Please can someone help me harmonise this Bass line?

[coyote]

I have been trying to get more comfortable with music music theory in recent months and try to apply it to the random ideas I have, in the hope that I can more sense out of my tunes and finnish them.

this partiular tune that i struggling with has been written in much same way that I start most things. I have made a sound I quite like and got beat beat then noodles around on the keys until I got something that sounded good to my ears.

The bass line I came up with is:

G G G A flat (the a flat is on the 9th above) repeat that for three bars then, G G F for a bar.(the F is a 7th up from the G)

so after making this random riff, I tried to work out what key signature its in and concluded that its minor because that was the only scale I could find with a g and a flat in it.

but now I'm struggling with a chord progression. most of the book sI have read have said thet I should start on Tonic but when I do that it sounds strange, even though G is in the C minor chord. the fact that G appears in my bass line so much is telling me that the G chord should feature a lot, but again it sounds a bit strange and also starting on the G chord I can't seem to get to C minor at any point, which seems a bit daft if the the tune is in C minor, I need to resolve it somehow don't i?

I have put a lead riff thing over the top of the base line made from a flat then g then d for four bars followed by B flat a g g for a bar, which is of course made from the C minor scale, so it works and sound tuneful.

but yeah I can't figure out a good way to work out a chord progression, so if any one can help out there it will be very good.

but also was I wrong to have started on a note other then C in the first place, is that why I'm struggling? was there batter a key I could have picked? lie maybe g but using the a flat as an accidental?

cheers for any help, I'm in a right muddle.

[No_Use]

I'm far from an expert in music theory (and it's even more difficult without actually hearing the stuff), but as an idea, how about F melodic minor as key ? (edit: F natural or harmonic minor could actually also work I think)

Then you'd start with the ii (Gmin) and land on the tonic (Fmin) at the end.

http://www.guitar-chords.org.uk/f-melod ... hords.html

edit2:
For a "cadence feeling" you could maybe put in C or C7 (V, min or maj depends which minor mode you use) before the tonic.
Then you'd kinda have some "standard" ii-v-i cadence.

[JumpingJackFlash]

I tried to work out what key signature its in and concluded that its minor because that was the only scale I could find with a g and a flat in it.

Keys with both G and Ab in include:
Eb major
Ab major
C minor
F minor

[DSmolken]

Try the G Phyrygian mode - basically like G minor but with a lowered second (so you get your Ab). Your melodies should feel like they resolve (or come to rest) on a G - that doesn't mean your melodies should all end with a G. It will sound a bit darker than minor, I think Phrygian is a common scale in metal and also good for trap.

[coyote]

thanks for the reply's everyone, they are all a great help, I have lots of avenues to explore now, so hopefully I will be able to move this piece forward.

I guess I need to find a new way of working out scales though as I honsestly thought c minor was my only choice, so some work is need there.

I have also come to realise that if I had of started looking at eh progression earlier It would have helped me choose the best key to proceed with before writing all the other bits.

[JumpingJackFlash]

I guess I need to find a new way of working out scales though as I honsestly thought c minor was my only choice, so some work is need there.

This post might help.

[MadBrain]

You can simply change scales temporarily along with the chords:
G = G major or minor scale
Ab = Ab lydian (Ab Bb C D Eb F G) or Ab lydian dominant (Ab Bb C D Eb F Gb)
G = G major or minor scale
F = F major or F mixolydian (F G A Bb C D Eb) or F lydian (F G A B C D E)

So in other words, write a song in G, then turn A into Ab every time your bass plays Ab (plus potentially B E into Bb Eb to go along). If you're playing in G major, turn F# into F when the bass plays F (plus maybe B E into Bb Eb too, or maybe just B into Bb...).

[coyote]

I guess I need to find a new way of working out scales though as I honsestly thought c minor was my only choice, so some work is need there.

This post might help.

that's a great post, very useful. Thanks for pointing me in that direction.

You can simply change scales temporarily along with the chords:
G = G major or minor scale
Ab = Ab lydian (Ab Bb C D Eb F G) or Ab lydian dominant (Ab Bb C D Eb F Gb)
G = G major or minor scale
F = F major or F mixolydian (F G A Bb C D Eb) or F lydian (F G A B C D E)

So in other words, write a song in G, then turn A into Ab every time your bass plays Ab (plus potentially B E into Bb Eb to go along). If you're playing in G major, turn F# into F when the bass plays F (plus maybe B E into Bb Eb too, or maybe just B into Bb...).

That's an interesting idea also, however I think I will get my head round keeping the scale the same before getting too complicated.

[Dzole]

IF you dont know all the scales on the top of your head you can write all scales either major or minor on each note and see in which of the scales these 3 notes appear. Then choose whether you are going to use major or minor scale. Each major scale has relative minor scale and the opposite. For instance A major C and a minor A scales would have same notes. It depends whats your goal when writing your piece.
Major scales gives you this happier feeling where as the minor gives you the opposite.
I would suggest trying out both.
Next when you choose your scale try out different chord progressions. Compare the results. Choose the best alternative.
There are tons of ways you can harmonize, experiment with it.

Hope this helps

Good luck