Hey Friend,

Yesterday I mentioned that one tool a songwriter might use to move a melody in a direction is to place notes over chords that sound uncomfortable.

Let’s say the topic is something uncomfortable or painful, like a breakup. The melody notes could be played over a chord that makes them sound forced or in conflict.

For example, listen again to the intervals over C major MP3. The notes are the C major scale, and when you hear the major third and perfect fifth systems, the sound is comfortable, like the notes fit. 

This is because the C major triad is made from combining the tonic, major third and perfect fifth notes to create the chord. But listen to the systems with the perfect fourth, major sixth and major seventh.

There’s some dissonance (conflict) there in how the notes sound over the chord. This is what I mean by placing a melodic note over a chord that creates some tension. The note clearly doesn’t sound like it fits with the chord, so our brain tells us something isn’t quite right.

Listen to the C major scale played over the D minor chord again. Can you hear how the major second, perfect fourth and major sixth notes fit well with the Dm, but the others introduce that tension again? 

The D minor triad uses the notes D, F and A.

Again, the notes are still part of the key of C major, so they fit, but a C note doesn’t sit as well when played over Dm as it does when it’s over C.

Does that make sense? 

It’s not just lyrics that a songwriter can use to tell us what’s happening in a song. They use chords and melodies to tell the story as well. 

When you begin to understand how songwriters use these subtle tools to set the emotional mood within a song, music becomes a lot more interesting. Most people use music as background noise without giving it much thought.

But when you can recognize there’s more to it than a clever lyric or a catchy beat, it will help your musicianship. You’ll start hearing the underlying guitar tracks that fill a song out and catch your ear.

You’ll hear things you never heard before, even in songs you’ve listen to a hundred times before.

Listen to your favorite song again and try to hear those sub-tracks (I’ll call them that for lack of a better word). 

Alright, time to go get ready for the j.o.b. Rock on!

Peace~

Dave