Month: March 2022

Bloviating briefly in b flat major

| guitarbeau
Seems pertinent to the title

video LINKS to B flat major scale on the guitar

Some video’s displaying ‘the sonique spiderweb’ and its utility.

B flat major scale demonstrated at various positions on the fretboard

B flat major chord built from the triad of Root, Major 3rd and Perfect 5th.

C minor chord built from with in the B flat major scale.

bref

NOTE NOTES
So in dealing with the B flat Ionian we can use the sonique spiderweb further by building relative chords found with in the scale.
Most chords have a Root, a 3rd (major or minor) and a 5th.
A triad of 3 pitches, these pitches can repeat with in a chord to give it a fuller sound.
Or …., which also gives the chord a unique flavor.
(you can fill in the blank, I learned recently that leaving something to the imagination is pertinent to the readers expectation whilst digesting information and can more actively engage the mind more than spelling everything out! [this is going to happen some more just so you’re aware, this is a teaching effort after all])
Looking at the sonique spiderweb with the B flat Ionian on display we can see on the outer perimeter the Root Major 3rd and Perfect 5th being displayed
Bb D F
The premier triad.
By following that pattern around the sonique spiderweb we next come to C Eb G
A root pitch C a minor 3rd Eb and a perfect fifth G
Notice how we skip a displayed pitch to get to the 3rd and 5th
The outer perimeter of the web does not indicate these intervals, the relationship of intervals remain static.
Root > m2nd > M2nd > m3rd etc..
It is how we are using them in this context that their definition changes.
Above are a couple of videos demonstrating the chord assembly technique available in the sonique spiderweb as well as fretboard examples.
Your mission should you decide to accept it is to follow the pattern all around and ….?
See I told you you would have to use your imagination.

speaking of imagination

PERFORMANCE NOTES

So I gave my keyboard an erection recently.
Yep raised the stand it sits on so that I have to stand to play it or get a taller stool!
I find it offers a challenge and a way of focusing my thinking, changing up my position that sitting sometimes does not allow.
It is incredibly easy to get caught up in thoughts that are in no way focused on the task at hand, and subsequently distract from said task.
In this case, the practice of an instrument I am determined to get better at.
So changing my position in an effort to gain some focus is helpful.
Also I want to improve my vocals so standing helps with that as well.
To stand or sit whilst playing the guitar is also something to consider.
There are advantages to each.
The closer the guitar is to your chest can make playing certain things easier.
But for looking cool, a guitar slung low off the shoulder while standing really sets a mood, (I wanna rock!)
But that can make some playing techniques difficult to manage.
Take a look at your favorite performers at various points in a performance.
Do their instruments proximity change from time to time depending on the song being performed?
Even while sitting movement can be detected to enable reaching certain portions of a piece practical.
When playing do you watch to pick hand or your fret hand?
What can we learn from this?
What does it tell us we know or don’t know while looking at our instrument?

Close my eyes during practice.
I do this with the keyboard from time to time in hopes of becoming better acquainted with it.
Try to get a feel for where my hands need to be.
I did this whilst jamming with some friends with the guitar recently, but that was more to focus on the sound we were making.
To listen more I shut my eyes to limit sensory input so my brain could process the sound more closely.
With the end goal of getting the song we were playing to sound good!

Merci

Isolating the Ionian

| guitarbeau
Slices of the sonique spiderweb looking for something to do!

B flat Ionian

Finally finished A Ionian and the subsequent modes. Took a little over a year, at this rate, it will take 12 + years to go through all the remaining keys and modes.
I can do this more efficiently. Keep it simple stupid. Why the need to over sell the basics?
It is fairly easy to move the patterns learned in the key of A up one degree, or interval, or fret to arrive at B flat major.

Here is a primer video if you would like to see B Flat Ionian on the fretboard.
That is an easy approach. But to get to a deeper comprehension, and greater familiarity with the fret board.
Understanding the relationships of alphabetic music concepts is necessary.

INNATE VERSUS INANE

For something to be considered innate it should be natural. That is the goal of learning to play an instrument well. Having whatever it takes to play our instrument and make it sound like we want it to sound feel natural.

We want to know the relevance as well as the location of the notes we want to play as innately as possible.
B flat Ionian has an A note directly below it in pitch. This can be used as a leading tone, one that wants to find the next pitch almost as if asking a question, where B flat is the answer.
I used this in my song ‘enchanté’ in the segue to the chorus, where B flat chord variations (and they are varied!) are contrasted with an A note sounded at a time (leading to) in just such away as to ‘ask’ for the B flat resolution.

Using a leading

In another context the A in the case of B flat in a chord is a Major 7th which offers a completely different set of circumstances to explore sounding off about.
Just finger a B flat Major 7th triad can be fun and revelatory! Try these for fun.

B flat Major 7th triads

Or as inanely.

My french dictionary says this word is equivalent to inept stupid, this is not what I intend.
Rather I wish to imply by the use of this word, just letting go of preconceived constraints and seeing what comes of it can be fun.
Sitting down at the keyboard or guitar and letting the mind wander for a moment can be an impetus for new music to come.


Trying to remember to forget that which we don’t know is possible!


Is it possible to let go of preconceived concepts about what makes something sound like music to our selves?
Due to culture and circumstances beyond our control, and certain music being repeated more often than others, a musical DNA is ingrained, so to speak?
Exploring with just the desire to discover what else may come of our musical expression may yield surprising results that have just as much to teach us as comprehension of the basics underlying music theory.

More on that next time.

merci