It strikes me (owww!!) that we have been having quite a few threads recently asking what chords should be used in any particular key.
I did a search of the internet at the time to try and find a chord chart that illustrated the usual patterns so that I could post a link. Either my searching skills were defecit however or the requisite chart could not be found. I have therefore added a chart to my website (http://alistaircassidy.ukonlinehosting.com/). If you click on "Instruments" on the left and then "guitar" you will get to my imaginitively titled page "The Guitar" - I can be a genius at times!! At the bottom is a link to a chart of chord scales that I have put together.
In most major tunes the most prominant chords will be the I, IV and V. The VI chord is the relative minor and will be the most commonly featured minor chord. This can often be substituted by the II chord to give a different feel to the music. For example in the key of D the three main chords are D, G and A. The relative minor is B minor and the II chord is Em.
In minor keys the most common chord will be the I, VI and VII chords eg in Am you have Am, F and G and in Bm you have Bm, G and A.
I stress that lists like this are not the be all and end all and there are plenty of tunes that break these rules eg are in D but feature a very prominent C chord. I have certainly found this list helpful however as a general rule of thumb.
Thanks for putting together the chord chart Alastair! I've printed off my copy and it will be great for reference. I've been meaning to get a chart like that drawn up for ages but never got round to it.
Regarding Minor keys it's interesting that your most prominent chords are I, VI and VII. I accompany three melodean players, playing traditional (mainly Scottish) tunes and I have found that I, V and VII always seems to "fit" better, with the VI chord used only occassionaly for variety. Has anyone else found that or am I getting it badly wrong?!
Alistair,
You have produced a nice tool, but I think a little more work is required to refine it (or at least explain how it works).
If I have my facts straight, what we guitarists in sessions generally call "minor" tunes are in fact based on a modal scale with flatted seventh, not the classical minor scale, which changes the choice of appropriate chords. See the ongoing "A question for ye" thread for more on that.
I will leave it to others to nail this down, as my music theory was learned "in the trenches," not through any formal study. So it is easy for me to get lost when the discussion gets too technical.
And you probably need at least one more grid to cover "tunes that break these rules eg are in D but feature a very prominent C chord." which many of us call "modal", but are more precisely in the "Mixolidian Mode." And now, since I am treading on the edge of my knowledge (or perhaps beyond it), I will shut up.
Cheers Al, I quite agree with you. It si just as I was adding the thread I heard the theme music for CSI on the telly and felt the need to cut the comments short.
I do intend to do something on Mixolydian and other modes but I really need to learn a bit more about them myself first and figure out how to play them. There are certainly plenty of tunes in standard minor keys.
Donaidh - you are probably right. As I said above - CSI!! I tend to find for Bm that I use Bm, F#m, G and A quite a lot, often as a run in that order. For tunes in D where the second part is in Bm (very common indeed) I find that I am effectively substituting what would otherwise be a D chord with a Bm. As G and A are the 4th and 5th chords in the D major scale I find they do seem to fit quite well. Having said that in Am I may do Am-G for the first part before going into the "Fly me to the moon" chords for the second part (see the tunes in Am thread) - if only I could transpose these chords nicely into Bm. I don't think I would ever do Am-G-F but I have been known to do Am-G-F-Em or even Am-G-F-E
kgallagher--interesting link you posted, some good stuff there.
Alistair--Never could understand the attraction for those forensic shows myself, but you have a good start toward a useful guide for chord structures. I am surprised that some of the real chord structure "techies" like Dow have not added to this thread. I would also suggest you get the Chris Smith book on Celtic accompaniment that is frequently mentioned in threads like this. It is a bit intimidating for the beginner, but with the background you already have, I bet you would get a lot out of it.
Guitar Chord Finder
Guitar Chord Finder
It strikes me (owww!!) that we have been having quite a few threads recently asking what chords should be used in any particular key.
At the bottom is a link to a chart of chord scales that I have put together.
I did a search of the internet at the time to try and find a chord chart that illustrated the usual patterns so that I could post a link. Either my searching skills were defecit however or the requisite chart could not be found. I have therefore added a chart to my website (http://alistaircassidy.ukonlinehosting.com/). If you click on "Instruments" on the left and then "guitar" you will get to my imaginitively titled page "The Guitar" - I can be a genius at times!!
In most major tunes the most prominant chords will be the I, IV and V. The VI chord is the relative minor and will be the most commonly featured minor chord. This can often be substituted by the II chord to give a different feel to the music. For example in the key of D the three main chords are D, G and A. The relative minor is B minor and the II chord is Em.
In minor keys the most common chord will be the I, VI and VII chords eg in Am you have Am, F and G and in Bm you have Bm, G and A.
I stress that lists like this are not the be all and end all and there are plenty of tunes that break these rules eg are in D but feature a very prominent C chord. I have certainly found this list helpful however as a general rule of thumb.
# Posted on June 21st 2005 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Guitar Chord Finder
Thanks for putting together the chord chart Alastair! I've printed off my copy and it will be great for reference. I've been meaning to get a chart like that drawn up for ages but never got round to it.
Regarding Minor keys it's interesting that your most prominent chords are I, VI and VII. I accompany three melodean players, playing traditional (mainly Scottish) tunes and I have found that I, V and VII always seems to "fit" better, with the VI chord used only occassionaly for variety. Has anyone else found that or am I getting it badly wrong?!
# Posted on June 22nd 2005 by donaidh
Re: Guitar Chord Finder
Alistair,
You have produced a nice tool, but I think a little more work is required to refine it (or at least explain how it works).
If I have my facts straight, what we guitarists in sessions generally call "minor" tunes are in fact based on a modal scale with flatted seventh, not the classical minor scale, which changes the choice of appropriate chords. See the ongoing "A question for ye" thread for more on that.
I will leave it to others to nail this down, as my music theory was learned "in the trenches," not through any formal study. So it is easy for me to get lost when the discussion gets too technical.
# Posted on June 22nd 2005 by AlBrown
Re: Guitar Chord Finder
And you probably need at least one more grid to cover "tunes that break these rules eg are in D but feature a very prominent C chord." which many of us call "modal", but are more precisely in the "Mixolidian Mode." And now, since I am treading on the edge of my knowledge (or perhaps beyond it), I will shut up.
# Posted on June 22nd 2005 by AlBrown
Re: Guitar Chord Finder
Cheers Al, I quite agree with you. It si just as I was adding the thread I heard the theme music for CSI on the telly and felt the need to cut the comments short.
I do intend to do something on Mixolydian and other modes but I really need to learn a bit more about them myself first and figure out how to play them. There are certainly plenty of tunes in standard minor keys.
Donaidh - you are probably right. As I said above - CSI!! I tend to find for Bm that I use Bm, F#m, G and A quite a lot, often as a run in that order. For tunes in D where the second part is in Bm (very common indeed) I find that I am effectively substituting what would otherwise be a D chord with a Bm. As G and A are the 4th and 5th chords in the D major scale I find they do seem to fit quite well. Having said that in Am I may do Am-G for the first part before going into the "Fly me to the moon" chords for the second part (see the tunes in Am thread) - if only I could transpose these chords nicely into Bm. I don't think I would ever do Am-G-F but I have been known to do Am-G-F-Em or even Am-G-F-E
# Posted on June 22nd 2005 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Guitar Chord Finder
check this link/site for an interesting discussion of chords for modal celtic tunes
http://www.ceolas.org/instruments/accompaniment
KG
# Posted on June 23rd 2005 by kgallagher
Re: Guitar Chord Finder
kgallagher--interesting link you posted, some good stuff there.
Alistair--Never could understand the attraction for those forensic shows myself, but you have a good start toward a useful guide for chord structures. I am surprised that some of the real chord structure "techies" like Dow have not added to this thread. I would also suggest you get the Chris Smith book on Celtic accompaniment that is frequently mentioned in threads like this. It is a bit intimidating for the beginner, but with the background you already have, I bet you would get a lot out of it.
# Posted on June 23rd 2005 by AlBrown