root note and chord question

thenewbian

thenewbian

New member
Okay so lets say my song is in Ab when im making chords in that, is it okay for the notes in those chords to not be in Ab as long as the root notes are in Ab?
 
thenewbian said:
Okay so lets say my song is in Ab when im making chords in that, is it okay for the notes in those chords to not be in Ab as long as the root notes are in Ab?
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are you saying you are in Ab major and you want to use any random chords for your progression as long as the root note from the chord is in the Ab major scale... are you asking if that is "okay"?

well, the chord may work... but you would be getting lucky if it does.
 
yes that is what im asking cause im still quite confused on the subject..im just trying to understand how people can make chords that consist of notes that are not in the scale
 
thenewbian said:
Okay so lets say my song is in Ab when im making chords in that, is it okay for the notes in those chords to not be in Ab as long as the root notes are in Ab?
Click to expand...
You can use any chords you like. If it sounds good to YOU, it's OK. And the roots of those non-diatonic chords don't have to be Ab either. Some non-diatonic chords will work, some won't. It depends on what sound you're going for.

By the way, sticking an Ab in the bass of any chord would be considered a slash chord. For example, Eb/Ab would be an Eb chord with an Ab added as the bass note. In this case, the Ab could be used as what they call a pedal tone. Try an Ab - Eb/Ab progression to see if you like the sound. Try it with any diatonic or non-diatonic chord. Also, any note could be used as a pedal tone, but writers usually stick to diatonic tones. The most common pedal tones are the root and 5th.
 
Bezo said:
You can use any chords you like. If it sounds good to YOU, it's OK. And the roots of those non-diatonic chords don't have to be Ab either. Some non-diatonic chords will work, some won't. It depends on what sound you're going for.

By the way, sticking an Ab in the bass of any chord would be considered a slash chord. For example, Eb/Ab would be an Eb chord with an Ab added as the bass note. In this case, the Ab could be used as what they call a pedal tone. Try an Ab - Eb/Ab progression to see if you like the sound. Try it with any diatonic or non-diatonic chord. Also, any note could be used as a pedal tone, but writers usually stick to diatonic tones. The most common pedal tones are the root and 5th.
Click to expand...

Just for clarification of terminology, a "pedal tone" only exists if the tone remains under (or over) a succession of chords.

In a single harmony such as the Eb/Ab you described, the Ab would not be a pedal tone. However, if you had Ab/Ab (which is root position)-> Fm/Ab -> Eb/Ab -> Ab/Ab, then yes, the Ab would be a pedal tone.
 
No_Worries said:
Just for clarification of terminology, a "pedal tone" only exists if the tone remains under (or over) a succession of chords.

In a single harmony such as the Eb/Ab you described, the Ab would not be a pedal tone. However, if you had Ab/Ab (which is root position)-> Fm/Ab -> Eb/Ab -> Ab/Ab, then yes, the Ab would be a pedal tone.
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True.

But I thought I gave a short example... Ab - Eb/Ab. Is that not a succession of chords using an Ab as a pedal tone?

When I mentioned only Eb/Ab, I was giving an example of a slash chord, not a pedal tone.

Edit: Actually, I see how my post could be confusing.
 
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