Moving Chords!

[John Bertotti]

Well this is a question that poped into my head based on a reply in another thread. A few responses where there but I think it best to tackle it in a new thread.

So Here is what prompted my question. What are moving chords.

Quote:
Originally Posted by EarlG
I wonder what would happen if I just kept playing rhythm thru the break?
reply by StearnART That's when one of those Jethro Burns walking chord melody rhythms would come in handy......or, I really liked the way Todd Phillips used to do great chord breaks when he soloed as 2nd mandolin in the DGQ. Fancy rhythm patterns and moving chords are part of what is cool about playing mandolin.

[John McGann]

Well this is a question that poped into my head based on a reply in another thread. A few responses where there but I think it best to tackle it in a new thread.

So Here is what prompted my question. What are moving chords.

Chord inversions and harmonized melodies. For example instead of play A 224x for 4 bars, you might put in some movement like

224x
445x
546x
677x

This is really standard stuff in jazz "comping", where a chord symbol indicates a tonality; area of harmony that has possibilities beyond just a single chord shape.

All of this falls under the study of harmony and chord voicings, which can be great fun, and pretty deep. It is music theory put into action!

[John Bertotti]

John This is the direction I would like to tke with our skype lessons once I get the high speed stuff come winter! Is that possible?


Of course I will take any info from everyone to heart now as well! Thanks

[mandroid]

On a simpler level harmonizing the melody with double stops , 2 nearby strings , can fill in the space and follow along with the melody line with colors of the chords , but only play using major or minor intervals between 2 notes.

[John McGann]

John This is the direction I would like to tke with our skype lessons once I get the high speed stuff come winter! Is that possible?

Sure!

[John Bertotti]

So am is it safe to assume then that moving chords is
1) working with inversions
2) working with the same chord but in different positions
3) working with chord progressions in between the called for chord changes? not sure about this one but that is how I am understanding things so far.
Thanks Bertotti

[SternART]

Think like a walking bass line.........or a simple melody but in chords.

[John Bertotti]

I understand a melody in chords but have no idea what a walking bass line is. Thanks the melody in chords helps a lot and is exactly what I want to accomplish proficiently, all the master players.

[Earl Gamage]

There is picking the melody notes out of chords which is common in bluegrass and then there is also using harmonized scales to play the melody which is less common at least to my ears but then I might be missing what some of the double stops are.

The harmonized scales is what I thought was meant by moving chords:

In G:
G Am Bm C D Em F#dim G

[Earl Gamage]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvsGfnVCpy8

Here's a walking bass line example. Sorry I could not think of one on mandolin. Sorry to make two posts in a row, sometimes I get all excited about this mandolin stuff

[John Bertotti]

EarlG Iknpw what you mean, Once I had four posts in a row and another time I had a post after every other post. It gets real exciting especially when things start to make sense! Thanks and post all you want. Nice link!

[Jon Hall]

Are we referring to chord progressions for backing - up Texas style fiddling? If so, I've heard it played many times on a guitar but not on a mando. I don't understand the theory but this type of progression involves a lot of transitional chords such as dim 7th and 9th.

[John McGann]

A bunch of lessons right here on the Café including one I did on triads and one Pete Martin did on Texas backup which are germaine (but in English, ba da boom) to this thread...

[Jon Hall]

Thanks John...I'll study those lessons. After reading the intro. to Pete's lesson, I see that I was confusing the TX Swing and TX Fiddling chord progressions.

[John Bertotti]

I started the thread with no particular genre in mind just the basis for knowledge. I figure anything learned is good so if you want to go with backing up Texas fiddle go for it.

[Earl Gamage]

John, thanks for the reminder on the lessons. Lots of good stuff in there.

[LKN2MYIS]

Chord inversions and harmonized melodies. For example instead of play A 224x for 4 bars, you might put in some movement like

224x
445x
546x
677x

This is really standard stuff in jazz "comping", where a chord symbol indicates a tonality; area of harmony that has possibilities beyond just a single chord shape.

All of this falls under the study of harmony and chord voicings, which can be great fun, and pretty deep. It is music theory put into action!

I love this stuff and it is fascinating to me. However, I know nothing about it!

Is there a book you (or anyone) could recommend (for a musical idiot) about chord comping and substitutions? All the
ones I've ever seen have been WAY over my head.

Any suggestions accepted with appreciation.

[Earl Gamage]

Well, I tried playing more chords in my breaks tonight at our local jam. I was pretty happy with the sound and I'm going to keep trying it. Sometimes the chords fit right in the melody, which is probably painfully obvious to a lot of the good players here but a good learning for me.

[SternART]

Here is a great example from another thread:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=56934