How to determine which (slash) chord to use?

Question

I usually notice the patterns of making chord progressions with defining its root notes. These root notes actually the main notes that I will sing in and from there I can decide to use which chords can be used to accompany my singing. Sometimes it is not a difficult thing because I can find the chords I need by simply using barre chords, but most other times it is not that simple. There are times when I am stuck with no exact chord because I can't find it in major/minor and left me clueless when it comes to slash chords or diminished and all sort of things. So which is the best way to determine the chords I have to use? Especially with slash chords or 7th and other formations beside major and minor.

Answer 1

"Which is the best way to determine the chords I have to use?" That's a loaded question, but let me see if I can give a generalized answer.

1) Know what all your options for chords are in the key you want to write in. I would start by looking up the harmonized major scale chart for that key (not to confused with HARMONIC scales). This chart basically provides you with the list of chords that are pretty much guaranteed to sound good together. Then try looking up the parallel minor chord chart of that key - this gives you an extended list of chords to combine with the first list that all sound good together.

2) Experiment with these different combinations of chords until you come up with an order you like. This is a huge subject, but experimentation can take you a long way. A fun trick for this is to just get a set of gamer's dice with the number of chords you plan on using, and literally "roll the dice" for the next chord change. If it doesn't sound good in context with the chords before and after it, keep rolling until it does!

3) Slash chords are also a huge subject, but a cool trick with using them if you don't have a particular job for them is to choose a bass note you want to work with, and determine (using a list of triads you find online) which chords share that root note in common, and experiment with those chords in your progression with the bass note you chose as your lowest sounding note.

Ex: Root of G - chords with G in it are G(GBD), Gm(GBbD), C(CEG), Em(EGB), Eb(EbGBb), etc.

Hope this helps answer your question and doesn't bring up even more! Chord progressions and writing with them are huge subjects, and asking an open-ended question like that can really open up a can of worms!

Tyson Farmer

www.lessonface.com/TysonFarmer

Answer 2

What you are actually asking here is how to harmonize a melody. The best way to get a grip on this is to study harmony with a tutor or take two years of harmony classes as a music major does in a college music program.

However, I can offer a few thoughts here about what is involved. The chords that work with a melody are the chords that contain the same pitches as melody - so that is a primary consideration. Then there are many traditions about what are called "non-harmonic tones' which are melody notes not contained in the chord but work because they resolve to chord tones in various ways. Then the next consideration is the movement of the baseline. These two things are the main ones that determine what makes a good chord progression...and all of this applies to slash chords, seventh chords, diminished and augmented chords as well as many other kinds of chords. One can develop a sense of doing this "by ear" but it works much better to learn some theory (harmony) and let this speed up what your ear begins to understand.

Let me know if I can answer a question that this brings up.

Stephen