The rules of music

[herodotus]

What is that chord the chimp's making?


It is a theory thread after all.

It´s a B#+u-sh chord ...

Have you ever heard that chord played through 100 watts of feedbacking solid state distortion?











Actually, I wrote a song that featured the standard fingerings of E minor, G, C, and D all played one fret up, just like george's G.

It was called: 'The Wretching' (sic) .

[AndreasE]

Have you ever heard that chord played through 100 watts of feedbacking solid state distortion?

Yes, I believe it was an open air concert in Iraq ...

[Topiness]

Seems there's still a few advocates of the 'just use infinite monkeys' school of thought. Although I've never even been able to afford a single one...

[TVD]

When I was doing my music GCSE exam at school, We were always being told about 'the rules of music'... like, use contrary rather than parallel motion... try to minimise jumps in the pitch of individual instruments... modulate from this key to another via this chord when you go to this section, and so on.

I was frustrated as it seemed that these rules, and even the concepts they were based on, did not relate at all to the music I liked (well, i just thought they were a load of crap). Eventually I realised that these weren't 'the rules of music' - but they were the method by which you produced 18th centuary classical music. And that music from different times, styles, and places all had different 'rules'...


There was a guy called Fux, who wrote down a lot of detailed rules in his 'Gradus ad Parnassum' - e.g.

- From on PERFECT consonance to another PERFECT consonance must proceed in contrary or oblique motion.

- ‘Fa’ leads up / ‘Mi’ leads down – adjust Fa by # if
movement ascends.

etc....


He was talking about the specifics of what made good melodic / harmonic movement, to his ear. and there are the oblique strategies by Eno...

- Convert a melodic element into a rhythmic element

- Discover the recipes you are using and abandon them

- Don't stress one thing more than another


So, does anyone else find that following rules can be useful, maybe when inspiration fails to strike, or when collaborating with someone else? Or do you just load up some instruments, hit some notes and see where it takes you?

Cheeuz
T

Music Theory is just that......

A THEORY!

As long as you know ALL of the 3 & 4 note chords AND at least your Major, Minor, & Blues scales (by ear), you'll be OK.

[mystahr]

As long as you know ALL of the 3 & 4 note chords AND at least your Major, Minor, & Blues scales (by ear), you'll be OK.

I'm doomed then

[Meffy]

THE RULES OF MUSIC:
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I once owned an infinite monkey. Cost too much to feed.

[james0tucson]

What is that chord the chimp's making?



It is a theory thread after all.

Is it tuned in open-D?

[james0tucson]

What is that chord the chimp's making?



It is a theory thread after all.

If it's in Nashville-style open-D, that's an F Major chord. Now, I'll be the first one to call out soon-to-be-former President Bush for his ignorance, etc., but, I wouldn't assume what everyone else seems to, from this photo.

[james0tucson]

Actually, I wrote a song that featured the standard fingerings of E minor, G, C, and D all played one fret up, just like george's G.

It was called: 'The Wretching' (sic) .

Not to be the devil's advocate or anything, but if that guitar is tuned in open-D, he's fingering an F-Major in a way that would allow articulations for F-Maj7 and F-Sus2 or 4.

This photo might not be the embarrassment it appears to be, at all. (Although I admit, it probably is.)

By law, the guitar has to stay at the White House when he leaves. It will be nice to hear President Willie Nelson play it.