Flat 9, flat 5, flat 7th… this stuff is confusing — and for that matter the ADD 9, ADD 5, ADD 6, and the #9, #5 as well.  I guess I should also throw in the half-diminished chords, whatever those are.  I’m still trying to figure it out.  It all sounds beautiful but it seems that a #9 would be a minor note and a flat 7th is still just a regular 7th.  It’s hard to understand why the notation has to be so complicated.  Maybe things will become more apparent as I go along and learn more.

Anyway, I hope to understand more of this as I go along and I appreciate what you have done.  God bless,

—————–

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your question.

It is understandable why you would be confused as some of the upper level courses just tell you what they are rather than covering their construction from the beginning (that’s for the 300pg course and the starter stuff to cover, which do a fine job btw).

But just to answer some of your questions.

Flat 7th just let’s you know to take the natural 7th (which is B in the key of C) and flat it one half step. If I just said “7,” you should automatically think B, not B flat. But the minute we say “flat 7th” then that means take the 7 and flat it (lower it) a half step… aka, “dominant 7th” or “minor 7th.”

Knowing numbers is crucial. It’s probably the best thing you can learn. Knowing your scales as numbers.

9 is basically the 2nd tone of the scale
11 is basically the 4th tone of the scale
13 is basically the 6th tone of the scale

How are they determined?

Just number your scale up two octaves

C = 1
D = 2
E = 3
F = 4
G = 5
A = 6
B = 7
C = 8
D = 9
E = 10
F = 11
G = 12
A = 13
B = 14

But if you think about it, D is 9 (sure enough when playing extended chords) but the shortcut is to just immediately think “2″ (but up an octave usually). Same with the 11th, which is the 4th, and the 13th which is essentially the 6th.

When you’re instructed to “add 9,” that’s basically what you’re doing. You’re taking the original chord and adding whatever the 9th tone of the scale is. That’s it. Same with 13 or 6 or 2.

As for the “alterations,” (b9, #5, etc)… just like you flat the 7th tone (per the instructions above), you do the same with the 9th and other extended tones. Very simple. So if I’m in the key of C and instructed to play a b9 (aka - “flat 9″), I would first determine my 9th tone (D), and then lower it one-half step to Db. NEVER CHANGE THE ALPHABET LETTER when you’re doing this. For example, if I used C#, I would no longer be flatting the “9th tone” — instead I’d be raising the 8th tone (C) to C#, and that’s not what the instructions call for. So keep that in mind.

Also, yes, sharping the 9th tone is like playing a minor chord. But the big difference is that you cannot call it a minor chord because it still may be a major or dominant chord. In other words, a C7 #9#5 may still have an “E” in there (which makes this chord either major or dominant). What we are doing is essentially adding the 9 and then sharping it. So it’s giving you a chord with both a major third “E” and a “D#” (which isn’t quite a minor third because if you understand theory, that would be called an augmented second if it were played in the lower octave). So that’s why you need the alterations. Sometimes, though, you can just say “augmented” instead of #5… this is a case where sometimes they are pretty much synonyms. But be careful.

Let’s move on to your question about the “half diminished seventh” chord. But first, let’s back up and cover a more common chord first. This will help us to lead to the construction of the half-diminished seventh chord.

A diminished seventh chord is basically constructed of 3 minor third intervals.

It is important to note that:

Major third intervals have 4 half steps (like from C to E)
Minor third intervals, on the other hand, have 3 half steps (like from C to Eb)

You basically construct a diminished 7th chord by taking 3 minor thirds and piling them on top of each other…

C# to E is a minor third.
E to G is another minor third.
G to Bb is another minor third.

C# E G Bb would be a C# diminished 7 chord, for example.

For a lesson on why I used the notes above to name this chord, visit this link (you will use a mixture of sharps and flats for chord like this… see details at the link above).

Now, this leads me to the half diminished 7th chord.

The only difference is that you are taking the last “minor third” in the equation and making it a major third (which means you need to make it bigger by one half step since major thirds have 4 half steps in them). So instead of playing Bb, you’ll be playing “B.” Thus - C# E G B.

A half-diminished 7 chord is basically the same as a minor 7th chords with a flat 5 (aka - “min7 b5″). This is another way to look at half diminished 7th chords — just take a regular minor 7th chord, locate the 5th tone of the scale and lower that tone a half step.

Whewww! My fingers are tired.

I hope this answers all your questions!

***********
QUESTION
***********

Thank you Jermaine. Of course if you can answer the question, and I’m sure you can, please feel free. The question is “how do I identify the chord progression in any song?” I learned how to play “the organ” very differently, but hearandplay has helped me tremendously. The number system has just opened a whole new world of playing for me. However, I still struggle sometimes in identifying the chord progressions especially with all the other instruments layered on top of the progression. Once I view the sessions in GMTC or watch one of the DVDs it becomes so simple, but trying to do it on my own sometimes is challenging. Any assistance you can provide is appreciated.

By the way, I had no clue there was so much footage in the GMTC. There’s sooooo much material there. I’m proud to be a gold member and these will not only me, but everyone for a lifetime. Thank you.

dteel

***************
My Response
***************

Hi Deboarah,

That is a very good question.

And off the top of my head, here are a number of things you can do to get good at finding the chord progressions at work in any song.

1) Change your approach from following the piano to following the bass.

You would think the piano player is what you’re listening for (and once you get good at doing this, you can), but it’s far more easier to figure out what the bass player is doing.

2) Find the Key

I know I put “follow the bass” as #1 but I did that because it’s probably the most important thing you can know about determining chord progressions (many people follow the piano when most of the time, you can hardly hear the piano).

I would start by determining the key to the song. If you’re not good at this yet, I recommend watchin this 30-minute video I did on the topic: http://www.hearandplay.com/main/video-how-to-find-the-key-of-any-song

You see, once you find the key, it narrows down your options and makes following the bass much easier.

So instead of trying to “randmomly” pick out bass notes with no systematic process, now you’re focusing on a particular key.

3) Know what tones are more important.

Let’s face it…

Not all tones are created equal in a particular key.

(Unlike society, every tone gets their time to shine, though, depending on what key you’re in.)

For example, here’s the C major scale:

C D E F G A B C

Of course, I like to number it right away. Thinking of scales as “numbers” is probably one of the most important skills you can learn when it comes to picking out chord progressions.

C=1
D=2
E=3
F=4
G=5
A=6
B=7

Now, in this key, 3 of these tones are going to be super special. Everything will move “towards” them usually.

They are the 1st tone, the 4th tone, and the 5th tone.

If you’ve heard the words “primary chords,” well, they are built off these tones.

Which makes everything else “secondary chords” or tones.

So if you’re:

1) Following the bass note (lowest note)
2) Know the key you’re in
3) Know what tones of that key are “primary” and what tones are “secondary” (…meaning they serve as a way to get you to primary chords)

…you’re almost there.

4) Start remembering and recognizing patterns.

Just like “success” leaves traces, songs do too.

As you learn more and more songs, pay attention to the patterns that are reoccurring. THEY WILL OCCUR AGAIN IN ANOTHER SONG.

All songs follow recognizable patterns.

And since you’re a gold member of the Gospel Music Training Center, you have front row access to the patterns. All you have to do is “zoom out” and stop seeing these songs as separate entities, but rather all connected to the same patterns.

Like the California goldrush (which I know little about because I didn’t pay that much attention in history class… sadly), everyone rushed here to get them a piece of it and returned to their separate homes. Songs pull from the same “goldrush” and fool you by making you think they are special. All the patterns are the same (GospelKeys 202 reveals many of the common gospel patterns. Check out the free digital version of it in the bonus area).

I hope this talk helps!

Take care.

(By the way, thanks for all your support. You have been tremendously supportive on our radio show, the new gospel music training center, our various product launches, etc. I appreciate you).

Well, since I’ve been helping out with e-mails lately (to make sure we keep response times under 1 day), I’ve had an epiphany. Why not take a question a day from the REAL e-mails that come in and elaborate on them? It makes it easier on me because I’m answering that e-mail anyway — now I can simply format it, expand it a little further, and post it on the blog for all to see. Works for you?

(Granny calls that “killing two birds with one stone.)

And I won’t always limit it to one question per day either. If another good question comes in, I’ll post it too. You might end up with a bunch of smaller posts rather than one big long post, like in the past. I’ll see how this works.

Submit your questions at: blogquestion@hearandplay.com (you may not get a personalized reply but they will queue up for future posts).

So here’s today’s question submitted by Judy:

***********
Question
***********
“Hey, I don’t know what you mean by things with a “b” in FRONT of a scale number, such as “b3″ Whattup?”

***********
Answer
***********

Great question!

So we all know that I’m a big advocate for numbering your scale.

In other words, just don’t think of the C major scale as:

C D E F G A B C

Think of it as:

C is 1.
D is 2.
E is 3.
F is 4.
G is 5.
A is 6.
B is 7.

So if I ask you, “what is the 7th tone of C?” you should know it right away. These “numbered” degrees are what we call scale tones (or you can call them “scale degrees,” whatever you want frankly).

Now, let’s cover our little friends called “sharps” and “flats.”

A sharp is not a black key.
A flat is not a black key.

Rather, to “sharp” something means to raise it.
To “flat” something means to lower it.

(I guess I should define another term… a “half step” is from key to key with absolutely NO keys in between. A “whole step” ALWAYS skips a key with one key always in between).

Plain and simple.

When you see a “flat” sign (b) in front of a scale tone, that means to lower that tone one half step.

So if I say “the 3rd tone of C,” I’m referring to E because E is, indeed, the third tone of C.

C D (E) F G A B C = C major scale

If I say the b3 (”flat third” or “flatted third”) of C, then it would be E flat (Eb).

I simply take the same third tone and lower it a half step.

C D (Eb) F G A B C (believe it or not, this is actually the C melodic minor scale.)

I hope this helps!

***********************
Judy’s Follow Up Question
***********************

“Thank you for your help. Curious why it wouldn’t be written 3b for i.e. ‘Eb’
instead of b3?”

***********************
My Follow Up Answer
***********************

Well, because we say “flat 3″ or the “sharp 5,” instead of “3 flat” or “5 sharp,” it transposes the sign in FRONT of the note rather than after. That’s just how the terminology works.

Like the chord “C7 #9#5″

Pronounced: “C Seventh Sharp 9, Sharp 5″ or “C Seventh Sharped 9, Sharped 5″

I wish I knew more of the history but it’s like they say: “That’s just how it is…” :-)

I hope this helps.

——————

Until next time.

(Actually, I’ve had this tool for a while but today marks the release of the actual generator tool… that makes it easy for you to create chord graphics on the fly).

You’ll have to see it for yourself. It’s still in beta testing but check it out…

Click here to try it

Enjoy —

If you’ve listened to the radio show before, you’ve probably heard us talk about these “Ps” already.

Use these “P’s” as a sort of litmus test to make sure you’re taking full advantage of your practicing.

Here they are…

Your practice must be:

1) Purposed

It’s impossible to reach for something without a clear vision of where you want to go. You can “lollygag” but this isn’t a good use of time and energy. And sadly, that’s what most of us do. We pull out our instrument and lollygag aimlessly, hoping to get better.

Instead, know clearly what you want from each practicing session. Write long term goals, break them into smaller ones, and then into digestible chunks you can work on during each 30-90 minute practice period.

2) Planned

Having purpose and vision is nothing if you don’t take action by planning your practice. Studies show that when you carefully plan a routine activity (like exercising, “laundry days”) and do it as close to the same time, EVERY TIME, something magical happens. You “habitualize” the activity and it becomes a part of your life rather than a “chore” you have to do.

3) Pushed

Practice must also be pushed. This means you have to get outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself. Most musicians want to merely “rehearse” what they already know rather than push themselves to learn new stuff (like playing in unfamiliar keys, learning bigger chords that are hard to reach or weird for the fingers to play). It’s something about harder stuff that’s boring for musicians who fall into the rehearsal trance. They feel good knowing that they can play what they know. But when it comes to playing something that’s challenging, if they can’t do it in 5 minutes, that part of the practice is over. Does this sound familiar? If so, make it one of your priorities to consciously keep practice PUSHED and watch how far you get.

4) Pumped

Keep high energy. Have a spirit of expectation, knowing that you’re going to tackle something you’ve never tackled before (because your practice will be “pushed”). Be excited about practicing. Don’t look at the 30-90 minutes per day as a perfunctory task. Get pumped up. Change the association your mind has to practicing. In fact, it’s the same thing as exercising. If the mind links that part of your exercise where you feel like you can’t go on to pain, then the experience will be gruesome. But if your mind links that part of the exercise to “triumph” and “overcoming this last part of the battle,” then what would have been seen as pain is now a meaningful goal to reach. If you want to shatter the glass ceiling that’s holding you back from getting to the next level, you must first get pumped or you won’t build enough passionate momentum to ram through the glass. “You’ll end up with a big knot upside your head,” as grandma would say.

5) Patient

Results don’t come overnight. But one thing that doesn’t fail, is that they COME… if you’re patient. The master musicians didn’t get there overnight. We see their “glory” (as I always say), but don’t understand their “story.” And that story is usually a story of patience. And patience takes faith. You have to be able to keep practicing - and even though you may not see immediate results - you have to be able to know that they will come. Faith is believing something that isn’t there. Patience is key.

6) Persistence

Lastly, with your patience must come persistence. You gotta stay on the course. This also goes hand in hand with “planned” practice. If you schedule everyday at 7pm, then stick with everyday at 7pm because when you break the pattern, then your mind will tell you to break it again… and again. But something supernatural happens when you become more and more persistent. The mind almost does the opposite. For example, let’s say you’ve exercised nonstop for 100 days in a row without breaking one single day. I mean the same time (6:30 am) everyday… rain, sleet, or snow — what does the mind tell you when you have the slightest thought of not exercising the next day? It says, “You mean to tell me you’ve done this nonstop for 100 days and you want to ruin everything and start all over?” (maybe your brain doesn’t sound like that but mine does). So compounding persistence works for you where inconsistency works against you (the more you break commitments, the more your mind tells you that you’re not reliable and that you’ve broken tons in the past so why not this new one).

Those are the P’s with my own few cents added. I hope you enjoyed them.

Until next time

But that’s not what I want to talk about today.

I want to talk about an entirely different way to look at scales. A way that will help you to learn and understand chord progressions a lot faster! (Isn’t that what we all want? Chord progressions create SONGS!)

Don’t get me wrong… scales are great. I’m a great advocate of learning scales in the beginning.

I just don’t like when people get wrapped up into playing them just to “warm up” (and stuff like that). I think they are much more important than that.

They define the major keys you’ll play in. Understanding them is the key to playing smoothly in all 12 keys.

So I want to give you the “CIRCULAR” way to understand major scales. Yes, “circular!”

By now, you know that I’m infatuated by the circle of fifths. I think it’s a wonderful way to teach music. I think it cuts through all the baloney and if you really understand it, you can get really far… really quickly.

Take the C major scale for example:

C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

Here’s how you would look at it circularly:

C major (circularly)

B E A D G C F
7 3 6 2 5 1 4

I bet you’ve never seen the C major scale like that before.

And the thing is…

All the notes that would normally be in the scale are represented. Nothing has changed in that regard. Just the order of notes. We’ve rearranged them into a different pattern.

A pattern you’ll run across time and time again in song after song (if you haven’t already).

And this, my friend, is the secret.

Think about songs you’ve played in the key of C major.

Did they move from keynote to keynote like this: C D E F G A B C?

Or did you see a lot of chords flowing like this: “D - G - C” or “C - F” or “G - C - F” or “A - D - G” or “E - A - D - G.”

And notice, I got those all from the circular scale above.

This is how music flows.

So to understand the pattern, “7 - 3 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 1 - 4″ is extremely important. In fact, there are entire songs that use this whole stretch of tones, all in a row.

For now, just ponder this. Try to learn this order of things in all 12 keys.

Hint: Soon you’ll find much overlap. In other words, the order you see here will NEVER change in another key. If the new key you’re learning has a “B” in it, for example, it will always be followed by an “E.”

That is the cool thing… you don’t have to learn all 12 keys from scratch… as long as you start getting the pattern.

This will be key to playing REAL chord progressions in ALL 12 keys… in REAL songs!

Until next time —

You can find it by clicking here.

If you’ve ever wondered why they’re called “primary chords” and what makes them so special, this article will definitely shed some light on the subject.

Until next time —

I just want to take this time to wish you a very Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! Click here for a personal greeting.

Take this time to spend with those closest to you. And remember… we give gifts, understanding that the greatest gift was given to us by our Savior. I pray that your holidays are blessed.

Thanks for your support. We really appreciate you as a student. You make this site possible.

I wish you a prosperous and successful 2009!

Jermaine Griggs
http://www.hearandplay.com
1-877-856-4187

He’s joking around in the beginning but around a minute into it, he gets serious. If he can have this much hope and joy for life, then what excuse do most of us have?

And it’s powerful.

It’s the idea of “borrowing” chords.

But in order to understand it, let me teach you what the term “parallel key” means.

Parallel major and parallel minor keys basically share the same tonic… or same “home base.”

Get it? The “C” is the same but they are totally different scales… totally different worlds — but they do have the “C” in common.

Sort of like all the other people named “Jermaine” out there (including Jermaine Jackson, Jermaine O’neal, Jermaine Dupri). Just because we have the same name doesn’t mean we’re related or similar… but we do share the name.

Now, of course, parallel keys are little deeper than that but this will hold you for the purposes of this lesson.

So back to “borrowing” chords…

Let’s say you were in the key of C major. The chords most associated with the C major scale are shown below:

1st Tone: C / Chord = C major 7 (C E G B)
2nd Tone: D / Chord = D minor 7 (D F A C)
3rd Tone: E / Chord = E minor 7 (E G B D)
4th Tone: F / Chord = F major 7 (F A C E)
5th Tone: G / Chord = G dominant 7 (G B D F)
6th Tone: A / Chord = A minor 7 (A C E G)
7th Tone: B / Chord = B half diminished (B D F A)

If you don’t know where I got these chords from, you’ll probably want to read this past lesson.

Now, let’s go to the parallel minor, which is _____?????______?

C minor

(To understand where I get the following chords associated with the C minor scale, click here to view this past lesson). But here’s a hint… if you know the key of Eb major, the chords of C minor are the same).

1st Tone: C / Chord = C minor 7 (C Eb G Bb)
2nd Tone: D / Chord = D half diminished 7 (D F Ab C)
3rd Tone: Eb / Chord = Eb major 7 (Eb G Bb D)
4th Tone: F / Chord = F minor 7 (F Ab C Eb)
5th Tone: G / Chord = G minor 7 (G Bb D F)
6th Tone: Ab / Chord = Ab major 7 (Ab C Eb G)
7th Tone: Bb / Chord = Bb dominant 7 (Bb D F Ab)

So the idea of “borrowing” chords is just like it sounds.

It’s when you borrow chords from the parallel major or minor key.

Here’s one of my favorite examples (especially if you like gospel music).

You can play this at the end of “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

It’s basically a “2-5-1″ chord progression.

That is, a chord based on the 2nd tone of the scale going to a chord on the 5th — and finally ending on a chord on the 1st tone of the scale.

Normally, you’d use the chords from the first chart above. The 2nd degree in C major would usually be a “D minor 7″ chord. The 5th degree, a “G dominant 7″ chord, and the 1st degree, a “C major 7″ chord.

But what I’m going to do is borrow a chord from the 2nd tone of the parallel minor key.

So instead of playing a usual “D minor 7″ on the 2nd tone, I’m going to borrow the “D half diminished 7″ chord from C minor.

Check out the results:

Left hand: D /// Right hand: D F Ab C
Left hand: G /// Right hand: E G C
Left hand: G /// Right hand: D G B
Left hand: C /// Right hand: E G C

(This is a simple 2-5-1 chord progression with some suspended action on the “G”).

I personally like to invert the “D half diminished 7″ chord. I think it sounds better. And since I’m inverting it, I have to change the other chords (…I don’t “have” to but it sounds much better and flows more harmoniously):

Left hand: D /// Right hand: Ab C D F
Left hand: G /// Right hand: G C E
Left hand: G /// Right hand: F A D *
Left hand: G /// Right hand: E G C

*I switched the second “G” chord a little bit.

So the moral of this lesson is that you don’t have to play the chords as they’re written in the “textbook.” You can “borrow” chords. You can experiment with chords from other keys. You can alter chords.

Until next time —

You can find it by clicking here.

If you’ve ever wondered why they’re called “primary chords” and what makes them so special, this article will definitely shed some light on the subject.

Until next time —

If you haven’t seen my past ones, click here to check them out.

Ok… here we go:

What minor key am I in if I have these chords:

F major
Bb major
C major

.
..
…
….
…..
……
…….
……..
………
……….
………..
…………
………….
…………..
……………
…………….
……………..
………………
……………….
………………..
…………………
………………….
…………………..
……………………
…………………….
……………………..
………………………
……………………….
………………………..
…………………………
………………………….
………………………….. Got it???
………………………….
…………………………
………………………..
……………………….
………………………
……………………..
…………………….
……………………
…………………..
………………….
…………………
………………..
……………….
………………
……………..
…………….
……………
…………..
………….
…………
………..
……….
………
……..
…….
……
…..
….
…
..
.

Answer:

D minor

Explanation:

D is the relative minor of F major, so had you used these clues to figure out the “major” side of things (which would have been “F” had I asked for the major key), then the minor key would be a piece of cake.

Why? Because relative major and minor keys share the same key signature, scale tones, and chords.

So if you take the chords associated with the F major scale and simply “shift” them over so that “D” starts and ends the series of chords, you’re good to go! It’s that simple.

1st tone - F major (F A C)
2nd tone - G minor (G Bb D)
3rd tone - A minor (A C E)
4th tone - Bb major (Bb D F)
5th tone - C major (C E G)
6th tone - D minor (D F A)
7th tone - E diminished (E G Bb)
1st tone - F major (F A C)
2nd tone - G minor (G Bb D)
3rd tone - A minor (A C E)
4th tone - Bb major (Bb D F)
5th tone - C major (C E G)
6th tone - D minor (D F A)
7th tone - E diminished (E G Bb)

See the chords I’ve bold? Those are the same exact chords but instead of thinking of them in terms of “F major” (that is, with “F” as the starting and ending tone), I’ve emphasized them so that you can see how it works when you’re looking at the relative minor of the key. Same notes, same chords — DIFFERENT reference points… starting and ending notes. That’s it.

So when someone asks you to play in a minor key, if you know how to play in the relative major key, you should be fine!

(Oh, and just in case… you find the relative minor of any major key by going to the 6th tone. “D” is the 6th tone of “F major.” If you’re in a minor key and want to find the relative major, just go to the third tone of the minor scale. “F” is the 3rd tone of “D minor.” So that’s how all this works).

Here are all the relative major/minor relationships:

Relative Major / Relative Minor

C major / A minor
Db major / Bb minor
D major / B minor
Eb major / C minor
E major / C# minor
F major / D minor
F# major / D# minor
G major / E minor
Ab major / F minor
A major / F# minor
Bb major / G minor
B major / G# minor

I hope this helps.

Until next time —

Today, I want to go even further and talk about another popular type of substitution… the “tonic substitution.”

As you may know from past lessons, the first degree of the scale is called the “tonic.” In fact, every degree of the scale has a name.

It’s just a fancy way to say “home.” The first degree of the scale is basically the key you’re song is in. It’s the first and last tone of the scale. When you’re playing a chord off the first tone of the scale, it has a feeling of “home” and “rest.” It’s at peace. That’s why most songs end on the “1″ (or the “tonic”).

In songs, often times you can substitute other chords for the normal “1-chords.” Composers do this to make the song more interesting. Rather than always going back to the same type of “1-chord,” they put in other stuff to spice things up… to make things less predictable. And if you have any of my GospelKeys courses, you know that unpredictability is key in differentiating yourself from other musicians.

So when it comes to tonic substitutions, there are two other degrees of the scale that are great candidates to replace the “1.”

But before I tell you them, let’s consider each degree of the scale:

C major

1st degree = C major 7 (C + E + G + B)
2nd degree = D minor 7 (D + F + A + C)
3rd degree = E minor 7 (E + G + B + D)
4th degree = F major 7 (F + A + C + E)
5th degree = G dominant 7 (G + B + D + F)
6th degree = A minor 7 (A + C + E + G)
7th degree = B half-diminished 7 (B + D + F + A)

In this example, the tonic chord would usually be something based on C major 7. Of course, you can drop the “7″ and only play C major triad if you want (C+E+G) or you can expand the 7 and play a major 9th chord (C + E + G + B + D) or even an 11th or 13th chord. But the idea is… usually it’s something “major sounding” and its usually based on the first tone of your scale.

But when you’re substituting other chords for the tonic, you’re pretty much going to an entirely different tone of the scale instead. We’re not talking about simply changing notes in your chord. I’m talking about playing a totally different chord in its place.

There are tons of candidates but I’m going to talk about the most popular 2.

The “6th” degree and the “3rd” degree!

6th degree

In other lessons, you’ve learned that the 6th degree is the relative minor of the major key you’re in so there’s no surprise that it can act as a substitute.

Now that’s another lesson in and of itself and I encourage you to use my search box in the upper right hand corner to search for “relative minor.” But for now, just know that the 6th tone and has very special bond with the 1st tone. They are close relatives! In fact, their scales share the same notes. In this case, “A” is the relative minor of “C major.” If you played the notes of the “A minor” scale, they would be identical to the notes of the “C major scale.” This rule goes for the 6th tone of ANY major scale.

So basically, whenever a song is supposed to come back “home” to the tonic, many will divert to the 6th degree. In this case, an “A minor 7″ chord or some derivative of it.

And if you really think about it, the notes of the “A minor 7″ chord are not that far off from the notes of the “C major 7″ chord.

Let’s compare:

C major 7

A minor 7

They pretty much share all but one note. In fact, the “C major” triad is a part of the “A minor 7″ chord.

In “Amazing Grace,” you can see this tonic substitution at work:

“A-ma-zing grace* how”
C major (1st inversion) ~~~
(E + G + C)

“Sweet the”
F major (root inversion) ~~~
(F + A + C)

“Sound.”
C major (root inversion) ~~~
(C + E + G)

“That”
E minor (2nd inversion)
(B + E + G)

“saved a”
A minor 7 ~~~
(E + A + C / A bass)

“wretch like”
D major (add 9) ~~~
(F# + A + E / D bass)

“Me”
G major (first inversion) ~~~
(B + D + G)

Do you see the tonic substitution at work in this song? The song could have easily gone back to the regular “1-chord” tonic on “saved” but it didn’t. Well, I take back… when people play the basic version of the song, they actually do go back to the regular 1-chord, which is major. But that’s only in very basic arrangements of “Amazing Grace.” 90% of arrangements go to a minor chord on “saved.” That is a tonic substitution! It’s when you don’t have to go there but you do… and when you do, it provides more interest and flavor.

3rd degree

Similar to the 6th degree, you can use the 3rd degree of the scale as a tonic substitution.

So in the key of C major, instead of going back to a C major 7 chord, you’d go to an E minor 7 chord.

Let’s compare the chords:

C major 7

E minor 7

Lo and behold, these chords share all but one note. It’s basically the OPPOSITE of the notes shared with the first tonic substitution above. Basically, the C major 7 chord has an “E minor” (E+G+B) triad inside it.

And just like the 6th degree above, this makes the 3rd degree an awesome candidate! Instead of going back to the 1-chord like you’d normally do, use the minor 7 chord on the 3rd degree and it will provide the spice you’re looking for!

So what’s the moral of the story?

Looks for chords that are strikingly similar and experiment with substituting one for the other. A lot of it can be systematized like the two I’ve shown you here but many will come about by “trial and error.”

I’ve interviewed tons of musicians and all of them say the same thing — that their nicest chords came unexpectedly by trial and error. So start paying close attention to chords you already play. Notice which ones share common tones and then start replacing one for the other. Remember other components like the melody and you’ll really be on the right track (that is, if you can find a chord that shares most of the notes WHILE keeping the melody on top, then you’re golden!)

I hope you enjoyed this lesson!

Until next time —

If you haven’t seen my past ones, click here to check them out.

Ok… here we go:

What major key am I in if I have these chords:

A# minor
D# minor
G# minor

.
..
…
….
…..
……
…….
……..
………
……….
………..
…………
………….
…………..
……………
…………….
……………..
………………
……………….
………………..
…………………
………………….
…………………..
……………………
…………………….
……………………..
………………………
……………………….
………………………..
…………………………
………………………….
………………………….. Got it???
………………………….
…………………………
………………………..
……………………….
………………………
……………………..
…………………….
……………………
…………………..
………………….
…………………
………………..
……………….
………………
……………..
…………….
……………
…………..
………….
…………
………..
……….
………
……..
…….
……
…..
….
…
..
.

Answer:

F# major

Explanation:

Remember this chart from other posts?

There’s only one key that has a G#, A# and D# as minor chords… and that key is F# major!

Let’s take a look at the F# major scale:

F# G# A# B C# D# E# F#

Now, if we apply the rules from above, we’ll be able to figure out which tones are minor:

F# - major chord
G# - minor chord
A# - minor chord
B - major chord
C# - major chord
D# - minor chord
E# - diminished chord

So if you got this one right, way 2 go! :-)

Until next time —

The Gospel Music Training Center and free dvd offer reopens this Wednesday, December 10, 2008 @ 6pm pacific / 9pm eastern.

After being closed for 2 weeks, we’re now ready to sell out the remaining 124 free courses and membership slots we have available.

If you want to increase your chances of getting one of these courses, you’ll want to listen to this entire audio update below. It has all the details you’ll need to know for Wednesday…

Make sure to bookmark http://www.gospelmusictraining.com. Check the site daily for new updates.

Until next time —

Every key has what we call “primary” chords and “secondary” chords.

You may already know the primary chords…

They’re simply the 1, 4, and 5 tones of any scale.

For example, in the key of C major:

• The first tone of the scale is C
• The fourth tone of the scale is F
• The fifth tone of the scale is G

We simply play major chords on each of these tones. Bam! There’s your primary chords.

The secondary chords are all the other ones.

That leaves the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th tones of the scale.

(This post can technically be over but I want to go a little further in explaining secondary chords).

Every major key has a relative minor key. I talk about relative minors in this past post.

Like in C major, the relative minor is “A.” It’s basically the 6th tone of the scale (or you can count backwards two scale tones… “C > B > A”).

I said all that to say this…

3 of the 4 secondary chords are basically relative minors of the primary chords. Let me break it down…

We already know that “A” is the relative minor (6th tone) of C major so that takes care of the C major primary chord.

What is the relative minor of F major? It’s D!

And the relative minor of G major? It’s E!

C > A
F > D
G > E

Like I said above, you can think of this as basically 2 scale tones down from any primary chord.

Take C major for example…

1. Go down two scale tones — B is one, A is two.
2. “A” is the relative minor.

F major…

1. Go down two scale tones — E is one, D is two.
2. “D” is the relative minor.

G major…

1. Go down two scale tones (and I’m still referring to the C major scale since we’re talking about primary chords from the C major scale but even if you used the G major scale, you’d arrive at the same tone).
2. “E” is the relative minor.

Why is this important?

Relative minors and majors have a very strong connection. They share the same key signature. They have the same notes in their scales. Heck, their chords are pretty much the same.

Want me to prove it to you?

So what does all this mean?

Simply put, whenever you want to make things more interesting, throw in the right secondary chords!

Yes, most songs can be played with just primary chords (the “1,” “4,” and “5″). That’s true!

But if you want to get more interesting, you start throwing in these secondary chords.

And now that you know how the secondary chords relate to the primary chords, you can start substituting certain chords for others (***hint hint***).

Until next time —

It’s a poem with the simple message… “Don’t Quit.”

Check it out…

The famous circle!

Some people call it the “circle of fifths.”

Others call it the “circle of fourths.”

Who’s right… who’s wrong?

Everyone’s right! You can use “fourths,” “fifths,” “circle,” “cycle” — it’s all the same thing!

Why?

Hint: Inversions

Tell me, what’s a fourth up from C?

(The easiest way to answer this is to go four notes up in the C major scale.)

The answer is “F.”

Now, tell me, what’s a fifth down from C?

(The easiest way to answer this is to start at the first tone of the C major scale, “C,” and go down 5 scale notes).

The answer is “F.”

So F is both a fourth and a fifth away from C… it just depends on what direction you’re looking at.

If you take “F+C” (which is a fifth in that order, F is lowest note) and invert it to “C+F,” now you’ve got yourself a fourth. The same thing happens if you take a fourth “G+C” and invert it. “C+G” is a fifth when played in this order. So fourths and fifths are inverses of each other. It’s a fine line!

So if you think of the circle as “fifths,” then going clockwise (from C to G to D and so forth) is like going up 5 notes in the major scale to get to the next note on the circle. Likewise, going counter-clockwise (from C to F to Bb and so on) is like going down 5 notes in the major scale.

If you think of the circle as “fourths,” it’s the opposite. Going clockwise (from C to G to D) is like going down 4 notes in the major scale to get to the next note on the circle. And going counter-clockwise (from C to F to Bb) is like going up 4 notes in the major scale.

Or you can do like most people and look at the circle in a “hybrid” type of way… that is, combining the concepts.

That is to say, “going clockwise is fifths and going counter clockwise is fourths.”

Either way, it all works!

Here’s the important part to remember…

Understanding the circle in the counter clockwise direction will be way more beneficial when it comes to understanding how music flows. Music uses fourths and fifths more commonly than any other interval… yup I said it! Fourths and fifths dominate, hands down!

I say fourths and fifths because, again, “C to F” could be looked at as a fourth… or a fifth (depending on the what? —- yup, the direction you’re going in!)

For your reference, the same thing happens for:

• 3rds and 6ths (going down from C to A is a third but going up from C to A is a sixth).
• 2nds and 7ths (going down from C to B is a second but going up from C to B is a seventh).

These are all inverses of each other.

I hope this post clears the whole “circle” thing up for ya… and then some! :-)

Until next time —