#1936964 - 05/04/08 05:57 PM
writing songs based off scales(have a couple of questions)
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nath1142
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Registered: 06/27/07
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when your writing a song say you want a chord progression somethong like 1,4,5 off a pattern one c major scale(ionian) which would be
F,C,E??? if thats right then is there anyway there is a 1,4,5 thing for solos or do you just play around with the scale till it sounds like a good solo
thank nathan
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#1936968 - 05/04/08 06:09 PM
Re: writing songs based off scales(have a couple of questions)
[Re: nath1142]
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Greg B.
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The notes in the chord progression are in the scale. As you said, you have to play around in the scale till it sounds right. It takes practice to make it work, but it is very well worth the effort.
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#1936971 - 05/04/08 06:10 PM
Re: writing songs based off scales(have a couple of questions)
[Re: nath1142]
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's mel gibson
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I think you are talking about pentatonic scales. Like only 5 notes per scale in either major, minor or all the rest.
What ever the groove happens to be or where you think you might take it.
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#1936974 - 05/04/08 06:18 PM
Re: writing songs based off scales(have a couple of questions)
[Re: 's mel gibson]
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nath1142
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k that makes sense to me now thanks guys.
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#1936985 - 05/04/08 06:40 PM
Re: writing songs based off scales(have a couple of questions)
[Re: nath1142]
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Zephyr
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Just for reference:
If you are going for a I-IV-V in C major, then it would be C-F-G.
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#1936990 - 05/04/08 06:49 PM
Re: writing songs based off scales(have a couple of questions)
[Re: 's mel gibson]
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Fumblyfingers
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Nath....still with the spelling!
How do you arrive at F, C and E?
Take another look at the C Major Scale.
I will write it vertically as the formatting here will not allow spaces and numbers above the letters for some reason.
I C
II D
III E
IV F
V G
VI A
VII B
VIII C Octave.
So I, IV, V ( 1,4,5 ) in C would be C, F and G.
There are many ways to approach soloing or writing melody over a chord progression. This is not something that will just happen magically. While you could just use your ear it will really benefit you to learn a little basic theory, get an understanding of scales and the arpeggio's for each chord and of course practice a lot. Yes, you could just play around until you find something you like, I guess we all mostly started somewhere in there as absolute beginners....but some study of theory and scales will be helpful.
In the case of C,F and G being all contained in the C Major scale you could use that for the entire progression. Where you will run into more complex passages is when you have chords from different keys.
My recommendation to get started will be to learn the Dorian and Aeolian modes of the Major Scale, the Pentatonic and the Blues Scale. If you go to the Theory Thread here you will find some info.
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#1936996 - 05/04/08 07:03 PM
Re: writing songs based off scales(have a couple of questions)
[Re: Fumblyfingers]
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Griffinator
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Heh.
I remember playing a simple chord progression in D minor years ago (Dm, Bb, C, A) and this guitarist that had some great chops tried to jam it with me and just couldn't get past that sharpened C. I tried to explain to him that, yes, it's D, but it's D harmonic minor - I might as well have been speaking Latin. Finally I thought about it a second - and said "try G blues" - BAM! it locked in perfectly.
Why did that work so well?
G blues = G-Bb-C-Db-D-F-G
D minor = D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C-D
D harmonic minor = D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C#(Db)-D
Every note in his scale fit into the D minor/D harmonic minor scale - and since I was only ever announcing the C# in one bar out of 4, his blued notes tied it together wonderfully.
The moral of the story?
Even if you're working with someone who doesn't understand theory, the more you know, the easier it'll be to communicate with them on a level they can grasp.
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#1937001 - 05/04/08 07:21 PM
Re: writing songs based off scales(have a couple of questions)
[Re: Fumblyfingers]
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nath1142
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sry i was looking at the scale wrong it should be c,f,g(now i see you wrote that. so for solo's there are differnt ways people try to write them like arpeggio's,or just messing around with a scale till it sounds good i got that from this. but when learning scales and there modes should i memorize all the modes or just learn some and kinda know that other ones?? when learning scale's is it better to learn say a major scale with the same fingerings and you just move it up and down the neck depending on say if you want a c major or a f major OR is it better to learn a scale that is completely differnt fingerings from a c major to a f major. if that made any sense
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#1937020 - 05/04/08 08:04 PM
Re: writing songs based off scales(have a couple of questions)
[Re: nath1142]
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bbqbob
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I know I need more of this. This kind of knowledge is essential but requires lots of work for it to become second nature.
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