I'm having some trouble with chord voicings/melodies

[secret bass]

Alright, I'm pretty confident in getting your basic triadic chord progressions going, in major and minor. I can usually hammer something out that isn't a progression that's been done a billion times before, but I'm really hitting a limit here with the main triads of a key. I'm fine at voicing them so they're all in the same range and mostly getting three notes to do what I want them to do.

However, I'm pretty much at a total loss when it comes to introducing more colorful notes into a chord progression, like 7ths and 9ths and sus2s and augs. I've been experimenting, but I can't really figure out how it all works together.

So I've got a couple questions.

First, what are some things I can study to give me a basic feel for how to use those kinds of chord voicing?

Second, whats a good way to practice with them so I can really learn them?

[music-2-play]

Hi, it's good you have the basic triads down. Once you know their functions, everythign else becomes a lot easier.

Let's start with probably the most common four-note chord, the dominant seventh. In C major, this would be G B D F(G). This is used because it has a very strong pull back to he tonic (I).

There's too many examples to list of where this is used, but, turning to some classic rock n roll, think about the Beatle's - Twist And Shout --- the "ahhhh ahhhh ahhhh ahhh" bit of the song, is a ramp on a dominant seventh chord, building up tension until the chorus drops back in on the tonic...'well shake it up baby'

Used to similar effect, how about Let's Dance, by David Bowie. The intro, has another ramp on a dominant seventh, leading into the main body of the song.

In the majority of cases, it will just be used in substitute for the regular dominant chord in a turnaround, like C Dm Em G7.

The dominant already has a sound like it wants to resolve to the tonic, but the seventh add an extra dissonance (the tritone), that makes it sound like it needs to resolve all the more urgently.

With the suspended chords sus2 and sus4, they are also useful at adding contrast and tension to a chord. Think the guitar intro to Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams, that rift is based on a series of suspended chords (D Dsus2 D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D ). In other cases, they can be used to shift to another chord, with a little tension in beween --- such as C Csus4 F

I hope this helps

Matt

[llatham]

First, what are some things I can study to give me a basic feel for how to use those kinds of chord voicing?

You should study the music that contains them!

I don't mean to sound condescending, but what I mean is, listening to the music, and understand how they're being used (by learning the song and taking special note of the chords in question) will help you be able to incorporate them into your own chordal palette.

Second, whats a good way to practice with them so I can really learn them?

Here's a very broad and basic run-down:

1. Use a 7th chord anywhere you'd used a triad, with the following thoughts:
a. Dominant 7th chords appear only on the V chord in a key traditionally, and can sound a bit "classical".
b. Dominant 7th appearing on other degrees - especially I, IV, V and bVI will have a Bluesy feel to them (especially in combination).
c. In Blues, where you'd use a Dom 7th chord, you can use a Dom 9 or 13th chord as well.
d. Major 7th chords tend to sound a little "jazzy" or "loungy".
e. minor 7th chords are probably the most inocuous. In general, it's easier to slip in a m7 chord and not have it stand out too much than it is for the other 7th chord forms.
f. A lot of times, once you start using "bigger" chords, there comes a point where triads might sound too "bare" in the song. You can turn them all into 7ths, but a lot of times, in Jazz especailly, I and IV chords are changed to 6th, 6/9, or 7ths. For example, instead of C, you'd play C6, C6/9, or CM7.
g. In a lot of blues, and blues-based rock and Jazz, a mixture of "less to more" complex chords are used. For example, instead of I7, IV7 and V7, you might get I6 (or I13), IV9, and V7#9.

2. Use Sus 2 and Sus 4, or Add 2 (add 9) and Add 4 (make sure you know the difference between add and sus) off of major and minor triads. Other than 7sus4 or 9sus4, sus and add chords don't work as well with 7th chords an higher, because 2 is simply 9 and 4 is 11 - so the notes are OK, but the thought process is different.

HTH,
Steve

[Ogg Vorbis]

You should study the music that contains them!

Excellent suggestion. How 'bout getting a half-dozen fake books from 'standards' to the present? What you do (and what I still do) is analyze the hell out of the songs. Take a phrase and its harmonies and try it out in various keys. It's okay if you have to write down the changes in various keys first before trying to hack through them.

What you'll get out of this is a very 'internalized' sense of phrases and harmonic structure. A good theory book and teacher will COMPLIMENT (not replace) this kind of analysis.

The other thing is to listen to these tunes and try to transcribe what's going on in the voicings, the inner voices and so on. Train your ear as you train your head... that seems to be what the big boys have done.

Good luck.