Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisPierce
That answer makes sense. Is it safe to say that in a major key, the notes of the tonic major scale are the safest bets though?
|
If all the chords that make up the tune are the 'key chords', the 7 related chords, then yes, but not all tunes are built around those chords. Once you introduce outsiders into the progression, you need to know what notes change and how to adjust your melody accordingly. That's why I've always found it easier to
just think chord of the moment, that way you'll never get caught out. Naturally, you still need to know what key you're in to know what chords to expect and their function within the key, as in I ii iii IV V vi vii, but really, music comes moment by moment, so it makes sense to be most aware of what's going on 'right now' ... which in a piece of music is 'what's the chord?' With practice, you can see the whole neck as the chord, which also means melody and harmony.
My book
PlaneTalk describes a simple way of doing this.
