Relationship between Chords and Scales

Subtle-t

New member
Please don't chew me up for asking such an amateur pianist's question but I just got a midi keyboard and I am as new as new gets regarding composing. I have read through plenty of music theory guides and basic guides on notes/chords/scales, but I want to know how chords and scales interact within the same song. Also, what are some common chord progressions used in hip-hop. I searched the forum on this but nothing cleared it up for me. Does anyone have a website that shows piano tablature for hip-hop songs? That may be my easiest way to learn how others compose as far as keys go. Thanks in advance.
:cheers:
 
http://www.apassion4jazz.net/keys.html

All the chords and scales you need.

LOL at piano tabs for Hip-Hop.

Hip-Hop isn't "real" music for that......I hope to change that...that'll be the day, you go to the music store to by Hitz's sheetmusic....HA

But, you'll do better to get the major/minor/pentatonic scales and their different counterparts under your belt, get aquainted with the major/minor chords also, and their counterparts. -5 +9 etc...just to hear the SOUNDS of these chords. Not for the sake of knowing them.

You might recognize some of them from the harmonies people sample in soul music.

No such thing as 'common' progressions in Rap/RnB

If this was Jazz I could tell you Rhythm Changes and Blues, but no.

I can tell you this though, what scale you use is determined by the chord.

You can be in the key of C, but if you have this progression.

Em7/A7/Dm7/G7/CM7

You must change according to what the current root is, meaning when that em7 hits your melody will still be in C, but it will have certain points where you can rest on the corresponding notes of the chord, yeilding for a more 'consonate' sound.

Hope it helps, in a bit of a rush.
 
Subtle-t said:
I have read through plenty of music theory guides and basic guides on notes/chords/scales, but I want to know how chords and scales interact within the same song.
Let me preface this with... Don't stop at Diatonic Theory, or you'll be back on this forum telling everyone how restrictive music thoery is. Diatonic theory is just the beginning. Also, what you're asking is too broad to answer completely in one post. But here's a good start...

Every scale has a set of diatonic chords. And each like scale has the same pattern of chords. A major scale's diatonic chords will always follow this formula: IMaj-iimin-iiimin-IVMaj-VDominant-vimin-viidim. In the key of C: Cmaj-Dmin-Emin-Fmaj-G7-Amin-Bdim, and those chords are diatonic to C major because they are made up exclusively of notes in the C major scale.

Diatonic theory says you can play any C scale note over any of those chords and get a consonant sound. Those same notes are also found in the modes of C major: D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, ect. So, playing D Dorian, for example, over Dmin works the same.

But remember, don't stop at diatonic theory. Feel free to play any note over any chord as long as it delivers a sound you like. Learning how the non-diatonic tones can color your harmony is essential.

Try searching the net for "diatonic chords" and you should find a better explanation of my brief introduction. Once you feel comfortable with diatonic theory, try searching for "chord alterations", "color tones" and "chromatic tones".

Subtle-t said:
Also, what are some common chord progressions used in hip-hop.
I disagree with PlanetHitz on this. I feel chord types are partially responsible for the sound of some genres. The rhythms used when playing those chords play a bigger role, but...

Hip hop samples lot's of old r&b, soul, funk and jazz. R&B, soul & funk are all fairly simplistic, rarely using chords extended past the 9th. Typical r&b & soul chords are: major & minor triads; major & minor 6ths; major, minor & dominant 7ths; major, minor & dominant 9ths.

Funk tends to use a lot of dominant chords: 7ths, 9ths & an occassional 13th.

Jazz uses pretty much every chord, but what makes it really sound like jazz are the alterations and extentions. Jazz musicians tend to use a lot of altered dominant chords: b9ths, #9ths, 7b5, 7#5, ect. And jazz musicians use the larter extentions on a regular basis: major, minor & dominant 1ths & 13ths.

Typical progressions: I-IV(C-F); I-V(C-G7); V-I(G-C); I-IV-V(C-F-G); ii-V-I(Dmin-G7-C); vi-ii-V-I(Amin-Dmin-G7-C). Try the minor version as well: i-iv; i-v; i-V... And try searching the net for "common chord progressions". You'll find these and more.
 
Wow, thanks for the info....looks like I have plenty of reading/studying to look forward to in the near future so that I can put your knowledge to use!
 
Bezo said:
Don't stop at Diatonic Theory, or you'll be back on this forum telling everyone how restrictive music thoery is. Diatonic theory is just the beginning.

I second this, however you will need to learn harmony on a purely diatonic level first and keep progressing from there.

Using the chord sequence that PlanetHitzProduction gave is good, but this involves a little bit of modulation, in that case it was a breif modulation to the supertonic. If you don't understand how this works, then you'll have to start from the beginning.
 
Thanks everyone so far for being helpful. Not too many threads on FP get up to #6 response without some wiseguy telling the thread-starter that his question is stupid (instead of helping him out). Its much appreciated. Keep it comin'!

Terrel, I like your location: "on the internet". lol
 
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what u need is a huge piece of paper(HUGE man!)and a pencil.start by making diatonic chords: C1 with C#1,C1 with D1,C1 with D#1 and so on you ll get 144 jazz chords just for C1 . do it for all 7 notes .Then start making 3onic chords and so on (4onic)and so on .Be carefull though to ease up on this.do one note s chord every day. probably you ll end up in the nuthouse if you re too eager to finish it earlier.Finally you ll have all the chords you can possibly play .By that time you ll feel different about music and yourself .It s a really easy system to learn based on DUAL thinking ,smthing like a computer.
Besides that u can learn about tones (c,d,e,f,g,a,b)and spaces between them(3ds,5ths,7ths) and build up your own chords and play them from different scales.(much more easier but less effective)
 
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