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Practical Theory: Lesson #6
Searching for Resolution
The Diatonic Chords
By Pi |
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Welcome to Lesson 6 of Practical Theory. If you've been following
along with the lessons up till now, congratulations! You've made
it through the nuts and bolts of basic theory, and you're now about
to get to the really fun stuff - the things that will be most helpful
to you as a songwriter. This lesson will discuss chord function,
a key concept for the songwriter. Keep in mind, this lesson will
assume that you are somewhat comfortable with the major scale,
so if you get turned around, a quick review of Lesson
#4 should sort you out.
A quick word about rules
What I am about to cover in this lesson is traditional Western harmony
rules that can be found in work by Bach, Mozart, and the
Beatles. I don't want to imply that you should use only these
models for your own songwriting. I believe this information should
enhance your natural inspirations to help you create better songs.
In other words, know the basic rules, so you can break them.
DIATONIC CHORDS
If you were to sit down at the piano and play every single
chord in the key of C, (all white keys) you would have played all
the "diatonic chords" or chords derived from the key of C
major.
NOTES CHORD QUALITY
C E G major
D F A minor
E G B minor
F A C major
G B D major
A C E minor
B D F diminished
Musicians will often call these chords by their root position in
the key, for example, to continue in the key of C:
NOTES CHORD NAME*
C E G I
D F A ii
E G B iii
F A C IV
G B D V
A C E vi
B D F vii
*Note the use of upper and lower case Roman numerals;
it's standard practice in music notation.
HOW EACH CHORD FUNCTIONS IN A DIATONIC PROGRESSION (staying
in one "key" or major scale)
One theory of writing music states that music is simply a journey
of "tension and resolution" of harmony. Certain chords sound
restful and others create a need for movement, or "resolution."
The restful chords are often called "consonant" or "static"
and the unrestful ones are often called "leading" or "dissonant"
(though they don't necessarily have to be truly "dissonant" to your
ear to function in this way).
Characteristics of chords in a diatonic key include:
The I chord.
The I chord is the most consonant diatonic chord. Think of
this chord as your home base, the warm fuzzy blankie that was your
favorite when you were little. Like your blankie, the one chord
gives you a sense of completion and contentment, but it's not necessarily
very exciting. That's fine if you're sleepy, but if you want more
excitement, you'll need to play some of the other chords.
The V chord.
As the most leading chord, the V chord evokes a Pavlovian desire
to hear the I chord next. Don't believe me? Imagine the song
"Twist and Shout." What if the Beatles sang "aah, ahh, ahh, ahh"
and then didn't play the "shake it up baby" part afterward. Horrible
thought, isn't it?
The IV chord
The IV chord is second runner-up in the contest for most leading.
The IV chord wants you to move somewhere, but it's just not sure
where. The problem is that it can resolve to either the I or the
V chord. If you resolve it to the I chord, you've essentially followed
in the footsteps of many a Monk before you and written the "Amen"
chord progression. If you resolve it to the V chord, (which of course
wants to be further resolved to the I chord) then you've just used
the most popular chord progression in the history of music. The
IV, V, I progression is the cornerstone of all blues and 90% of
rock music.
The ii, iii, and vi chords
These chords all somewhat static. They don't really make you
have to go to another chord for resolution. But much like
our members of Congress, they don't have to vote the party
line, but most often they do because it's safe, they know what the
outcome will be, and they want to please people. Then, of course,
you get the Barbara Lee's of the musical world, but I digress.
Typical resolutions for the ii, iii, and vi chord:
ii to V
iii to vi
vi to ii
If you string these all together you get iii iv ii V I,
which is the opening chords for Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling
in Love" (the part that goes "take my hand...")
The vii chord
The vii chord is diminished, so it's automatically going to sound
tense. This chord creates tons of desire for movement to either
the V or the I chord for resolution - unless you're writing for
a horror movie! All this information may seem meaningless if you're
just reading about it so let's get out our instruments and try it.
Exercise 1
"Hey Jude" by the Beatles
I've chosen this one because it's a classic you may all know.
You will see (add a 7th) on a few of the chords, we will cover 7ths
in the next lesson, but if you already know how to add them, go
ahead. If you don't know how, just play the song without it, and
we'll cover that in the next lesson.
(VERSES)
I
V
Hey Jude, don't make it bad
V (add a 7th) I
Take a sad song and make it better
IV
I
Remember to let her into your heart
V7
I
Then you can start to make it better
(BRIDGE)
IV vi
ii
And any time you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
V7
I
Don't carry the world upon your shoulder
I (add a 7th) IV
vi ii
For don't you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
V7
I
By making his world a little colder
I (add a 7th) V7
Na na na na na, na na na na
One of the great things about learning to call chords by their
numeric names, is that once you get the hang of it, it's quite easy
to change keys.
Exercise 2
Play a song of your own
1. See if you can first determine the key. Listen for the I
chord or "home base" where the song wants to return to (often songs
begin and end on the I chord). Be sure to pick a song that is in
a major key and beware of songs that change key in the middle (changing
keys in the middle of a song is called modulation).
2. Figure out the chord progression by using chord numbers like
the example above.
Exercise 3
Practice
Of course, PRACTICING helps you to recognize chord progressions.
The Web site:
http://www.good-ear.com/servlet/EarTrainer?chap=4
has a fantastic online program that reinforces everything you've
just learned. Check it out.
Till next time,
Xo
Pi |
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_________________________________
 Practical
Theory Lesson # 1 appeared in the September Issue of WOMANROCK.com.The
second issue Practical Theory
Lesson # 2 appeared in December 2002. The third issue Practical
Theory Lesson # 3 appeared in February 2003. The fourth
issue Practical Theory Lesson
#4 appeared in March 2003. The fifth issue Practical
Theory Lesson #5 appeared in May 2003. Pi's album Irrational
is available for purchase at the WOMANROCK MusicShop. |
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_________________________________
Pi
is a singer-songwriter who once thought she would be the female
"Jaco Pastorius" . After getting a BA in Music, she worked as a
studio and touring musician/teacher. Pi recently landed a deal with
the Atoll label in France. She performs in NYC, and tours regularly.
For more information, please visit her Web site: http://www.thatcrazychick.com. |
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