No problem my friend. Nothing upsets me. Nothing. I really admire your knowledge and invite everybody in this forum to appreciate its value instead of confronting you angirily.

 

I was joking dude

 

MMJ2017 says that a C Major chord is incomplete and ambiguous until you add a B. But then isn't this same configuration of notes also E Minor 9? So which is more ambiguous? The one that is definitely a C Major or the one that can be two chords?

 

Music theory is vague in its nature. Whatever you say, another person is found and says another thing.

 

Thanks my friend I like what your doing also always did.

 

The only distinct thing about theory is bounding to traditions. Music theory guidelines are working in their related traditions and are not globally true in all traditions.

Traditions are in direct connection to the history and the musical practices in every period. In the later periods they are violated or disregarded totally.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jul 18, 2019

So think of it as this
Levels of detail
From ambiguous. To specific

F
FC
FAC
FACE
FACEG
FACEGB
FACEGBD
Each note added to a chord creates another dimension of detail ( brand new original sound)


So say you have CEG
Is it Amin7 ? ACEG
Is it Fmaj9? FACEG
Is C dominant 7? CEGA#
Is it Cmaj7 CEGB
You see each one of those chords are more specific there is a specific way to use them. A place in the progression they fit
A certain amount of tension or relaxation
And they each have their own scale to play over the chord .
However if you have CEG by itself it's not enough to say
Let's say you have these chords back to back
CEG going to GBD
What are they?
What scales go with them?
Is it
CEGB.....GBDF#
IV............I ( key Gmaj?
Is it?
Not enough to say
Or is it
CEGA.....GBDF
I...............V...key of C major

There are several keys which have the same 3 note TRIADS
It's not enough to say what scales go with it which key which function

TRIADS are a playing technique
Not a description of music language

So it depends what you are focusing on .

The way music itself works
Vs
Something to play in a moment of time

You use both these but ...
One without the other goes nowhere


For instance when I use the word "chord"
I'm thinking of the structure of music itself " how it works"
This is why
You have category's

Subdominant
Dominant
Tonic

It's how much motion is happening
( Think a movie still calm scene vs action scene)
But would you consider a movie
Say a guy sits on bench reads newspaper the end
Your like " wtf nothing happened "

This is having no story
In music that means using tonic home relaxed only
So in key of C major there are 3 tonics
1.CEGB. Cmaj7
3.EGBD. Emin7
5.ACEG Amin7

These mean same thing 3flavors of stillness
( But no story yet)
Your character is there but no plot.

Now next you have dominant tension movement
This is directly connected to your tonic
So for 1.CEGB the dominant us 5.G7 GBDF
Very tense your going somewhere
V to I
Gbdf to CEGB
Lots of motion to relaxed.

However it's kind weird to just begin with all that action and not slowly get into the action .
This leads to
Subdominant
This is some motion some tension
So now you have 2.Dmin7 DFAC
And put together

2.DFAC........ 5.GBDF...... ...CEGB
Lil tension.....very tense.....relaxed

Subdominant to dominant to tonic

Tonic is the character
Dominant is the great battle
Subdominant is plot taking off

Now you have 7 chords in C major

1.Cmaj7 CEGB tonic
2.Dmin7 DFAC. Subdom
3.Emin7 EGBD tonic
4.Fmaj7 FACE. Subdom
5.G7..GBDF. Dominant
6.Amin7..ACEG..tonic
7.Bmin7b5 BDFA. Dominant


3 tonics swappable flavors
2 subdom swappable flavors
2 dominant swap flavors

It gives you enough to mix things up by have couple options forvthe 3 categories.

Keep in mind when you see say
2Dmin7 DFAC

That's what all instruments add up to be
You don't have to play it all one instrument
You can have bass play D have synth play FA have pads play C

The 2.Dmin7DFAC is description of music itself
What you play is up to you
You can have 4 instruments play 1 note a peice
And space the notes far it will still accomplish
That subdominant effect listener
Or you can squeeze all notes close together on guitar and get a jazz sound
Or play one note after another as melody
Instance

Low to high ( melody voice

F C D A

That still
2.Dmin7DFAC

So the playing part way different than the music structure part .

 

Last edited: Jul 18, 2019

How do you play an FACEGBD on a six string guitar with five fingers?

 

Great question

EI---------7---------I
BI---------8---------I
GI---------9---------I
DI---------7---------I
AI---------8---------I
EI--------------------I

FAEGB


First finger bars dgbe strings 7th fret
Middle finger plays low 8th fret
Pinky plays 9th fret g string
Ring finger plays 8th fret B string


You remove the 5th ( won't change sound)
And remove the 13th ( won't change sound)
The 5th and 13th missing won't matter much in that case.
( Other instruments like voice can hit those 2 )

 

Mutated Devin Townsend's special chord?

 

He uses it actually lol

Keep in mind the music structure
( How music works )
And things you play
Are two different things

4.FACEGBD

Is the music structure ( language)
You can break that up for playing have 7 instruments playing one of the notes
It represent what ALL instruments add up to be

But like you asked IF you have just guitar by itself no other layers that is way still do it

Example
Structure
4.FACEGBD

Bass plays
F F F C F F F A
Guitar left side
AEC AEC AEC AEC
Guitar right side
GBE GBE GBE GBE
Vocals
A A A F A A A C
Strings
High
D D F A D D C A

So the secret is
What all instruments aDD up in the ears nicca.

 

Last edited: Jul 19, 2019

So what's the root note? If I was adding bass to this what note would anchor it? Okay. You answered too quickly. Got it.

 

Do you think Devin Townsend makes interesting music? Like, for a Canadian? Lol.

 

Not bad for a white guy right? ;)
See if this answers ya

 

God! His pedal board makes better music than me.

 

So here is an example of all the instruments adding up to represent the structure.
You LL have to excuse that it's jazz if you don't like jazz but as a demonstration it's easy to get what's happening that's why and the song structure is basic .

Few versions all using structure below

Here is the music structure
A section
_____
C6 C6 C6 C6 D7#11 D7#11 D7#11 D7#11
Dmin7 Dmin7 G7 G7 Dmin7 G7
B section
____
Fmaj7 8 bars
D7 4 bars Dmin7Dmin7 G7 G7b9

Here the scales each chord
1.C6...CEGA....Cmajor CDEFGAB


2.D7#11 DF#ACG# ( Lydian dominant
DEF#G#ABC

3.Dmin7 ..DFAC...D..Dorian.DEFGABC

4.G7..GBDF....G Lydian dominant
GABC#DEFG

5.FMaj7....FACE...Flydian.
FGABCDEF

6.D7...DF#AC....D Lydian dominant
DEF#G#ABC

That gives you the structure of the chords , chord progression a b sections then scales for each chord.
Then you can hear people do different things with it.

If you don't care for jazz just remember you can do any style with same principles.

I'll also answer any questions about it.

 

Last edited: Jul 19, 2019

I'll come back to this subject of jazz. Cant honestly say it's ever been a part of my life. I grew up listening to the music my Dad played and I'd love your thoughts on this track. Stick with it to the end. It goes through some very interesting changes in time signatures and tempos. I know it isn't jazz rock, but it's not just "rock" either.

 

When you start learning basics of music theory it can feel to some like some strict restrictions with a couple options .
But when you get more into the advanced end of it you find out there really no restrictions just descriptions .
And a million options all times .
You start being able use it like your spoken language take the concept
And fluently express yourself unlimited .
Imagine saying one idea with one sentence everyday boo
We can take a concept say " store"
And say million sentences
" I'm going to store "
" Wanna go buy shoes?"
So.many options .
Music theory same way
The beginner level restrictions are a teaching tool
Like " only use major scale for chords in that key"
It's to get you basic understanding then your ready after to see the scales for each chord
Then after that chord substitutions
( Several chords diff flavors but used for same function all with own unique scales )
As time goes on you get to where you can play in real time what years ago before study may taken you 6 months to compose it's a journey for music lovers but you can get fluent in music .
I wanna help everyone do that for free too.

 

So you "like" the song, but have nothing else to say? I wanted your analysis, please.

 

well done MMJ...... totally mkes sense
and congrats for showing the correct way to contribute to a thread...with good manners and goodwill...excellent work friend