Hip Hop and Chords

[Whytemic]

If I sample a guitar riff and make a beat with it does it not contain cords?

it really depends if the sample was played with chords or not. if the the sample was played by the original artist and they played the music with chords then it has chords in it and vice versa

 

[Lux]

Dre? Phd in music theory? LMAO!!! And you got this info from......? He didnt even start taking lessons from Mr. Bacarach until around 2004

 

[PRohDusah]

while some may argue about an octave not being a chord since its not a 3+ notes there are alot of songs that use it because it works. it really all depends on the sound you are looking for. i think khaled use chords on all his songs.

 

[EDF]

Just the thread I was looking for.

 

[djpoogie]

Is it just me, or do most composed hip hop have no chords? Ive been wonderin how come I dont hear chords and just now I saw a In Da club remake on warbeats and there was no chords. Isnt a composition musically incorrect with out chords and scales?

Good Evening, playing the chords in the song are not necesarry. Any good Melody created by ear would fit a Chord Progression. So it will still be correct. As long as it sounds musical, break the rules, have fun =) Also I have produce about 100 Techno/Hard House songs between 1995-2009 and had no knowledge of any music theory.

 

[three15mafia]

I figured as much but Dre has a PHD in music theory and is now working with orchestras. Thats more knowledge then most musicians will ever obtain in their entire life. Yet, he didnt use chords on In Da Club.

But he DID you chords on "In Da Club." That's why that beat is so hot. The melody line is:

G - Ab.... F - G.... Ab - G.......

However there is a subtle note although hitting:

C - C.... C - C.... C - C........

AND THEN, you have the bass line moving subtly underneath as well:

Eb - D.... F - Eb.... G - C........


With all of these noted hitting at the same time, you now have chords hitting. And if you really broke it down, these chords outline some complex music theory!

I have always been very impressed with this beat.. def one of my favorites!

P.S. The REAL key signature to that beat is C# minor (or Db minor), but I wrote it in C minor cuz it's easier to follow!

 

[3ternal]

LOL at asking if they use chords, it's like asking if they use drums in music. Of course they do. The point some of you may be missing is that most times you're trying to make it not seem so apparent, CHORD VOICING. Just cause everything isn't a block chord, doesn't mean it isn't a chord.

---------- Post added at 05:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:32 PM ----------

LOL I think a lot of people expect somebody to be like: "Here's how you make music....

....and that's how to be as successful as Dr. Dre now go make them big bucks"

It's not that easy. Realize that musicians (or people who work in music) are as good as they are because THAT IS THEIR JOB. So logically they would spend a good portion of their day practicing, and learning. It's all WORK.

There is no magic bullet, there isn't some sort of secret that everybody's keeping from you.

You're not gonna make good music without putting in work, plain and simple.

 

[Tha-problem]

while some may argue about an octave not being a chord since its not a 3+ notes there are alot of songs that use it because it works. it really all depends on the sound you are looking for. i think khaled use chords on all his songs.

It's not "many argue"... an octave is NOT a chord, it is simply an interval. Generally, most chords consist of 3 notes, however there are exceptions. You can leave out the 5th of a chord an it'll still be considered a chord, but you can't just have 2 tonics (which form an octave). For example, an F minor chord is F, Ab, and C. But it CAN be just F and Ab, and it'll still be considered an F minor chord. But it can't be only F and F, that's just an interval of a perfect octave. There nothing wrong with using perfect octaves, as long as you still a have a basic chord progression going around it.