1 Attachment(s)
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Mark: wow, I just found this, it is fantastic. Thank you for taking the time.
I have a small favor to ask. Since the new year, I have resolved to improve my theory so I can read music and not just tablature and chords. However, I was hoping I would be able to get up to speed to learn a song for a loved one to play for her birthday next week. I have worked on this song since the new year, but I am struggling with it. Would you be willing to get me started on it, or point me in the right direction with the chord progression?
Here is the sheet music.
Attachment 98087
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Peter Hackman
Then again there are some who substitue a bm (relative minor) for the D in the 5th bar, and I don't need that at all.
Sometimes reinterpretations of harmony can vitalize a tune, very often they turn you into a hip cornball, to quote Miles Davis.
Sometimes it is fun to be a hip cornball (in my opinion), I have been known to play the B-part as Bm7-Em7-A7-Bm7 Bm7-Em7-A7-D6 just to see if anyone is paying attention...
David
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
beeftrain
Mark: wow, I just found this, it is fantastic. Thank you for taking the time.
I have a small favor to ask. Since the new year, I have resolved to improve my theory so I can read music and not just tablature and chords. However, I was hoping I would be able to get up to speed to learn a song for a loved one to play for her birthday next week. I have worked on this song since the new year, but I am struggling with it. Would you be willing to get me started on it, or point me in the right direction with the chord progression?
Here is the sheet music.
Attachment 98087
This one is quite straightforward, because the chords are written out in the piano staff. If you can read standard notation, you can simply look at the stack of notes on each melody note and see what the chord is.
The first full chord has four notes from top to bottom:
Eb
C
Ab
C
An Ab, C, and Eb make an Ab major chord, so that's the first chord. In fact, all the chords in that first phrase except the second to last note are Ab chords, just with different order of the stacked notes. That second to last chord is:
Bb
Db
Bb
G
G, Bb, Db makes a G diminished chord.
On the whole, the piece is in Ab major (determined by the key signature and a glance through the melody to see that the phrases often end on Ab notes). In Ab major, I'd expect to see a lot of Ab chords, Db chords, and Eb / Eb7 chords: the old I, IV, V. The G diminished chord is simply the Eb7 chord without the Eb:
Eb7: Eb G Bb Db
G dim: G Bb Db
So, they are very close relatives and a common substitution, especially in hymn-type music.
Hope that helps!
Cheers
Mark RT
P.S., I thought I was losing it when I saw my posts above and had no recollection of writing any of that, until I realized the date of the original post!
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Mark:
That is so great, thank you. I will have plenty of time to learn it and your example will help me with future projects.
1 Attachment(s)
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mark Robertson-Tessi
This one is quite straightforward, because the chords are written out in the piano staff. If you can read standard notation, you can simply look at the stack of notes on each melody note and see what the chord is.
The first full chord has four notes from top to bottom:
Eb
C
Ab
C
An Ab, C, and Eb make an Ab major chord, so that's the first chord. In fact, all the chords in that first phrase except the second to last note are Ab chords, just with different order of the stacked notes. That second to last chord is:
Bb
Db
Bb
G
G, Bb, Db makes a G diminished chord.
On the whole, the piece is in Ab major (determined by the key signature and a glance through the melody to see that the phrases often end on Ab notes). In Ab major, I'd expect to see a lot of Ab chords, Db chords, and Eb / Eb7 chords: the old I, IV, V. The G diminished chord is simply the Eb7 chord without the Eb:
Eb7: Eb G Bb Db
G dim: G Bb Db
So, they are very close relatives and a common substitution, especially in hymn-type music.
Hope that helps!
Cheers
Mark RT
P.S., I thought I was losing it when I saw my posts above and had no recollection of writing any of that, until I realized the date of the original post!
Mark:
After I played the original version you helped me with, a family member gave me the attached arrangement. After plucking it out on the piano, I liked it better and have tried to implement your lesson to figuring out the guitar chords.
It seems to be the key of C major, so I used C, F, and G as the primary chords. It has worked for the most part, but there are a few parts of the song where none of those 3 chords seem to fit. The first one is in the fourth measure. I'm a bit hung up there, if you could help.
I tried to take the notes that are in the measure and figure out the chord, but each chord I tried didn't seem to fit. This is likely due to the limit of my knowledge, but I tried B, E, and a variation of D.
Anyway, if you have time to help, I do appreciate it.Attachment 98827
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
beeftrain
It seems to be the key of C major, so I used C, F, and G as the primary chords. It has worked for the most part, but there are a few parts of the song where none of those 3 chords seem to fit. The first one is in the fourth measure. I'm a bit hung up there, if you could help.
Attachment 98827
As written, the whole piece uses only C and G chords. I'd look at the Left Hand part to choose chords, if you want to match the piano arrangement. 4th bar looks like C major all the way. Even though there's a B in the melody, the written accompaniment is not harmonizing that note with a chord change. If you wanted to harmonize it, you could play a G chord on that B note (3rd beat), and back to a C chord on the following C note (4th beat). How often to harmonize notes depends on the style, tempo, etc. For example, it would be very out of place to harmonize every note of a fiddle tune with a matching chord, of course. In a hymn, you might harmonize almost every note. So, it varies.
Cheers
MRT
1 Attachment(s)
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Best music notation joke ever!Attachment 98923
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
I admire your knowledge, Mark. I've seen online several people like you who have studied and accomplished then so generously share with no other motive than to help, and I really appreciate this.
I took lessons long ago and chords were never mentioned so I started again, now find reading chord symbols easier than standard sheet music. I really want to be able to play without sheet music so trying to learn what chords to put with tunes.
I have the standard sheet music for a tune now, no chords added, and don't know how to convert it so I'm looking for a pattern, or a guide to change both treble and bass groups to chord symbols. I can use the melody note to ensure I'm in the right place but don't know what to name the rest of it.
Example sets of chords, key of Ab: treble: FDC, bass: AB, then to FDB and GB. What would they be called if in a bass chord each?
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Hey Janet,
You know if you can post a copy of the tune or song that you’re working on, even as a new thread, then you’ll often get a whole diverse range of helpful responses.
Welcome to the Cafe!
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
I'd be happy to take a look as would others on the board, but as atsunrise says, a visual of the tune would be the best way forward.
Cheers
MRT
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
If I am not in a hurry I play the tune and listen and try and hear the chord changes. At first this skill was totally lost on me, but gradually it is getting there. Have someone play the sheet music over and over.
Start on simple tunes, cowboy songs etc., that you may be too familiar with. Play the tune and listen for the chord changes. Likely every chord is one of three choices. Maybe four.
After a while doing this, some how, magically, you know the chord, and maybe even the chord coming up.
If you are in a hurry, ask a guitar player to listen to it.
1 Attachment(s)
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
atsunrise
Hey Janet,
You know if you can post a copy of the tune or song that you’re working on, even as a new thread, then you’ll often get a whole diverse range of helpful responses.
Welcome to the Cafe!
I've just loaded a few bars in attachments below but not sure it's where it should be. Let me know.
Are there rules to go by when converting standard notation to chords and what about II V I, etc?
Thanks
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Narayan Kersak
Howdy,
Is it easy to figure out chords that would go with music by looking at the sheet music?
Or is there like a formula to it that you could share?
So if I go to thesession.org and find some sheet music, and I know how to read music well enough, what do I look at to determine the proper chord or chords for each measure?
My answer is yes it’s easy to figure out...if you are familiar with how music works and know your scales. Lots of good advice in this thread and it will get you started but you need to put in the time with scales and theory in order to be good at this. Some people have a very good ear and just know that it’s a G - or whatever chord/key it is - that way.
The formula for me is know the key, know the 1 2 4 5 6 chords of that key and know the scales.
Know the genre - bluegrass is mostly 145, Janet has a jazz standard in Ab so for that know your jazz keys, scales, tendencies, etc.
For instance most fiddle tunes begin on the 1 chord but sometimes they don’t...like Beaumont Rag it starts with the 5 chord. Some tunes change keys for the B part like Flop Eared Mule, some are model so that’s a whole ‘nother discussion.
When I get music with no chords I think...first, what key is it in then as I’m playing the notes I’m thinking about..oh yeah that looks like the 1 chord...here comes the 5 and now back to one.
This was very hard for me at first but now that I’ve been playing for about 4 years now, practice my scales and arpeggios (chord tones) and double stops, and know many, many fiddle tunes I can pretty much figure it out quickly.
It’s hard work and you’ll probably get discouraged but keep at it, it’s worth it in the end if you want to add another tool to your playing.
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
JanetH
I've just loaded a few bars in attachments below but not sure it's where it should be. Let me know.
Are there rules to go by when converting standard notation to chords and what about II V I, etc?
Thanks
Just want to add that, thing is, almost all chords can be more than one chord, perhaps a few. Is there a guide for this?
Re: Figuring out chords from sheet music?
Wow starting with jazz would befuddle the vast majority of musicians. The first two chords here are typical jazz chords, Bbm9 and Eb9/Bb. I would suggest starting with the study of guide tones as described here
https://www.thejazzresource.com/guide_tones.html