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how to know what notes to play over certain chords?

Music Theory
guitarbadass  
11 Oct 2009 15:26 | Quote
Joined: 04 Oct 2009
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i want to find out how to know what notes fit with certain chords,i,m wanting to put solos with my chords progressions but i want all of the notes to match up with the chords,i want to be able to use theory for this,here,s an example of a for a progression,with the chords being d5,e5,g5,a5,its played fast,so what notes would you guys use for every chord and why,what do i look for,and how do i use the right notes over a fast progression if anyone can help me out it would be much appreciated,,,,,,thanx
case211  
11 Oct 2009 17:35 | Quote
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if you want it to be easy then just play the matching pentatonic in either major or minor of the chord that you want. Otherwise find the progression that you are doing, and then use the corresponding modes for the progression. and you can use the scales to chords tool on the top
nater2  
11 Oct 2009 19:48 | Quote
Joined: 28 May 2009
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play arpeggios basically. if it's a fast moving progression then just play notes that are in the chord being played and throwing in other notes with them
guitarbadass  
11 Oct 2009 21:27 | Quote
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hey thanx,throw in other notes as well,does it matter which ones?or can it be any note as long as its part of the scale i,m using, and u said in a fast moving progression just play the notes that are in the chord,but the thing is i use mostly just power chords,and that would only allow me to play just 2 notes,what is all of the notes i can over a power chord,say the A5 chord,the notes in that chord are the root A and the perfect 5th E,what other notes can i play over that chord if i,m in the key of A?
BodomBeachTerror  
12 Oct 2009 01:37 | Quote
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you can basically play any note in the scale, just some sound better over some chords than others
nater2  
12 Oct 2009 08:51 | Quote
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one thing i've noticed is that u can play any note in the key but you should end or put emphasis on the notes in the chord. you can also use the thirds of of those power chords even if it's not being played
guitarbadass  
12 Oct 2009 23:07 | Quote
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thanx dudes
BodomBeachTerror  
12 Oct 2009 23:30 | Quote
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i know theres a big theory explanation for this question, but i dont really understand it. Jazzy can explain it
guitarbadass  
12 Oct 2009 23:49 | Quote
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hey nater2 whatcha mean when u said u can play the thirds of those power chords?there is no third ina 5 chord,the 5 power chord has the root,perfect 5th,and THE PERFECT 4th of the perfect 5th 4 example the A5 power chord has the notes,the root A,perfect 5th E,and the perfect 4th of E which is A,what do ya mean by the third?
Mart903  
25 Oct 2009 18:18 | Quote
Joined: 25 Oct 2009
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Hi to all!

I believe all said so far works. Sometimes a scale will match or go along with all the notes in your chord progression.- Ex A - Other times you will see that more than one scale will be needed to match or go along with all notes in the progression. For example: One scale for the first two chords in a 5 chord progression and another scale over the other three chords as in Ex B - And sometimes you will even have to use a scale for only one chord of the progression as in Ex C.

Ex.A

Chord Progression: C Am Dm G

C = R 3 5 = C E G goes along with C Major Scale: C,D,E,F,G,A,B
Am = R b3 5 = A C E goes along with C Major Scale: C,D,E,F,G,A,B
Dm = R b3 5 = D F A goes along with C Major Scale: C,D,E,F,G,A,B
G = R 3 5 = G B D goes along with C Major Scale: C,D,E,F,G,A,B

Ex.B

Chord Progression: C Dm E A B

C Dm -- C Major Scale: C,D,E,F,G,A,B
E A B -- E Major Scale: E,F#,G#,A,B,C#,D#

E = E,G#,B
A = A,C#,E
B = B,D#,F#

Ex.C


Chord Progression: G Cm D

G = G,B,D -- G Major Scale
D = D,F#,A -- G Major Scale
Cm = C,Eb,G -- Bb Major Scale

G Major Scale = G,A,B,C#,D,E,F#,
Bb Major Scale = Bb,C,D,Eb,F,G,A

Note:For each one of these situations there are other scales that may work as well.
apollos  
25 Oct 2009 22:55 | Quote
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playy what sounds good
AlexB  
25 Oct 2009 23:02 | Quote
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+1 to apollos
pigvomit83  
30 Mar 2010 13:07 | Quote
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speaking from a beginners perspective... I'm not confident in my ability to improvise solo's over chord progressions all on my own. this feeling in turn brings me to this forum to ask questions and gain direction. Thank you all!
BodomBeachTerror  
30 Mar 2010 13:30 | Quote
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really, improvising isnt something someone can teach you. i find the more i did it the better i got
pigvomit83  
30 Mar 2010 13:51 | Quote
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well yes you are right... improvising is literally "making something up on your own" otherwise it'd it be called "copying"

i was just trying to say that when I get direction from another player i get to kind see/hear where they were going and then move up and onward from there.
JustJeff  
30 Mar 2010 13:58 | Quote
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I asked a professional jazz and blues guitarist how he comes up with his improv'd licks, and this is what he told me.


"Pick a few of your favorite artists. Every day, learn a new lick from one of their songs. Memorize it, master it, play it the way they play it. Pick a new lick every day. After a year, come back to me and I'll let you play on stage with me. I guarantee you'll fit right in with us."
adelaideguitar  
14 Apr 2010 14:25 | Quote
Joined: 14 Apr 2010
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D dorian will work which is a minor.
D mixolydian will also work which gives you a D7 (blues) overtone.
D lonian (major) will also work, but will sound a little childish.

The way I work is, I ask, do I want a minor or major sound? I then choose my mode. Often I'll change modes during a solo.

I see a mode as a pentatonic scale (5 notes) with 2 notes added from a posible 4. The two notes can really define the style of music you are playing.

A lot of led zep solos swap in and out of major/minor scales, often mid lick.

Just for though. You can play a minor pentatonic starting at I, IV and V and all notes will fall into the minor scale.

If you slide down 3 frets, you start playing the relative major. Getting that slide mid riffing/licking makes for some interesting solos imho.
carlsnow  
15 Apr 2010 11:36 | Quote
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adelaideguitar says:
The way I work is, I ask, do I want a minor or major sound? I then choose my mode. Often I'll change modes during a solo.


YUP!
and a very much overlooked skill-set is the ability to run a mode from any of your six strings.
I will often move from, say, Lyd-Aug->Mixo->Lyd-Dom, in a 12+ note run (just a 'fer instance') Knowing where your Octaves(and 3's and such) lay on the board is a great way to begin this road to improvisation. It is startling to me that so many folks are being taught 3-note per string modes only from the 6th and 5th strings, when ALL SIX are available as a starting point and/or crossover-etc.

Knowing what all the notes on the fretboard sound like is all well and good, but 'to get there' it would greatly benefit the beginning guitarist to (as ya mentioned above)learn to "swap .. mid lick".

an easy way to begin this practice would be to play a simple mode(any) from each octave of its root, then move to less simplistic patterns by (when knowing the tune of course) playing off the 3rd, b3rd, b5, etc ..modally.

RAWK!
Cs


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