EMBELLISHING AND CHORD PROGRESSION.
Brian Lemin. Jan 2013.
Introduction:
Chord progressions for some songs can be so bland. They are great for straightforward singing but if you want to jazz them up a bit, these so called bland progressions need embellishments that bring interest and possibly even the jazz or swing genre to mind when they are played. What we are talking about when mentioning jazz/swing depends very much on rhythm, but just as importantly the colour and interest the chords bring to listener.
I need to say that any, either or all, of the chords suggested as embellishments may or may not fit into the song you are arranging. You must try them and see if they fit the song or your arrangement of the song.
I think that I possibly need to give just a little explanation of the chords that we may be using. Broadly they fall into two groups:
Extended chords (7th, 9th, 11th 13th)
Altered chords (b5th, #5th, b9th, #9th, or #11th), Some chords can have two of these altered tones in them.
MAJOR CHORD EMBELLISHMENTS:
m6, m6/9, m7, m7b5, m7#5, m7b9, m9, m9(M7), m11, and m(M7)
DOMINANT 7TH EMBELLISHMENTS.
7b5, 7b5/b9, 7#5, 7#5/b9, 7b9, 7b9/#11, 7#9, 7#9/#11, 9, 9b5, 9#5, 9#11, 11, 13, 13b5/b9, 13b9, 7sus4, and 7+
What I am saying is that, “more or less” you can use any of the listed chords in place of the chord under the heading they are in. In my opinion you still have to listen to them. I have my concert uke right beside me on the floor when I am making an arrangement.
PASSING CHORDS.
I am never quite sure what the correct term for these chords is. It could be connecting chords or even a couple of other names I have seen used. What they are, are chords that sound nice between two other chords and allow you to progress to the next chord in a nice musical manner. This might be within a bar or at the end of a verse
I am not very good at this exercise. I have copied out quite a few series of this type of chords that I look up and introduce when they might fit. Like I say, this does not come naturally to me however I have picked up a few hints that I have found quite useful, so I am sharing them with you.
Using 7ths
These are without a doubt one of my favourite chords. What I have read (and tried out for myself) you can use a sharpened 7th. Try playing the 7th chord a sharp (#) above the chord you are moving too, or in other words, a half step above the target chord. For those that understand these things (I do not have much of a grasp about them), the alternative is to use the “Flattened 5th” of the target chord.
Diminished 7ths.
I could say that I never play a straight diminished chord… always a flattened 7th (eg Ddim7). However, for these passing chords the advice is to use the diminished chord which is the flattened half note of the target chord. You could also use the sharpened diminished 7 of the target note, but I seem to have had more luck using the flattened alternative. I have even had a bit of success using the diminished 7 shape (yes the parallelogram shape) played the fret below the target chords position. If I use this very hit or miss approach, I usually do it on the fly when I am actually playing and it sounds as if it might work. Very unscientific, but it quite often works. ( I am bit ashamed of admitting this)
Brian Lemin. Jan 2013.
Introduction:
Chord progressions for some songs can be so bland. They are great for straightforward singing but if you want to jazz them up a bit, these so called bland progressions need embellishments that bring interest and possibly even the jazz or swing genre to mind when they are played. What we are talking about when mentioning jazz/swing depends very much on rhythm, but just as importantly the colour and interest the chords bring to listener.
I need to say that any, either or all, of the chords suggested as embellishments may or may not fit into the song you are arranging. You must try them and see if they fit the song or your arrangement of the song.
I think that I possibly need to give just a little explanation of the chords that we may be using. Broadly they fall into two groups:
Extended chords (7th, 9th, 11th 13th)
Altered chords (b5th, #5th, b9th, #9th, or #11th), Some chords can have two of these altered tones in them.
MAJOR CHORD EMBELLISHMENTS:
m6, m6/9, m7, m7b5, m7#5, m7b9, m9, m9(M7), m11, and m(M7)
DOMINANT 7TH EMBELLISHMENTS.
7b5, 7b5/b9, 7#5, 7#5/b9, 7b9, 7b9/#11, 7#9, 7#9/#11, 9, 9b5, 9#5, 9#11, 11, 13, 13b5/b9, 13b9, 7sus4, and 7+
What I am saying is that, “more or less” you can use any of the listed chords in place of the chord under the heading they are in. In my opinion you still have to listen to them. I have my concert uke right beside me on the floor when I am making an arrangement.
PASSING CHORDS.
I am never quite sure what the correct term for these chords is. It could be connecting chords or even a couple of other names I have seen used. What they are, are chords that sound nice between two other chords and allow you to progress to the next chord in a nice musical manner. This might be within a bar or at the end of a verse
I am not very good at this exercise. I have copied out quite a few series of this type of chords that I look up and introduce when they might fit. Like I say, this does not come naturally to me however I have picked up a few hints that I have found quite useful, so I am sharing them with you.
Using 7ths
These are without a doubt one of my favourite chords. What I have read (and tried out for myself) you can use a sharpened 7th. Try playing the 7th chord a sharp (#) above the chord you are moving too, or in other words, a half step above the target chord. For those that understand these things (I do not have much of a grasp about them), the alternative is to use the “Flattened 5th” of the target chord.
Diminished 7ths.
I could say that I never play a straight diminished chord… always a flattened 7th (eg Ddim7). However, for these passing chords the advice is to use the diminished chord which is the flattened half note of the target chord. You could also use the sharpened diminished 7 of the target note, but I seem to have had more luck using the flattened alternative. I have even had a bit of success using the diminished 7 shape (yes the parallelogram shape) played the fret below the target chords position. If I use this very hit or miss approach, I usually do it on the fly when I am actually playing and it sounds as if it might work. Very unscientific, but it quite often works. ( I am bit ashamed of admitting this)