Work out chords?

Hi,

What is the best way to work out what other chords you can use in your music other than the chords of the key.

I know you can use the relative major/minor etc.

Are there any others that are useful?

The type of music is instrumental rock.

Thank you for your help in advance.

(This forum is great!:D)

Darren.

Absolutely everything :D

If it's rock there are no rules - try any chords at all, go for whichever sound best to you.

If you fancy some new ideas try picking up a textbook on harmony (I'd recommend Walter Piston's) or alternatively delve into jazz theory (I have Mark Levine's 'The Jazz Theory Book' and can testify that it's effing good)

Have fun, and if you come across anything awesome be sure to tell us about it ;)

What's to work out?

You can use them ALL. Depending on the style you may run into to idiomatic limitations... but now-a-days, if you prepare it well, anything is fair game.

Cool thanks for your replies and your help!

I will check out them books.

Thank you.

Darren.

If you fancy some new ideas try picking up a textbook on harmony (I'd recommend Walter Piston's) or alternatively delve into jazz theory (I have Mark Levine's 'The Jazz Theory Book' and can testify that it's effing good)

This Jazz Theory Book that you mention; I have gone and googled it and it looks very interesting. I'd just like to ask something before I decide to buy it. Is this book more for performers or for composers? Do you think I, as an amateur composer with only a basic musical education, would benefit from reading this?

It's for absolutely everyone remotely interested in jazz. I bought it as a composer and not a performer and have gotten much from it, and will continue to do so I expect. Robin recommended it to me, he's a composer and a performer and he said that he still refers to it often. It's packed full of information, and extremely well written.

you can use the dominant of the dominant of the dominant of the dominant, then resolve them one by one. at first the listeners go like: "wtf?" and then they go like; "OH!"

you can use the dominant of the dominant of the dominant of the dominant, then resolve them one by one. at first the listeners go like: "wtf?" and then they go like; "OH!"

That's the 'rhythm changes' bridge. ;) :whistling: Possibly the second most common progression of all time.

Lol, yeah, I was going to say that it's the bridge to damn near everything. Oddly enough, "Perdido" came to mind first for me.

It's for absolutely everyone remotely interested in jazz. I bought it as a composer and not a performer and have gotten much from it, and will continue to do so I expect. Robin recommended it to me, he's a composer and a performer and he said that he still refers to it often. It's packed full of information, and extremely well written.

Thank you. I think I'll have to check it out once I've read up a little more on basic harmony. :)

Most chords in music moves by 4ths and 5ths, this is ubiquitious in everything from classical to rock music. So, you could instead try moving by thirds, which is something a lot of movie composers are doing nowadays.

For instance, if you start on Am, you could go up a major third to C#M or down a minor third to F#M. Both of these options imply many non-key notes while still maintaining the sense of tonality.

Moving by minor seconds or diminished fifths sounds metal-ish, if thats what your going for.

But as everyone has said before, anything is possible.

work out chords....oh

I immediately thought of chords to work out to for some reason...as in at teh gym

so............here, work out to this http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/big-ugly-blues-jazz-orchestra-3803.html

Personally, I'm fond of augmented triads. Major 7ths lead into them surprisingly well. I'm also fond of diatonic chords that sound dissonant such as (in G Major) C, E, G, B, F# or G, C, F#. Another one of my favorites is something like juxtaposing a Eb under a G Major chord. And if you want to go for something (seemingly) harmless, you could combine a D Major and C Major chord. :whistling: