Questions About Harmonizing The Major Scale ? |
GMC Forum > Discussion Boards > VINTAGE GMC > Community Activities and Tutorials > Ask an Instructor > Bogdan Radovic (Bass & Beginner Guitar)
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Oct 30 2008, 01:39 AM
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Thanks for your questions!!
Let's elaborate a little about "Harmonizing Major Scale" i covered in these two lessons : https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/misc-less...ng-major-scale/ https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/misc-less...r-scale-part-2/ When we want to "harmonize" a scale, we are building chords out of every degree of the scale and we are using ONLY notes from that scale.After you do that you will get a series of chords all connected to 1 key center. Why are we learning this ? To be able to know what is the progression (which chords are played) when we are told to play ii-V-I in the key of G major for example.. Now back to harmonizing.We are going to build a chord out of every degree of the scale starting from the root.Triad includes scale degrees 1 , 3 and 5.Notice that there will be a third between scale degrees 1 and 3 or 3 and 5. So in the case of G major scale we have notes : G A B C D E F# You should take each scale degree and add 3rd and 5th above it in order to build triads (chords). first degree is G - 3rd is B -5th is D = G A B C D E F# = G major You see the pattern in bold , how we take one note and skip the next and select the third note, then repeat it. now next to the second degree: second degree is A... lets see what happens if we apply the same pattern to the scale notes G A B C D E F# we are getting the second chord : A - C - E .The name of the triad(chord) is defined by its included intervals. In this case note C is presenting minor 3rd interval from the A , so its a minor chord - A minor Here are triads formulas : Major - 1 3 5 Minor - 1 b3 5 ----------------- b means flat (interval lowered by halfstep) Diminished - 1 b3 b5 To learn about intervals check out this lesson : https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/misc-less...ls-bass-lesson/ Now lets cut the story short , if we do this to all the notes in major scale we are going to get a general formula! I-------II-------III-----IV------ V------VI-------VII - scale degrees major minor minor major major minor diminished - quality of chords This applies to ANY major scale , the order of chord types will not change! If somebody asks you to play ii-V-I progression in key of C major you are going to apply the formula and get these chords : D minor - G major - C major How ?? First identify notes of the C major scale : C D E F G A B Then find ii degree - note D. Next you should knowing the formula identify that chord as minor so its D minor. Do the same with V and I degree.. Regarding questions no. 3 : You can play any of those you mentioned.There is no particular rule.You just have to make sure you are playing the right notes...So if your guitarist is playing G major chord you can improvise a bass line by playing G major arpeggio , or G major triad or G major scale , G major pentatonic....You just have to match the chord to scale (notes you are going to use)..When it comes to bass you need to know chords well because chord tones (arpeggios) are your strong notes.Line will mostly hang on those notes and of course improvise around them. Questions no. 4 : Check out Andrews theory board and this lesson in particular: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...?showtopic=3160 If you want to write a song in the key of G major for example you can choose any of the chords mentioned above and they will all sound good one after the other...So see it as a pallet of possible chords choices...OF course progression will almost never be linear like I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII , rather different combination of those...depending on the song. Feel free to post any more questions! 
This post has been edited by Bogdan Radovic: Oct 30 2008, 12:45 PM -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Oct 30 2008, 11:19 AM
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Glad you understood it better now...Just keep in mind that triad is a 3 note chord...
Cheers mate -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Oct 30 2008, 11:30 AM
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QUOTE (OrganisedConfusion @ Oct 30 2008, 11:24 AM)  This led to my Eureka moment Bogdan. So fully explained and done well. Cheers Thanks a lot mate!! I'm really glad I opened up some theory ideas for you..
-------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Oct 30 2008, 12:40 PM
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Hi
You pretty much got some very nice and detailed answers. I wrote a lesson about major scale harmonization into 4 note chords. The lesson is about major scale modes. Try that as well so you might find it useful also. https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...-c-major-scale/ -------------------- Check out my <a href="https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/instructor/Emir-Hot" target="_blank">Instructor profile</a>
www.emirhot.com www.myspace.com/emirhotguitar www.myspace.com/sevdahmetal |
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Oct 30 2008, 02:59 PM
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QUOTE (OrganisedConfusion @ Oct 30 2008, 11:41 AM) It always seems so confusing to me. I have to understand ideas in a systematic way so when it is explained with a simple mathematical pattern it hit me straight away. It's so simple yet when other people were explaining it I really didn't get where the chords came from. This has helped me a lot. I'm glad I made it clear to you this time...Maybe its because we think in similar manner (systematically) !
This post has been edited by Bogdan Radovic: Oct 30 2008, 03:06 PM -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Oct 31 2008, 01:33 AM
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Okay, I got some others questions
 :1) In your walking bass concept video n°1 : You say : "Backing progression is : Am - G - C - D - Em - Am - Em - Bm - G - Am". This time I totally understand why is this these chords in the key of G , but what I don't understand is the order ?Is that you who define how you want to play it ? Because on the video, there is a piano which, I think, is playing the chords above (right ?), so was this you who define it or is there a specific order ? (I don't know if order has the same meaning that in french, I hope you understand me, why C is just before D, etc...). 1.1) Imagine you are in a real song where there is a piano, guitar etc.. except the bass. After you determine the key of the song and so the chords of the scale, how do you know if you have to play II-V-I-II or III-IV-I-III etc ? 2) Okay now like I always and I think other persons who just learn music theory try to find the key of song with the chords on the specific scale etc, I would like to see how you do for this one, I think it would be helpful for me but even for some others people. Take "So much I" from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Here is a tab for the song (pretty right I think) : http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/r/red_...i_ver2_btab.htm I think the key is : F#minor. The notes of the first riff correspond to F#minor scale, and the first prechorus too. I have watched the chords of the guitar and it plays F#m all along the verses. First of all, am I right ? Then here come my question, my problem is I want to make my own arrangments. See on the first chorus : G|---x679-----------------------------| D|-77------x679--------7-9/11-11-9-7--| A|-------77------x6-7-9---------------| E|-------------77---------------------| G|---x679-------------------6-9-6-------| D|-77------x679--------7-7-9------9-7---| A|-------77------x6-7-9-----------------| E|-------------77-----------------------| It can easily be change by our own improvisation I think, and I think we are again on the F# chord and whatever notes we will play on the scale will sound right ? Is my approach right ? Sorry for the long post, It will be very helpful for me but I hope it will be for others too. Thanks for your time. |
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Oct 31 2008, 01:06 PM
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Thanks for questions! Let me answer first two right now...
1. Yes , I was the one who made the order of those chords! Order of chords is called "Progression".You could use basically any order of above chords and they would work together and sound good..Why I chose that particular order was because I was composing a little tune to go with walking bass material..You can see how we climb up the neck by whole steps going C - D - E ...That progression seemed easy and good for presenting the material in the lesson.Its all up to you to compose your own progression. 1.1. In a real song situation you are going to determine and get the songs progression - ii-V-I or any other in advance!! Either you are going to get it in that format or with chords above the notation system. If they tell you "We are going to play ii-V-I in key of G major" you are going to play : Am-D-G Songs progression (order of chords and which ones) is always set in advance! This post has been edited by Bogdan Radovic: Oct 31 2008, 02:49 PM -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Oct 31 2008, 05:32 PM
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Regarding second question, yeah the song seems to be in the key of A major which shares same notes as F#m so you got it right!
Regarding the chorus part , you are again right , Flea is mostly using F#minor scale to construct his line...John is playing mostly power chords here , I think its A5 , E5 and B5...So if you want to improvise your line here you can, but you need to play those 2 root notes on every chord change and improvise the rest of the line (fill ins) by using for example notes from the F#minor scale..But since guitar is playing power chords ,your root and 5th will be strong notes so keep your line revolving around them and don't stay much on the "Scale" notes - use them as passing notes.Flea is doing exactly that in this line.. Cheers mate!
This post has been edited by Bogdan Radovic: Oct 31 2008, 05:41 PM -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Oct 31 2008, 10:40 PM
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Thanks a lot man, glad to have completely understand that, because of you
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