Understanding Chord Changes

After you have a solid grasp of rhythmic diversity, now it's time to start on those pesky letters, numbers, and symbols above a solo section.

I like to start with the simplest elements first and get comfortable with that element before adding more. So, let's start at the beginning.

Let's look at a potentially complicated chord:

Ok, first things first, I picked the letter C since there are no sharps or flats in the key of C we have to worry about.

Now, before you freak out, the first step is to eliminate all numbers and symbols. We're stripping the chord down to its most basic component. So the above chord with no decoration looks like this:

So, bye-bye to the 7, b9, and #11, we'll look at those later. Whatever letter is written is known as the root of the chord. You can use this pitch on your instrument to make a melody. Now, most people can handle a single pitch and tire of doing only that quickly.

There is a formula to devise another usable pitch along with the printed letter. The steps to the formula are:

1. Write the musical alphabet out. (A B C D E F G)


2. Whatever letter is written as the root, give it the number 1.
   
   



3. Now, assign numbers to the other letters as you go forward until you get to the number 5.
   
   



4. For now, the only numbers you can use, again until you get more comforatble, is 1 and 5.
   

So, for a beginner improvising on a C chord, you can use C and G and you'll never sound like you're playing a wrong note. The next step will be covered in a later post.