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Lesson 10: Chord progression

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There is two score as a set for lesson 10.

Playing melody with chord while beseline is one note. Plus 2 supplimentary scores of video.
Eash set costs you US$3.50.
Or you can buy the whole set of scores that are quoted in this video series for only US$27.50.

Scores may be diturbing if you are just to tease around with lessons though, they are quite helpful if you really are wishing to acquire the essence of Jazz Piano. Besides it is measley $27.50, right? Click whichever the button so that you can watch video with scores on your side.

Scores for Lesson 10

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Lesson 10: Chord Progression Explained

<Confirmation>
Have you tried to play Score 9c? Have you tried to create your own improvisation using blues scale integrated? How have you enjoyed the videos that I have sent you the URLs? If you feel like it, you would send me your comment to my email (tokyoblue@infoseek.jp)

<Some basic knowledge on chord progression is essential for your improvisation.>
At lesson 4, I gave you three chord progressions. If you check each of them closely, you could have found that the chord were assigned following to the melody line.

This is one of the principles that you are to follow when you consider the chord progression.

AT the same time you have learned that every key has associated with three primary chords. For the case of C major, they are chord C, F, and G.
You have learned that those primary chords cover all notes in the scale of C major. So you have no problem to play each note of melody with chord.

But then, when you assign a chord for note of G, you may wonder which of the chord C or chord G should be used. (This can be said about the note C that is included in both of chord F and C)
To decide which way to go, you need to perform split test, designating yourself as the examiner.

I have prepared score 10, as an example. As you see on the score, the lower clef has only one note to the melody line. Yes, these notes compose of bass line. We will stick to the initial note of the chord as the bass line. The initial note is the note that represents name of the chord. I play C for the chord C, F for the chord F and G for the chord G.

Doing this way, the characteristics of each chord can be clearer to hear.

The selection of chord G or C: You can assign which ever you'd like to the 3rd and 4th notes of the 1st bar. I have assigned chord C to the first bar of all scores I have supplied. But I put G for same notes with score 10. Do you hear anything awkward? I don't think so.
Let's check the 5th bar :: . I have assigned chord G there except score 3. With score 3, I started out with chord C though, it changes to G at the 3rd note of the bar.
I'd like you to hear the difference between those two.

By assigning chord G for the 5th bar to 8th bar, I wanted to develop melody further. With chord G at the 5th bar, it sounds that the 5th bar and on is the continuation of the first 4 bars of the melody.

But if I start the 5th bar with chord C instead, it sounds like the 5th bar start to present new theme thereby destructing the continuation of the melody coming from the first 4 bars. Then it is not right for the bars sitting at the middle of a tune.

Compare these play by listening to this. I play 3rd bars to 6th bars.
1. At 1st: melody with single tones. (Play it yourself)
2. Now with putting chord C at the beginning of 5th bar :: Refer to score 10b:: Try by yourself as well.
3. This is my recommendation that is to put chord G at the beginning of 5th bar. :: Refer to score 10c :: Try by yourself as well.
  
  If you play putting chord C to the 5th bar, it sounds like new melody starting out. But having G there, you are up in the air and running to somewhere not knowing the resolution as yet. Yes, the first thing is how you or any other people feel about the melody line. Try it putting C all of the bars in the middle 4 bars. It is boring isn't it?
Then theory comes in to tell you that if you wish to develop a melody, you are not supposed to use tonic chord but to use the subdominant or dominant chord. Subdominant is chord F and Dominant is chord G with C major.
Improvisation with minor scale:: Now we have to cover how the other chords comes in to the improvisation. At lesson 7, I said that you can use all black keys as far as you are using black keys as passing notes to the neighboring white keys. In this case, you have nothing to worry. You can keep the original chord since black keys will resolve to white key soon.

For the case of lesson 8(minor key), I am using Ab as the melody line with Fm (you read this as F minor. Cm is called as C minor and so forth) chord attached. Fm is the tonic chord for F minor key and nothing to to with C major key. This chord has been assigned from following the bass line.
I wanted keep the flow of bass line smooth. then I feel right to use F as the base line. The problem was that I wanted to show you that you can use minor scale integrated into major melody as improvisation. Then I have no choice but to use a chord of C-F-Ab combined, chord of F minor.
The chord can be named other than Fm:: If you focus on Ab, it can be called as Ab6. F being the 6th note from Ab, and C being the third note. If you focus on C, it can be C13+. Both chords are supplemental and we cannot go there straight like Fm does. Otherwise it doesn't sound right for trained ear.

Another idea is to use C+ which compose of C-E-G#. With this chord you can keep bass note at C but you need to resolve to F as the next chord and which doesn't sound right. You can try and listen to it.

To sum up, there are two things to consider when you build chord progression.

How you are to develop the melody line. Are you closing or developing melody line?
How you are to develop your bass line. Do you intend to abrupt change or smooth transition of bass line?

In relation to item #1 the melody development, you have to be careful to the predefined role of the primary three chords. That is;
Tonic chord (chord C for C major) suggests the closing or starting of melody
Subdominant chord(F) suggests the development of melody expecting dominant chord(G) following to it.
Dominant chord(G) suggests that the resolution is coming up or if you assign subdominant(F) following it, then it suggest further development of the melody line.

This discussion can be no ends. To understand or to tell the functional harmony from ground up, you need to be a student at music school. I put them based upon how you feel the flow of music. This could be the easiest for people who doesn't have time for the theory. It is like theory of Golf swing. The point is how you can stay at the center of swing arc. Likewise, the point is which of the sound you like.

<References>

<Assignment>
Practice as much chord combination as possible. And find out if your chord progression sounds any better than the original chord progression.

<Additional Note>
As the guide line, I have attached Score 10. For your practice, you can refer to the chords assigned to score 10. At first, you may change chord C to G, then the other way around G to C. You can try to change chord F to C as well. And find out how the chord change effects on the melody line development.

Note: If you assign "b" or "#" to a certain note, that is effective to all notes at same position in the bar. Check the note "A" in the second bar. It is designated to be "b"(read as "FLAT". You use black key here) at the first "A". Then the second note of "A" should be read as having "b" attached. You play two "Ab"(read as "A flat") in a row in this bar. Same thing is said to "E" of next bar. You read as you see two "Eb" continue.