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Guitar Tutorial

Songwriting - Chromatic Movement

Instructor: Al Joseph
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Level: Beginner
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  • Instructor: Al Joseph Level: Beginner Topic: Theory Style: Rock

    Excerpt: This month we're going to talk about one of my most used songwriting devices. Plainly speaking, when writting music I like to take a common chord progression and spice it up a bit. In this video, I explain how you can take an ordinary chord progression and move the bass in half steps to pull new chords from nowhere. Just by using your ears, you can constru...

    Media Length: 3:07

  • Instructor: Al Joseph Level: Beginner Topic: Theory Style: Rock

    Excerpt: Functional Harmony is simply creating a chord from every note in the key. For instance, you have C major. C-D-E-F-G-A-B. C Major - C-E-G D minor - D-A-F E minor - E-G-B F Major - F-A-C G Major - G-B-D A minor - A-C-E B diminished - B-D-F The point is to be able to hear this automatically. This awareness will help you discern which chord qualities are...

    Media Length: 3:20

  • Instructor: Al Joseph Level: Beginner Topic: Theory Style: Rock

    Excerpt: In Examples 1-3, we have this base chord progession: Dm - Am - C - G - F ---> Dm However, in this Example 3, we'll play the above progression then move our third chord C Major up a half step and finish the progession as closely to the original as possible. Then do the same in the opposite direction... Remember not to over think this. Yes there is theory...

    Media Length: 3:15

  • Instructor: Al Joseph Level: Beginner Topic: Theory Style: Rock

    Excerpt: In Examples 1-3, we have this base chord progession: Dm - Am - C - G - F ---> Dm However, in this Example 3, we'll play the above progression then move our third chord C Major up a half step and finish the progession as closely to the original as possible. Then do the same in the opposite direction... Remember not to over think this. Yes there is theory...

    Media Length: 2:24

  • Instructor: Al Joseph Level: Beginner Topic: Theory Style: Rock

    Excerpt: In Examples 1-3, we have this base chord progession: Dm - Am - C - G - F ---> Dm However, in this Example 3, we'll play the above progression then move our third chord C Major up a half step and finish the progession as closely to the original as possible. Then do the same in the opposite direction... Remember not to over think this. Yes there is theory...

    Media Length: 4:15