Chord progressions: RUT?

[Eaglion]

I have been playing guitar more than 15 years. I know music theory and good amount of scales. Once a pro jazz player told me my musical mind is more advanced then my playing as i can make very sophisticated compositions and sing to him. I had played hard-core, punk thrash metal in my early days but now i am more into jazzy sounding neoclasiccal, instrumental music. I can play good deal of Guitar and bass average keys and drums.

My late time style is more emotional and depressive (or sad) even if i play in major but fast.

Having said that,

After all those years playing lots of different progressions i begin to have problems creating them. Problem is that i start to play chords one after an other and when i feel it is finished it seems that i have played all the possible chords in that scale, like A B C D E F G A. Sometimes i realize that i am sweeping two octaves with chord. It is such a disaster that when you only play the base note instead of whole chord, it creates a melody itself. Though it supposed to be rhythm. I can still make good leads to those progressions. Although they sound good when finished, this long progression bothers me as I haven't heard such long progressions accept the ones John Scofield played. Though it is the way he plays leads.

An other issue is; i can not create unique, firm arpeggios. Though i can play them well when on a sheet. When i try to create unique arpeggios i found myself jumping from strings to strings covering 5 - 6 frets range etc. When i play them it is very clear that they are forced.


Can you comment and help?

[Nilbog]

turkish hardcore punk? Im interested....

Have you tried all those weird scales like mixilodian and locrian and stuff? It may help you generate some ideas.

So are you saying your songs are just long scales? Like you play a through g? I think chords are always repetative in music, Its how you play them, the tempo, and the rythm and lead parts that make songs uinque - definatly not the chord progressions.

[Eaglion]

Nilbog,

"turkish hardcore punk? Im interested...."

There were lots of them back in late 80's and early 90's. You know it was easy to crush some chords, yell and just split a few touchy riffs here and there :=) Besides metal and similars were on top these days. Now more pop and oriental folk :=(.


"Have you tried all those weird scales like mixilodian and locrian and stuff? It may help you generate some ideas. "

These are more for leads. For chords it doesn't matter how you name them they sound same unless there is an other powerful tonal center, like keys.

I am trying to make musically intelligent pieces like the ones in jazz and classic and i am very confortable with playing any kind of rythms. What really bothers me is; when i see a song of I IV V or so, I hate myself. They can still manage to make good music with only 3 chord. Besides it puts much more tonal emphasis with those resolutions.

I am curious if there is a way to simplify the progression but still keeping the feel. Maybe progression can be transposed for bass and rhythm guitar play a simplified version of progression.


I am a self thought musician, who now play for his home projects. So there is noone around these days to interact musically or show new horizons. i am stuck in that rut.

[Eaglion]

I think i find a way to explain what i want. An approach like pentanonics to progressions. Though i cant discard any of those chords.

Maybe next time i should first write the chords i want on a paper before i start playing then try to make something out of them.


Another downside of these long progressions is they are very resistant to tempo and key changes. Even a simple strum structure change makes them sound like a different song.

[bob young]

Writing interesting changes is nice..But..
Ultimately it's not the most important part of a composition..

I'd work more on developing melodies first...then experimenting with different chord structures to support the melody.

All melodies, even those written over the most basic changes can be reharmonized a myriad of ways..

Remember what a "song' is...it's a mel;ody first and foremost...

The more complex and involved the chord changes are, the more areas you will open for soloing..but when the solos are over the melody will come back into play...
Unless you're playing totally free Jazz..and it doesn't sound like that's what you're trying to do or you wouldn't be talking scales and such.

Good Luck...I've been there...

Getting out of a rut can be tough

Bob Young

[Eaglion]

Originally posted by bob young
I'd work more on developing melodies first...then experimenting with different chord structures to support the melody.

This was what i had been doing several years ago. W/o a guidance of a progression i feel too free that i write incredable leads (almost touching every note on the fretboard). This way is harder for me to arrange the chords later.

The best method should be laying the bass track first but bass doesn't inspire me as guitar. I usually stuck after the first riff with bass.

[Dani Pace]

Expand your range with chord inversions, this can create some really interesting arpeggios and reshape the way you think about some progressions.