A Right Nancy

Whilst trawling t'internet, I came across The Acoustic Music Archive it's run by musician Peter Webster and it's got a great archive of folk tabs and chords. I've always loved Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy and this is from Pete's chords for the song.

Hotel Ukulele

I made a bit of a boo-boo on a recent post which included the chords for Hotel California. While playing along with the track I realised I'd got the chorus slightly wrong. The correct ones are: verse Bm F# A E G D Em F# twice, chorus G D F# Bm G D Em F#.

It also sounds better on the uke.

Music Lessons Part Four: Chords and Scales

These are tables showing the Major scales and the construction of their harmonising chords.
I haven't done flats and sharps yet!

Music Lessons Part Three: Eureka Moment... I think!

It happened ! after weeks of brain hurt I finally got it, and it was so obvious (now) that I don't know why I had such a problem seeing it in the first place.

Over the past few months I've been having music lessons with Stan Gee (see links) and we've been looking at theory. I'm desperate to know why songs, tunes melodies - whatever - are the way they are, and so many music books don't tell you. Probably, because at first it makes your head hurt.

After months of looking at the Chromatic Scale, the Major Scale and Harmonising the Scale it seemed to click. I couldn't get past the construction of the individual harmonising chords that relate to particular scales. It's the relationship between the individual notes in a scale, and their position in that scale which determines which chords will harmonise, and what chords they will be - major, minor, seventh, diminished etc.

Here's how I understand it. (correct me if I'm wrong)

A chord is composed of three (or more) alternate notes from the scale ie C Major (see diagram), the Root (1), the Third (3) and the Fifth(5). So, a C chord is C(root), E(third) and G(5).

The C Major Scale
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
C D E F G A B C



It might seem obvious, and it should have been to me, but for some reason, the Root, third, fifth relationship hadn't equated with the idea of alternate notes from the scale!!!!! doh!

Once it sunk in, it was like a light going on and a lot of the other stuff we've been working on suddenly made sense as well.

The harmonising chords which can be constructed from a scale follow a set sequence. eg C major
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
major minor minor major seventh minor diminished major
C Dm Em F G7 Am Bdim C

All major scales follow this relationship with their harmonising chords and the sequence of major and minor chords is the product of the space between the notes in the scale, because the semi-tone between B and C, and E and F produces flattened thirds and fifths when you make the sequence of alternating notes from the scale.

ie root, tone, tone, semi-tone, tone, tone, tone, semi-tone
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
C D E F G A B C
G A B C D E F# G

The D chord in the key of C is Dm - D(root) F(third) A(fifth) because the F(third) is flattened because it is only a semi-tone from E.

The A chord in the key of G is Am - A(root) C(third) E(fifth) because the C(third) is a flattened third as it is only a semi-tone from B.

It still seems complicated but once you understand the structure of the major scale and the root, third, fifth chord construction the pattern of major and minor chords builds itself and follows for every major key.

If you are at all interested in why you are playing what is written down, then a few theory lessons - if you can bare it - is well worth the effort, frustration and brain-ache.

The chord diagrams are from Banjo Blogger (see links), which is a good online resource.

Music Lessons part two

Earlier in the year I started having music lessons as a way of trying to understand why I was playing the notes and chords that are in the tuition manuals that I've been using. I started taking lessons with Stan Gee (see links) and it's really helped my understanding of the fretboard.

Starting out from the chromatic scale, which is basically all 12 notes, we've moved onto the looking at the major scales and their structure. Understanding the pattern that each mode/scale has means you don't have to know all the notes in the scale to play in it. You can just follow the shape of the scale on the fretboard. Also knowing that a scale may be present at several different places and shapes on the neck has clarified why I've been playing notes in particular songs.

In the last lesson we started to look at harmonising the scale, understanding which notes harmonise with each other and which chords relate to notes in the scale. Although I haven't got my head round it completely it has made a lot of sense of chord progressions in songs and I think it will lead on to how to construct chords.

This might all seem very theoretical and has had to go hand in hand with practicing technique but what it has done is make more sense of the banjo and made it easier to start playing other instruments. Got myself a very cheap and nasty ukulele yesterday and although it won't stay in tune - think it needs some proper strings - I didn't have that feeling of total bewilderment that I had when I first picked up the banjo.