Building chord progresion around vocals (singing)

DL 92

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WHatsup FP. I recently linked up with a singer and she sent me a few acapellas but the problem is I've never made a beat around vocals so im just curious like how to find what key she is singing in and or does it really matter etc etc. Kind of having trouble here because every progression is sounding good to me.
 
If everything is sounding good then I don't see what the problem is. Is it that you're not confident that your backing is right? Or is it that you will be happier knowing what you are doing. :-)))

This is a great way of composing though and I certainly would want to "wing it" and just go with what sounded good.

EP
 
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Hey man I play keys. In most cases that I've been in where i had to play around vocals, I find that if it sounds good to me and it fits with the vocals, the singer is gonna like it. Most of the time they don't even know the difference between what chords or progressions you use! lol As long as everything fits and sounds good. I tend to like when almost everything progression sounds good because it means I have flexibility with what I want to do. I hope that makes sense....
 
I do alot of remixes man and one thing that I've learned along the way is that, the feel of the track and the chords you us has an effect on the overall feel. If it's a happy song then use a happy chord but if you like what ur doing to it then roll cause your ear will tell you who you are musically when working fresh like that. I envy your opportunity cause If I've never heard the song before I can do what I feel and it always seems to land nicely with the listener. It's like hearing a new record. Good luck and remember man, STUDY LONG, STUDY WRONG...
 
casualobsrvr said:
Have you taken it to the bridge?

Take it to the bridge to know which progression is best.
Ahhh...I'm not sure what u mean by this. A bridge in a song can sound quite different in comparison to the chorus and verses of the song. I like to change the music up a lil when i get to the bridge. For example, I wrote and produced a song that was in minor for the most part until it gets to the chorus where it switches to the relative major. And if I used the same chord progression from the bridge in the verses or chorus, it wouldn't fit as well.
 
do you man... If you need help send the joints to me and I'll do something you can build off of if you need a reference...
 
aclintjr said:
Ahhh...I'm not sure what u mean by this. A bridge in a song can sound quite different in comparison to the chorus and verses of the song. I like to change the music up a lil when i get to the bridge. For example, I wrote and produced a song that was in minor for the most part until it gets to the chorus where it switches to the relative major. And if I used the same chord progression from the bridge in the verses or chorus, it wouldn't fit as well.

Ok, well... All I can say is, for me, the best bridge, verse, chorus, combo just depends on the bridge's contrast for whatever sound you want. To help change it up(other than maybe a new rhythm) I look for any note, or two, I haven't played yet(passing tones excluded), then find the appropriate scale, and then develop the bridge's progression from that. It doesn't have to be the relative minor, or major 5th ( I like progressions that come from exotic scales for a change). In fact IMO, no chord even in the verse or chorus is exempt from having an outside note from another scale.

So I was just suggesting to include some more modulation for contrast to help you decide what progression is best, whether you use those modulation possibilities in the final mix or not.
 
musically, if you know what key the song is in then coming up with a chord progression is pretty simple.

once you know what key you are in and the chords that are availiable for that key then using your ear to find the correct cadence and progression is the best way to go.

once you find the key of the song there are "only" 7 chord types (i.e. I ii, iii, etc) to choose from.

but then again, there are those who would prefer going around the corner to go next door...
 
This is probably the most fun way to make stuff, as long as the singer is in tune (or auto-tuned!) But man, you can play anything. There are millions of different possible combinations. It all comes down to personal preference. You can do something simple, something more complicated with some gospel sideslipping, you can take it way out and write some counterlines to her melodies, you can find a common tone to use and build all chords around that chord....etc etc etc, the possibilities are endless. This is where originality and the creative process emerge.
 
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