In his "How to Play Irish Bouzouki" DVD, Zan McLeod talks about and plays this scale of chords - one chord for each note of the D major scale. I suppose it's a "harmonized scale".
It sounds lovely, but he never really goes on to say why it's so important or what it's used for. Anybody have an idea where he might have been going with this? Does it help you find passing chords and suchlike?
Don't ask me what the chords are - I haven't fugured them out yet, though obviously they start and end with a D Major chord.
This is how you use them. Your chord scale for D scale is D-Em-F#m-G-A-Bm-C#dim, then back to D. If you leave out the C#dim for the moment this gives you 6 basic chords you can work with for any tune which has a key signature of 2 sharps, so not just Dmaj tunes but also E dorian, A mixolydian and B minor.
The chords you choose and the order you play them in will depend a) on the particular tune, and b) on how you personally want to back the tune.
A good way to learn how to pick your chords is by listening to what note you want to hear in the bass at any one time. For example, if you feel as though you want to hear a G in the bass, play a G chord. If you want to hear a B in the bass, play a Bm chord.
When you've got the hang of backing in those 4 modes related to D, learn some more chord scales. The other most useful one is the Gmaj scale. This will help you play in the modes of G major, A dorian, D mixolydian and E minor. Those 2 chord scales will help you with maybe 85% of Irish tunes. Others you might want to learn are the chord scale of A (for Amaj, Bdor, F#min), C (for Cmaj, Ddor, Gmix, Amin), E (for the rare occasion that you're going to need chords for Emaj and F#dor tunes), F (for Fmaj, Gdor, Dmin), and possibly Bb (mainly for Gmin tunes). You might want to use a capo for a lot of these keys, but it's good to know how to play w/o a capo so you're not relying on it the whole time.
Then you get "wild cards" which are chords outside of the chord scale, and also more sophisticated chords like sus4, 7sus4 etc. Your ear will tell you when you want to hear these, after you've played around with chord scales for a while.
You should also learn how those 6 chords in your chord scale relate to each other. Think of them in 3 sets of 2. For the chord scale of D:
Bm is the relative minor of D, and D is the relative major of Bm, so in some cases you can substitute one for the other, but in other cases you can't. Your ear should tell you when.
Em is the relative minor of G, and G is the relative major of Em.
F#m is the relative minor of A, and A is the relative major of F#m.
Can anyone explain how you *know* what note you want to hear in the bass? Having played piano from an early age, harmony is second nature to me. But how do you explain it to a new musician, or someone who has only ever played melody? Is it intuitive to everyone? If someone doesn't get it, do you write them off as unmusical?
Sorry for the follicular fission. There's a whole nother discussion's worth here.
This is a pretty interesting question. But it is so open-ended I don't think you will find an easy answer. What works one time might not work again, even under samo conditions. Arranging or the harp, I've found that the top(highest frequency) note is what you hear and therefore requires a first or second inversion to sound right. On a guitar or bouzouki it isn't so easy to invert a chord playing from first position, so a diad rather than a triad makes it easier to choose the "note you want to hear". Then again, if you are accompanying with a percussive style, that bass line is less dominated by the individual tones, more by the rhythm.
I hope someone who knows more than I will weigh in on this interesting discussion.
I just reread what I wrote and realised I don't know my chord scales well enough so I might run through them tomorrow. It's all very well going on about playing in different keys w/o a capo but I should practise what I preach
I for one have no problem with using a capo. My bouzouki in tuned A,DAd
and I like to play in every key imaginable, lead OR acompanying. I just enjoy being able to play at all with other musicians, any time, at minimum 2hr. segments, if possible.
I hope DOW will have more to offer in this thread.
Another thing I thought of that has to do with what I was on about before - don't just learn the relative minors and majors, but hear how each chord in the chord scale has its own unique character it can give to the music, depending on the context it appears in. For example, if you take your chord scale of D, that's D-Em-F#m-G-A-Bm-C#dim, right? If you're using that chord scale for a Dmaj tune you can place them in order of importance as follows:
1 - D is chord I and the tune will resolve to it
2 - A is chord V where the tune will hang, waiting to be resolved
3 - G is chord IV, to be used in combination with the tonic and dominant
That's your "3-chord trick" (I-IV-V) which all backers will be familiar with, and then you have their relative minors, which are probably less important given that you can get away with backing the tune without them:
4 - Bm is chord VIm and can be used as a substitute for chord I, and also as a passing chord, especially to IV, IIm and V
5 - Em is chord IIm - it substitutes chord IV and works as a passing chord to other chords, especially V but also to IV
6 - F#m is chord IIIm and is less important than II but also works as a passing chord to other chords, especially IIm, IV and VIm.
Then you have the dim chord
7 - C#dim will most often be perceived by the ear as a V7 chord without the A in the bass. You can get away with ignoring it.
In classical theory, these "positions" II, VI etc have special poncey names like supertonic and submediant, but in Irish music these poncey names become redundant, because they don't account for when the mode changes. When the mode changes, the relationships between the chords and their relative importance change completely, and classical theory goes out the window along with its poncey terminology. Take for example a tune in Amix, which still uses the D chord scale. The order of importance then becomes:
1 - A is chord I and the tune resolves to it
2 - G is chord bVII (poncily called the subtonic) - the tune will often require this chord
3 - D is chord IV
This is your "3-chord trick" for an Amix tune. You could then spice it up with the other secondary chords:
4 - Em is chord Vm which can be used as a substitute for chord b7 and because the bass is a 5th above chord I it's good to make a tune hang there awaiting resolution
5 - Bm is chord IIm and substitutes chord IV
6 - F#m is chord VIm and can be used to substitute chord I - this can sound really amazing and you always get a good reaction in sessions if you use this appropriately and sparingly. It always wants to resolve to bVII or Vm. James Fagan uses this frequently in his zouk playing.
I was giving thought to all this stuff a couple of years back, and came up with some poncey jargon of my own. The chord of primary importance is often called the "final" in stuff I've read about Greek modes, but again, I don't like this term when applied to Irish music, because it implies that the tune (or at least each part ending) resolves to that chord. But often with Irish tunes you find that they end on something else, or they just keep on going and blur right on into the next part without really resolving. For that reason, I like to call your main chord the "base", because it implies that that chord is your home chord or reference point.
Other poncey words I came up with were "contraster" for the chord of secondary importance, and "pivot" for the chord of tertiary importance. So for example in A mixolydian, A = base, G = contraster, D = pivot. I don't think anyone else has coined words for these. If anyone can think of words for the other chords that effectively describe their functions in any context, or if anyone can think of better terms than mine, that'd be great, but I doubt anyone finds it interesting enough to want to
"Sounds Right #1" - #2 - #3 etc
Introducing terminology just makes it harder to learn when the thing you are trying to educate is your ear.
But, Base Contraster and Pivot are nice words if you want them.
I like the Home/Away idea..getting away from chords a bit,
Chris Smith in his book (and website) refers to a home and away concept when using counter-melodies for backing.
D being home, E away etc in D major.
Bouzouki chord-scale
Bouzouki chord-scale
In his "How to Play Irish Bouzouki" DVD, Zan McLeod talks about and plays this scale of chords - one chord for each note of the D major scale. I suppose it's a "harmonized scale".
It sounds lovely, but he never really goes on to say why it's so important or what it's used for. Anybody have an idea where he might have been going with this? Does it help you find passing chords and suchlike?
Don't ask me what the chords are - I haven't fugured them out yet, though obviously they start and end with a D Major chord.
# Posted on June 25th 2006 by grego
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
This is how you use them. Your chord scale for D scale is D-Em-F#m-G-A-Bm-C#dim, then back to D. If you leave out the C#dim for the moment this gives you 6 basic chords you can work with for any tune which has a key signature of 2 sharps, so not just Dmaj tunes but also E dorian, A mixolydian and B minor.
The chords you choose and the order you play them in will depend a) on the particular tune, and b) on how you personally want to back the tune.
A good way to learn how to pick your chords is by listening to what note you want to hear in the bass at any one time. For example, if you feel as though you want to hear a G in the bass, play a G chord. If you want to hear a B in the bass, play a Bm chord.
When you've got the hang of backing in those 4 modes related to D, learn some more chord scales. The other most useful one is the Gmaj scale. This will help you play in the modes of G major, A dorian, D mixolydian and E minor. Those 2 chord scales will help you with maybe 85% of Irish tunes. Others you might want to learn are the chord scale of A (for Amaj, Bdor, F#min), C (for Cmaj, Ddor, Gmix, Amin), E (for the rare occasion that you're going to need chords for Emaj and F#dor tunes), F (for Fmaj, Gdor, Dmin), and possibly Bb (mainly for Gmin tunes). You might want to use a capo for a lot of these keys, but it's good to know how to play w/o a capo so you're not relying on it the whole time.
Then you get "wild cards" which are chords outside of the chord scale, and also more sophisticated chords like sus4, 7sus4 etc. Your ear will tell you when you want to hear these, after you've played around with chord scales for a while.
# Posted on June 25th 2006 by Dr. Dow
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
You should also learn how those 6 chords in your chord scale relate to each other. Think of them in 3 sets of 2. For the chord scale of D:
Bm is the relative minor of D, and D is the relative major of Bm, so in some cases you can substitute one for the other, but in other cases you can't. Your ear should tell you when.
Em is the relative minor of G, and G is the relative major of Em.
F#m is the relative minor of A, and A is the relative major of F#m.
# Posted on June 25th 2006 by Dr. Dow
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
"...what note you want to hear in the bass..."
Can anyone explain how you *know* what note you want to hear in the bass? Having played piano from an early age, harmony is second nature to me. But how do you explain it to a new musician, or someone who has only ever played melody? Is it intuitive to everyone? If someone doesn't get it, do you write them off as unmusical?
Sorry for the follicular fission. There's a whole nother discussion's worth here.
# Posted on June 25th 2006 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
This is a pretty interesting question. But it is so open-ended I don't think you will find an easy answer. What works one time might not work again, even under samo conditions. Arranging or the harp, I've found that the top(highest frequency) note is what you hear and therefore requires a first or second inversion to sound right. On a guitar or bouzouki it isn't so easy to invert a chord playing from first position, so a diad rather than a triad makes it easier to choose the "note you want to hear". Then again, if you are accompanying with a percussive style, that bass line is less dominated by the individual tones, more by the rhythm.
I hope someone who knows more than I will weigh in on this interesting discussion.
# Posted on June 25th 2006 by wvwhistler
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
I just reread what I wrote and realised I don't know my chord scales well enough so I might run through them tomorrow. It's all very well going on about playing in different keys w/o a capo but I should practise what I preach
# Posted on June 25th 2006 by Dr. Dow
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
I for one have no problem with using a capo. My bouzouki in tuned A,DAd
and I like to play in every key imaginable, lead OR acompanying. I just enjoy being able to play at all with other musicians, any time, at minimum 2hr. segments, if possible.
I hope DOW will have more to offer in this thread.
# Posted on June 25th 2006 by wvwhistler
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
Great stuff, folks, many thanks!
stv
http://cdbaby.com/Culchies
# Posted on June 25th 2006 by stv culchie
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
Another thing I thought of that has to do with what I was on about before - don't just learn the relative minors and majors, but hear how each chord in the chord scale has its own unique character it can give to the music, depending on the context it appears in. For example, if you take your chord scale of D, that's D-Em-F#m-G-A-Bm-C#dim, right? If you're using that chord scale for a Dmaj tune you can place them in order of importance as follows:
1 - D is chord I and the tune will resolve to it
2 - A is chord V where the tune will hang, waiting to be resolved
3 - G is chord IV, to be used in combination with the tonic and dominant
That's your "3-chord trick" (I-IV-V) which all backers will be familiar with, and then you have their relative minors, which are probably less important given that you can get away with backing the tune without them:
4 - Bm is chord VIm and can be used as a substitute for chord I, and also as a passing chord, especially to IV, IIm and V
5 - Em is chord IIm - it substitutes chord IV and works as a passing chord to other chords, especially V but also to IV
6 - F#m is chord IIIm and is less important than II but also works as a passing chord to other chords, especially IIm, IV and VIm.
Then you have the dim chord
7 - C#dim will most often be perceived by the ear as a V7 chord without the A in the bass. You can get away with ignoring it.
In classical theory, these "positions" II, VI etc have special poncey names like supertonic and submediant, but in Irish music these poncey names become redundant, because they don't account for when the mode changes. When the mode changes, the relationships between the chords and their relative importance change completely, and classical theory goes out the window along with its poncey terminology. Take for example a tune in Amix, which still uses the D chord scale. The order of importance then becomes:
1 - A is chord I and the tune resolves to it
2 - G is chord bVII (poncily called the subtonic) - the tune will often require this chord
3 - D is chord IV
This is your "3-chord trick" for an Amix tune. You could then spice it up with the other secondary chords:
4 - Em is chord Vm which can be used as a substitute for chord b7 and because the bass is a 5th above chord I it's good to make a tune hang there awaiting resolution
5 - Bm is chord IIm and substitutes chord IV
6 - F#m is chord VIm and can be used to substitute chord I - this can sound really amazing and you always get a good reaction in sessions if you use this appropriately and sparingly. It always wants to resolve to bVII or Vm. James Fagan uses this frequently in his zouk playing.
# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Dr. Dow
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
"G is chord IV, to be used in combination with the tonic and dominant"
Oops I didn't mean to be poncey there, sorry
# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Dr. Dow
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
The definitive backer's bonanza
Well done Dow
# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Donough
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
I was giving thought to all this stuff a couple of years back, and came up with some poncey jargon of my own. The chord of primary importance is often called the "final" in stuff I've read about Greek modes, but again, I don't like this term when applied to Irish music, because it implies that the tune (or at least each part ending) resolves to that chord. But often with Irish tunes you find that they end on something else, or they just keep on going and blur right on into the next part without really resolving. For that reason, I like to call your main chord the "base", because it implies that that chord is your home chord or reference point.
Other poncey words I came up with were "contraster" for the chord of secondary importance, and "pivot" for the chord of tertiary importance. So for example in A mixolydian, A = base, G = contraster, D = pivot. I don't think anyone else has coined words for these. If anyone can think of words for the other chords that effectively describe their functions in any context, or if anyone can think of better terms than mine, that'd be great, but I doubt anyone finds it interesting enough to want to
# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Dr. Dow
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
"Sounds Right #1" - #2 - #3 etc
Introducing terminology just makes it harder to learn when the thing you are trying to educate is your ear.
But, Base Contraster and Pivot are nice words if you want them.
# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Donough
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
The problem with the term base for a chord is that it sounds too much like Bass and every chord's got one of them!
# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Donough
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
Yes, I'd thought of that too. Maybe "home" is better then...
# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Dr. Dow
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
And the problem with numbering them #1, #2 etc is that you could mix them up with I, II, III, IV etc.
# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Dr. Dow
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
But you got to love the word "root". Not sure that it has the same connotations outside of Australia.
# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Donough
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
Or even better "root position"
# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Dr. Dow
Re: Bouzouki chord-scale
I like the Home/Away idea..getting away from chords a bit,
Chris Smith in his book (and website) refers to a home and away concept when using counter-melodies for backing.
D being home, E away etc in D major.
But maybe keep your "rooting" at home lads !!!
# Posted on June 26th 2006 by BegF