or on strings....

5) Usually, the best voicing is the voicing that requires the most minimal movement... you don't wanna be jumping all across the keys... keep your chords close to one another...

But that's why I like the organ, I can play the bass note with my foot, and play multiple voicings with both hands on the chords that I'm not sure of... that way I know I got it right, someway or another!!

[betnich]

Fen's last comment on CCM rings especially true to me in many ways.btw;I played mostly CCM for about 6-7 years in church while listening to jazz,soul,and gospel at home.There are some CCM songs that I believe LORD has ordained and lead the folks into HIS presence,MANY do NOT,and specific artist(imo) are just capitlizing on the "christian " market.

Who knows what's in any man's heart,but I noticed the lyrics in one of crowders song;it's for you seemed to MOCK LORD!!!!! Lyrics go on and on ,"it's for you,but never mentions JESUS.

My advice is to maybe consider if HOLY SPIRIT is showing you something.Maybe it's not the blandness of the chords,but the lack of SPIRIT !!!! Not that phat chords are an indication of LORD's presence,killer chords,licks,and runs may be equally wrong if not unto HIS GLORY.In my soul,believe LORD has led me to LGM to learn from the many talented folks here and do a new thing in my life.

One difference in CCM praise is that the lyrics are often addressed to God, rather than about Him. Thus the abundance of "You"s, etc. rather than the Name.

Not to defend spiritually anemic songs...I have been guilty of that, sometimes...

[docjohn]

Hey BET,that's what REALLY concerned me in some material;that is was a vague reference to a diety instead of any real heart felt knowledge or worship of HIM.For example,heard another song by a cat named bebo something that the line MOST repeated was "let all creation procreate".It was a fairly long song,ALL I remembered was that line.Not being a prude,and giving artistic leniency;whats' the difference in that to some ghetto/country rap about hos',gettin' it on,etc.For me,a lot of CCM just  is vapid music,lyrics,chords,etc.,if it blesses LORD and folks ;amen!!!!

[Ramar]

I think CCM is great... with certain instruments....

CCM only sounds good when certain instruments like guitar and bass are added, in my opinion... the problem is when you got folks on these Hammonds trying to play basic triads, the temptation to "gospelize" is too strong... it's like, why do I even have all these pedals and extra keys?

The Hammond is an instrument of soul... meaning more tritones, altered chords, and blues-scale runs!!

Even on piano, when I'm playing solo, CCM just sounds too "hollow" for me.... It needs guitar

I would love to do CCM at our church if we had a guitarist and bass player... I would lay low and fill in the gaps on the organ...

[betnich]

...heard another song by a cat named bebo something that the line MOST repeated was "let all creation procreate".

It was a fairly long song,ALL I remembered was that line.Not being a prude,and giving artistic leniency;whats' the difference in that to some ghetto/country rap about hos',gettin' it on,etc.For me,a lot of CCM just  is vapid music,lyrics,chords,etc.,if it blesses LORD and folks ;amen!!!!

Hee, hee!
Reminds me of what I heard  in a recent sermon...preacher was trying to say "sexual immorality" but it came out "sexual immortality"!!!
Made me lean over in my seat, laughing silently with a hand over my mouth...

[docjohn]

YES!!!!!