I looked through my "Rise Up Singing" book for songs I could play with just the few chords I know. This book shows the chord progression, and lyrics. My rhythmic sense is inadequate for matching up the rhythym of the melody and strum pattern. I decided that I would look up the melodies in songbooks from my public library, and that way, I could read whether there were any pick-up beats, and which words had longer durations.
But I am finding that the keys of the peices do not necessarily match.
Am I correct in assuming that in any arrangement of a song, the I, IV and IV chords will pretty much occur at the same place in the song? I realize that a fancier arrangement might have more chord changes to add color, but can this affect the timing of the I, IV and V chords?
That is the correct assumption.
All the change of key does is to change the overall range of notes you're playing, it will not change the harmonic structure.
So, if you're used to playing a tune in D using just I-IV-V and you have a score in A which has additional chords, you can strip out the additional chords and just play the tune using I-IV-V in A using the structure you already know. Working backwards, you can add the extra colours into your original score (that's really good transposition practise).
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
Thank you.
I can't comprehend my notes from my music theory class I took back in 2001. Not that they made all that much sense to me back then either. It was like learning a language by conjugating verbs.
Right now, I am pretty much sticking to the chords of ACDEG. Though I really ought to add in the minors soon.
I have been working every day at the guitar, something I don't think I EVER have done before. It makes a real difference that I can at least bang out one song, more or less (Tom Dooley). And reading music to songs I am somewhat familiar with might help with internalizing my sight reading. All I have been able to do ever is to count the lines on a staff and place a name on the note.
I am also really grateful for this forum linking me to a community of musicians.
You're welcome.
Check out our lessons pages too. We have load of stuff suitable for players of all levels - and for a lot of the lessons you can ask the author questions directly if there's anything you don't understand.
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
