[rutledj]

I have a little confusion surrounding what notes I can play when I change chords. Let's say I'm going from Am to C.

So at first I'm playing the notes around the Am shape. When I go to C does that mean that any note in the C major shape is valid or do I still have to keep in mind that I'm in the key of Am. I've tried this and some of the notes in C just don't seem to fit. Just wondering if there is a rule around this.

Thanks
Rut

[Fretsource]

Originally Posted by rutledj

I have a little confusion surrounding what notes I can play when I change chords. Let's say I'm going from Am to C.

So at first I'm playing the notes around the Am shape. When I go to C does that mean that any note in the C major shape is valid or do I still have to keep in mind that I'm in the key of Am. I've tried this and some of the notes in C just don't seem to fit. Just wondering if there is a rule around this.

Thanks
Rut

Hi Rut. Welcome to the forum.
You must be doing something wrong. If you're playing a C chord, then every note that belongs to the C chord MUST fit, regardless of which chord you've just come from. They can't NOT fit - they're just the same notes.
Are you maybe trying to play other notes too? Remember C major has only 3 notes, C, E & G.
If you're trying to play other notes too, then some will fit and some won't.

[solidwalnut]

Originally Posted by rutledj

I have a little confusion surrounding what notes I can play when I change chords. Let's say I'm going from Am to C.

So at first I'm playing the notes around the Am shape. When I go to C does that mean that any note in the C major shape is valid or do I still have to keep in mind that I'm in the key of Am. I've tried this and some of the notes in C just don't seem to fit. Just wondering if there is a rule around this.

Thanks
Rut

I'm not sure if I understand---so do you mean that if you're playing an Am and you try using the notes from the key of C that they sometimes don't sound right?

Well, regardless of which key, all the notes from both are going to work at some point.

Am is the relative minor of the key of C major. The notes of the Am scale are simply the 6th mode of they key of C major, the Aeolian mode (or the scale starts on the sixth note and then continues to maintain the intervals of the C major scale).

Forget about modes though. That's just for a point of reference right now and to let you know that using the C notes from C major will work just fine.

Think that these notes are just a pool of the possible tones to use. Think melody, and search out the notes to use from this bag of tones. Those are the rules! Beside that, if you're going to play scales, then how that scale sounds in relation to the chord you're playing is going to depend on which note you begin and end with.

Steve

[iltpff]

Originally Posted by Fretsource

Hi Rut. Welcome to the forum.
You must be doing something wrong. If you're playing a C chord, then every note that belongs to the C chord MUST fit, regardless of which chord you've just come from. They can't NOT fit - they're just the same notes.
Are you maybe trying to play other notes too? Remember C major has only 3 notes, C, E & G.
If you're trying to play other notes too, then some will fit and some won't.

Fretsource, how do you know which ones you should or should not play with the chord?

[Fretsource]

Originally Posted by iltpff

Fretsource, how do you know which ones you should or should not play with the chord?

Chord tones (notes) are always safe. You just have to learn which notes chords are composed of.

Notes that aren't part of the chord but part of the key will mostly sound ok too. For example if the key is C major and the chord being played is C major and you play the note B along with it, there will be a slightly dissonant sound (clash) because B isn't part of the C major chord. It won't be too dissonant though because B is still part of the C major scale. That mild dissonance makes it all the more interesting.

Out of key notes are the most dissonant of all. In the key of C major, that means any sharp or flat notes. They don't have to be avoided like the plague, but they must be handled with care.

For example if a C major chord is being played and you play the note F# along with it, you'll hear a strong clash. But if you quickly move up to the note G, you'll hear that the F# rising to G sounds great.

Dissonance isn't necessarily bad - it can produce fascinating sounds in capable hands . The opening to Hendrix's "Purple Haze" is highly dissonant - and great!

[iltpff]

Originally Posted by Fretsource

Chord tones (notes) are always safe. You just have to learn which notes chords are composed of.

Notes that aren't part of the chord but part of the key will mostly sound ok too. For example if the key is C major and the chord being played is C major and you play the note B along with it, there will be a slightly dissonant sound (clash) because B isn't part of the C major chord. It won't be too dissonant though because B is still part of the C major scale. That mild dissonance makes it all the more interesting.

Out of key notes are the most dissonant of all. In the key of C major, that means any sharp or flat notes. They don't have to be avoided like the plague, but they must be handled with care.

For example if a C major chord is being played and you play the note F# along with it, you'll hear a strong clash. But if you quickly move up to the note G, you'll hear that the F# rising to G sounds great.

Dissonance isn't necessarily bad - it can produce fascinating sounds in capable hands . The opening to Hendrix's "Purple Haze" is highly dissonant - and great!

That leads me to ask you this question that I posted in the forum but have not gotten a response yet...

Chord - Key Question



I am trying to fiogure out why the seventh chord in a key is a Diminished 7th and not just a Diminshed. I have seen it listed both ways and it seems to lean more heavily on haveng the Diminished 7th than the standard Diminshed.

Can anyone explain this as to which one is the standard, and if it is right or wrong to use one or the other at any given point?

Which one are we supposed to use as a standard?

[Fretsource]

Originally Posted by iltpff

That leads me to ask you this question that I posted in the forum but have not gotten a response yet...

Chord - Key Question



I am trying to fiogure out why the seventh chord in a key is a Diminished 7th and not just a Diminshed. I have seen it listed both ways and it seems to lean more heavily on haveng the Diminished 7th than the standard Diminshed.

Can anyone explain this as to which one is the standard, and if it is right or wrong to use one or the other at any given point?

Which one are we supposed to use as a standard?

Too late - I just answered it