How to "break" a chord

[mr]

What are the most commons ways to "break "the chord notes in a measure?
Arpeggios, blocks, patterns…etc.
I will like to find information about this, maybe a MIDI utility also.

[tapper mike]

Three words,
Listen, analyze, perform.

What may be applicable in one situation is not applicable in all situations.

If you seek the mundane you will no doubt find it.

[DeepEddieZilker]

Just some ideas which might apply depending on the situation.

Arpeggiate into/out of chords.

Avoid the static routines of Arpeggiation and solo through its notes with its counter chords running on a pad behind it.

Don't use an automatic arpeggiator. Do it by hand. Use only one hand, unless you really need the second hand to add notes, sparingly.

Perform an arpeggio that's only the synth, then slowly start tweaking in time-based effects until the only sound discernible is a solid chord progression. Then proceed to gate the chord sound, reintroduce the arpeggio as a dry sound on the gated-mute parts. Drop mutes on all of the parts not pertinent to the gated chord and arpeggio. Slow the tempo, over time, of the entire song down and reintroduce a developed arpeggio that maintains the same Liet Motif by the extension of a 4:1 proportional relationship between the original tempo (new arpeggio) and the slowed tempo (old arpeggio and gated chords). Then begin adding parts back in for the finale'.

Combine all of the suggested, above, into one, big, long, broken chord progression.

Let the top two notes of any chord turn into a diad played in stuttered 16th & 32nd notes creating a poly rhythm in conjunction with the bottom note only played as either an 8th or a quarter note.

Learn both classical and jazz chord progressions and try to change between the styles using any of the above techniques to accomplish the desired result.

Use a Vigreaux column set up for vacuum distillation, heated to 189 degrees Celsius, with 300 ml of Sulfuric Acid, and 100 ml of Emaj5B#aug2, and distill emulsified solution for approximately three hours until the receiving flask contains two-thirds of the original 400 mls of solution. After the essential oil cools to room temperature, put flask into a freezer and allow sedimentary formations to occur for approximately one day. On a full moon, remove the essential oil from the freezer, and strain to obtain the center layer. Put into a mason jar with a doily obtained from one of those cheesy dollar stores and a rubber band, covering the open mouth of the jar. Find and unearth the corpse of a long dead, but powerful witch and place in her skull. On the evening the moon wanes, fully, write a threatening letter to someone you've never met, get exceedingly drunk, and call someone you haven't spoken to for years to bemoan your sad existence

[nuffink]

Sage advice.

[llatham]

What are the most commons ways to "break "the chord notes in a measure?
Arpeggios, blocks, patterns…etc.
I will like to find information about this, maybe a MIDI utility also.

Usually, chords are played as:

Block

Broken

Arpeggiated

Block chords are where all notes sound together:
G---
E---
C---

Or are repeated:
G-G-G-G
E-E-E-E
C-C-C-C

Broken (or Alternating, etc.) is where on part of the chord is alternated with another part. Most commonly, the Bass note (especially the Root) sounds by itself, and the remaining chord members appear simultaneously. The next most common pattern has the Bass note alternate two notes of the chord (often Root and 5th. "r" means rest:

r-G-G-G
r-E-E-E
C------

or
r-G-r-G
r-E-r-E
C-r-C-r

or
r-G-r-G
r-E-r-E
C-r-G-r

etc.

Arpeggiated chords (also called broken too) usually have single notes (though they can be like what I call "broken" above, and what I call "broken" above is really a hybrid of block and arpeggiated chords). The notes are usually in a pattern, very often with the Bass note (especially the Root of the chord) on beat 1, and sometimes with the 5th of the chord on beat 3 (or the mid point of the measure).

Up and down:
C-E-G-E

Up:

C-E-G-c (c is high c)

Down:
C-c-G-E

Alternating:
C-G-E-G (also called "Alberti Bass").

C-G-E-c (used often in guitar finger-picking patterns, in addition to others).

Ones that start higher are less common, but not rare by any means:
c-G-E-G

In 3 beats per measure, or other meters, patterns can obviously be adjusted:
Typical Waltz:
r-G-G
r-E-E
C----

C-E-G-C-E-G-C-E-G-C-E-G

or
C-G-E-C-G-E-C-G-E-C-G-E

etc.

What you should do, as one other poster suggests, is listen to, and try to figure out what's going on. Additionally, I suggest you try taking chords, or chord progressions and trying out different patterns and see which ones "sound normal" and which ones you like. many of the more complex patterns are really just embellished versions of these simpler ones.

So hopefully that's a brief sampling to get you going. There's really an infinite number out there, but these are "basic" or "common" (and can be mundane as someone else points out).

HTH,
steve

[mr]

Thanks.
DeepEddieZilker It's almost full moon now.... expect a letter from me soon...


Steve, Can you give me some "key words" to search about it in internet?
Mario

[DeepEddieZilker]

This is COOL! Watchy!

http://dvice.com/archives/2008/04/miraculous_dire.php

[mr]

This is COOL! Watchy!

http://dvice.com/archives/2008/04/miraculous_dire.php

I see. It is usefull not only for chords and voicing, but it il show also the pattern of the chord in a preformance.

[contrary]

Use a Vigreaux column set up for vacuum distillation, heated to 189 degrees Celsius, with 300 ml of Sulfuric Acid, and 100 ml of Emaj5B#aug2, and distill emulsified solution for approximately three hours until the receiving flask contains two-thirds of the original 400 mls of solution. After the essential oil cools to room temperature, put flask into a freezer and allow sedimentary formations to occur for approximately one day. On a full moon, remove the essential oil from the freezer, and strain to obtain the center layer. Put into a mason jar with a doily obtained from one of those cheesy dollar stores and a rubber band, covering the open mouth of the jar. Find and unearth the corpse of a long dead, but powerful witch and place in her skull. On the evening the moon wanes, fully, write a threatening letter to someone you've never met, get exceedingly drunk, and call someone you haven't spoken to for years to bemoan your sad existence

Brought enough for all of us , right ?????

[ehdyn]

DeepEddieZilker:
From your blog,
"Perhaps a range of 0-X^y might incorporate a nuance that would be ignored by the average listener but then what else could be achieved with such nuanced logic bending?"

I especially like this suggestion from your essay on "The Future of Electronic Music."

MIDI has served faithfully, but is definitely in need of an upgrade.
Serial transmission of polyphony?

Hopefully, this time it will not be based on considerations of what is possible for a performer in a reasonably complex piece of music.
These kind of assumptions about the nature of music are what is causing it's obsolescence now.

A new reader,
ehdyn

[DeepEddieZilker]

Thank you, very much, ehdyn.

I remember a time where all you had to do to mangle a perfectly good chord was to put it through MIDI - ever so violently each note is stacked just off enough to sound harsh coming out of either synth or sampler engine.

[ehdyn]

Ah - touche!

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

[wrench45us]

how to break a chord

[llatham]

Steve, Can you give me some "key words" to search about it in internet?
Mario

Alberti Bass

Murky Bass (sometimes spelled Murkey Bass)

Broken Octaves

Arpeggio, Arpeggiated, Arpeggiando, Arpeggiandi, Arpeggiated pattern, etc.

Accompaniment Pattern

Alternating Bass

"oom-pah-pah" (seriously!)

Fingerpicking Patterns

You may have to ad "music" or "notes" or something similar to those key words so you don't end up with too many non-musical hits.

Peace,
stevel

[mr]

Thx
mr