Here I am going to use my creative knowledge of music theory to write songs that rock the listener. I am going to use 2 music theory principles for this. They are using chords from Major Scales and the Cycle of 5ths.
They are both explained in the following factsheets so if you don’t already know them have a look at the factsheets listed.
What are Chords and Why do I Need them.
The Cycle of 5ths Explained.
Look at the first factsheet, and we will find that every Major Scale produce 3 Major chords, 3 Minor chords and a single Minor b5 chord. For now, we use the Major and Minor chords.
For example –
G Major produces – G Major, A Minor, B Minor, C Major, D Minor, E Minor.
Go to the Cycle of 5ths diagram and find G Major we will see that the Scale before it, on the circle, is C Major. Similarly, the Scale after it is D Major.
These 2 Scales are called RELATED SCALES, because they share a lot of similar notes and chords. Below I will break it down. The Chords in bold are shared.
G Major produces – G Major, A Minor, B Minor, C Major, D Major, E Minor.
C Major produces – C Major, D Minor, E Minor, F Major, G Major, A Minor.
G Major produces – G Major, A Minor, B Minor, C Major, D Major, E Minor.
D Major produces – D Major, E Minor, F# Minor, G Major, A Major, B Minor.
Going through this process we can add the following chords to the chords of G Major to give more interest and colour to the songs –
D Minor, F Major, F# Minor and A Major.
Because adding these chords is not normally found in contemporary music it adds surprise and interest. But a disclaimer would be to use them sparingly and for a reason. Lastly, have them between the main chords of G Major.
For example – G Major – A Major – D Major – C Major.
Or – G Major – F Major – C Major – D Major.
You can also use the Minor Chords in the same way.
I will talk more about this in later posts.
All Things Musical. 