| Wouldn't it be nice if you could predict which chord | | | | or your child. It might be your cousin down the street -- |
| would probably come next in a song? | | | | there's a much better chance of that than, say, Mel |
| I've got some good news for you. | | | | Gibson -- but my best odds would be to guess that |
| It is possible. Not 100%, but somewhere on the order | | | | the family members would be there. It's the same way |
| of 75% to 85% accurate. | | | | with chords. In any given key, there are 3 "family |
| That's because music has FORM -- like the skeleton | | | | members" that are residents of that key -- the I chord, |
| that holds your flesh, muscles, and skin up. If you had | | | | the IV chord, and the V chord. They are far and away |
| no bones -- no skeleton -- your flesh and all the other | | | | the most likely chords to occur in any given key. |
| parts of you would fall in a heap on the floor. Not a | | | | For example, if I am playing in the Key of C, and the |
| pretty picture. But because you DO have a skeleton, | | | | first chord is the C chord and I have to guess what |
| you are able to walk around and pretty accurately | | | | the next chord is, I would guess that it would be either |
| predict which way your next step will take you. | | | | the F chord or the G chord. Why? Because those are |
| It's the same in music. Music has FORM -- a skeleton | | | | the other "family members". So we have narrowed |
| to hold it up, hold it together. And that skeleton is made | | | | the odds a great deal just by knowing who the |
| out of chords -- harmony -- the tonal center of the | | | | members of the family are. |
| song or piece. | | | | So how could I tell whether it should be F or G? If the |
| In any given key you can play in, there are PRIMARY | | | | melody is a "B", then the chord is probably a G chord. |
| CHORDS -- chords that occur way more than other | | | | Why? Because "B" is in the G chord, but is not in the F |
| chords. They are like family members of that particular | | | | chord. |
| key. | | | | If the melody is a "A", than I would guess that the |
| At your house, let's say you have 3 people in your | | | | chord is F. Why? Because "A" is in the F chord, but is |
| family -- your spouse, your child, and you. On the same | | | | not in the G chord. |
| block, but down the street a few houses, lives your | | | | Does that mean that there are always just 3 chords in |
| cousin and her family. At any given moment, who are | | | | a song? |
| the most likely people to be in your house? | | | | No, but there are literally hundreds of songs that are |
| Steve Martin? John McCain? Barry Bonds? | | | | made of just 3 chords. |
| I don't think so. | | | | What if there are more than 3 chords in a song? |
| It's possible, of course, but not too likely. If I had to | | | | What then? |
| guess, I would say it would be either you, your spouse, | | | | We'll take that up in part 2 of this series of articles. |