General Music Chat

Say your chord is a 1-3-5.

1st inversion is 3-5-1.

2nd inversion is 5-1-3.

3rd inversion I don't understand.
Has to be a 4 note chord, right?

Something like (1-3-5), 8-3-5-1?

Is that it?

I was playing in unison/harmony last night and it sounded great but I don't know what the interval was in the end. I have to dissect it so I can figure out what went well and what is wrong.

The bionic ear is great but it can hinder you if you are trying to understand exactly what is being played. The tendency is to play something that sounds good and move on to the next slice of music to be created.

I also have questions about the common intervals for harmony.
Unison is always an octave up or down, as far as I know.

Anyone have any great info>?

PS: I have no idea what a dyad or a tritone has to do with it but it all sounds lovely.
..

the 3rd inversion would be
Major 7,1,3,5
the 8th is the octave and would not an inversion.
you could not have the 8th in the bass and still be an 8th

the 4th inversion would be
Major 7,1,3,5
the 8th is the octave and would not an inversion.
you could not have the 8th in the bass and still be an 8th

Wouldn't adding the 7th (or adding any other note outside of 1, 3, 5) change the harmonic quality of the original major chord (now the chord is a 7th chord)? It's been a long time since I read up on this.

Say your chord is a 1-3-5.

1st inversion is 3-5-1.

2nd inversion is 5-1-3.

3rd inversion I don't understand.
Has to be a 4 note chord, right?

Something like (1-3-5), 8-3-5-1?

Is that it?

I was playing in unison/harmony last night and it sounded great but I don't know what the interval was in the end. I have to dissect it so I can figure out what went well and what is wrong.

The bionic ear is great but it can hinder you if you are trying to understand exactly what is being played. The tendency is to play something that sounds good and move on to the next slice of music to be created.

I also have questions about the common intervals for harmony.
Unison is always an octave up or down, as far as I know.

Anyone have any great info>?

PS: I have no idea what a dyad or a tritone has to do with it but it all sounds lovely.
..

Chords with an added 7th will allow you the possibility for a 3rd inversion.

hope that helps

It's true that the 3rd inversion is not typical and not everyone agrees that it is actually a classification. mostly because it crosses over into what is normally classified as voicing.
but it can be used as an inversion if your dedicated to the phrase

It's true that the 3rd inversion is not typical and not everyone agrees that it is actually a classification. mostly because it crosses over into what is normally classified as voicing.
but it can be used as an inversion if your dedicated to the phrase

Thank you, this is exactly what I was trying to convey.

Scott, if you add another note to your major chord, this will allow you to explore more possibilities with harmony. Depending on your goal, you can carefully pick which interval will fit your 1, 3, 5. The added note should resolve to the root you want to imply.

the 4th inversion would be
Major 7,1,3,5
the 8th is the octave and would not an inversion.
you could not have the 8th in the bass and still be an 8th

Wouldn't adding the 7th (or adding any other note outside of 1, 3, 5) change the harmonic quality of the original major chord (now the chord is a 7th chord)? It's been a long time since I read up on this.

+1
Adding a 7th changes the chord structure to a 7th chord and is not considered a standard inversion of a major triad. This site is pretty good basic theory for guitar:
http://www.guitar-theory-in-depth.com/g ... chart.html

Awesome musical info thread thus far..


Ok, while we are on the subject, "what are the common intervals for harmony"?

In comparison to the 1, Tonic or root note?

Is it a 3rd? A 5th? Which are popular?

I have heard a 5th added to whatever is played, sounds like Metallica.
(ecch)

I am also trying to think of a good way to get a doubled vocal track.
What I want is just the octave up or down on whatever the vocal track is.
(as non-complicated as possible) lo

The most common way to create vocal harmonies is to simply pull from the chord structure you are using. A 3 part harmony over a major triad would be 1-3-5. A three part harmony over a minor 7th chord (1-b3-5-b7) might be 1-b3-5 or 1- b3- b7.

Some bands have created a signature sound by staying closely with parallel harmonic intervals (Grand Funk). Others like The Beatles used more sophisticated melodies with more variety in their vocal harmonies.

The most common way to create vocal harmonies is to simply pull from the chord structure you are using. A 3 part harmony over a major triad would be 1-3-5. A three part harmony over a minor 7th chord (1-b3-5-b7) might be 1-b3-5 or 1- b3- b7.

Some bands have created a signature sound by staying closely with parallel harmonic intervals (Grand Funk). Others like The Beatles used more sophisticated melodies with more variety in their vocal harmonies.

Oh crap I've got nonstandard harmonies running around in my music.

And they are so off and strange, they are really more like a "voicing" so I need to stay true to during said piece because it's so strange.

(Gee ever feel like you just over-complicated something in an effort to demystify it? Oh crap, where that TUMS>?)

These kinds of things are much easier to do and understand when you can look at them

I would recommend a program like finale
or of course you could just use staff paper.

The most common intervals for harmony seem to be the 3rd, 4th, or 6th - and I'd say that the 3rd or the 6th are probably the most common.
The 5th does get used in modern music, but it was considered blasphemously wrong back in classical musics glory years.

A diad is just two note harmony, like the good 'ol heavy metal power chord. Root, plus 5th. But you can spicen things up by using Root plus 3rd, Root plus minor 3rd, Root plus 4th.
You can invert diads too.

Also, you can use what some refer to ass 'Progressive power chords'. You take the Root, the 5th, add any extension note that works for you. It involves string damping or sting muting because you only want the three notes.
In this way you can get the color of a full on extended chord, that is still usable in a high gainsetting - because you are limiting it to 3 notes.

You want blasphemy?

How about the "devil's tritone?" Go six halfsetps - like B to F. Has sinister sort of sound that reputedly was banned by the church back in the day.

Talbot

Chord inversion from what I?ve been able to ascertain can be achieved by using the C.A.G.E.D. system which allows to move down the fret board maintaining the same finger shape used to let?s say to play a C major chord at the top of the neck or right after the head nut.

Because playing the C major chord in that position you?ll end up pressing 3 strings and 2 open when moving the same fingers shape down the neck let?s say 2 frets you?ll have to replace the head nut with the index finger to bar all the 6 strings to act as head nut, this will give a D major chord, following the intervals of a major scale as moving down the fret board with the same shape will allow you to play the C,D,E,F,G,A B, chord at the 12th fret which will be one of the C major chord inversion.

Try now the A major chord by pressing the D, G and B stings at the 2th fret then again maintaining the same shape move down 2 frets after barring all the stings with your index and you?ll have a B major, after B comes C major which will be another C. chord inversion.

The rest of the C major inversion can be found by using the chords named in the system and it also true for minor chords as well.

There are variations in inverted chords like the 7th often used as a passing chord when passing from one chord to another or when following a melody, there are other cases I?m sure where variations of inversion are used depending on the voicing chosen by a player for a particular melody, Hotel California by the Eagles intro is an example of chords inversion and variations.

C.A.G.E.D. = C major, A major, G major, E major, D major, this system allows to find the inversions of all of them.