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Hi Active Melody family!
It’s September, 2024 Site Member Challenge time!
For this month’s challenge, I wanted to use a suggestion from site member, “Jeff”. He recommended that I provide some chords and essentially see what everyone does with that set of chords. No limitation on tempo, style, etc, the only limitation is adhering to the provided chords. I like these types of challenges because it keeps it interesting to see what everyone comes up with!
The chords are: A minor, D minor, G, and E – OR, as alternative, you could do A minor, D minor, G, and C (just changing that last chord to a C). Be sure to use them in that order!
You can do anything you want with those chords – rhythm, lead, combination, solo composition, lead over a jam track, fast, slow, blues, rock, death metal, etc. ok, maybe no death metal.
The submission date for this challenge will be Sunday, October 6 – you can start submitting Friday, October 4
**If you need assistance with how to record yourself and post to the forum see this post**
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GROUND RULES FOR PARTICIPATION:
1. Post your Youtube, Vimeo, or Soundcloud links of you playing your chosen lesson anytime between Friday, October 4, through Sunday, October 6, 10:00 pm CST. Please do not submit earlier. I think it is fun to see everyone’s posts at once.
2. Submit individually in the “Active Melody Member Challenge Response Submissions” forum. Title your posts “September 2024 Challenge Response – [Your AM Screen Name]”
3. Please submit only a single video or audio file for this challenge.
4. Have fun and don’t be intimidated by these challenges!!! Use these challenges to help you set goals and complete them by a deadline. You can also use this as an opportunity to chat with your fellow Active Melody members and share tips or tricks on this challenge that you think are useful.
5. In my opinion, it is better to show progress versus perfection with these challenges. So if you are a beginner and can only play the first couple of measures. That is completely ok. If you play two more measures of the next challenge piece than you did the previous one, you are on track to getting better. This is what these challenges are about…you learning guitar and getting better. Remember we are all here to support you no matter what your current playing level is.
I look forward to seeing everyone’s posts! 🙂
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Brian didn’t specify the chords need to be in any certain order…🙃
Joe
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge -
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In the video he talks about a fixed chord progression in a minor key but in the description he talks about a set of four chords which we can do anything we like with. I’m hoping the latter is OK, I think forcing everyone to stick to the same chord sequence would result in a lot of mediocre and boring compositions. We need some room to move around in and get creative.
Jonathan Amos, Matsuyama, Japan
The farther one travels the less one knows.
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If this is A minor scale chord progression the E should be Em. I just played it as an E major and it sounds OK. I prefer the C major.
A-Minor Scale Progression / Sequence:
A-Minor B-Diminished C-Major D-Minor E-Minor F-Major G-Major
It’s a 1, 4, 5, 7 progression as I’m seeing it. If you play it as a C instead of E it’s perhaps a 1, 3, 4, 7 progression.
Not sure this make any sense but I was just trying to figure out what is being asked. I’m thinking you don’t need to play this progression only in one sequence but mix it up as you see fit, otherwise as someone said it will be very boring if everyone plays the same progression.
Mr. Larry
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C should work as the relative major if Am. So you’ve got Am to Dm (being the minor v of G), then G which is the V of C, then switch back to minor.
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If this is A minor scale chord progression the E should be Em. I just played it as an E major and it sounds OK. I prefer the C major.
A-Minor Scale Progression / Sequence:
A-Minor B-Diminished C-Major D-Minor E-Minor F-Major G-Major
It’s a 1, 4, 5, 7 progression as I’m seeing it. If you play it as a C instead of E it’s perhaps a 1, 3, 4, 7 progression.
The chord on the fifth degree of a minor scale is minor only for the natural minor scale.
In tonal music, minor keys usually use a major (seventh) chord on the fifth scale degree; in the A minor key that means E7 instead of Em7.
The reason for this is that in the V7 -> i (E7 -> Am) cadence is much preferred over the v7 -> i (Em7 -> Am) cadence.In order to be able to play a V7 instead of a v7, the 7th degree of the scale needs to be raised by a semitone; this turns the natural minor scale into the harmonic minor scale: A B C D E F G# A.
Melodically, G# -> A is also much stronger than G -> A.If you stick to the natural minor scale, you get a modal feel (Aeolian in this case); if you do, it is a good idea to enforce the bVII chord (G in this case).
Songs in minor keys are often ambiguous and mix several harmonic environments (natural, harmonic, melodic, …).
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I take it back…I just listened again and he said this was a chord progression so I guess they should be kept in the order he gave.
He did say combination though, which i take that the chords can be in any order? Or am i wrong?
Byron
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It’s a slippery slope for you after all that gain in the August challenge! 🤘
Who me? Naww! Cant be me lol.
Byron
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I take it back…I just listened again and he said this was a chord progression so I guess they should be kept in the order he gave.
He did say combination though, which i take that the chords can be in any order? Or am i wrong?
Ok i just read what you said, its gotta be in that order! Gotcha! Even though 2 minor chords in a sequence Blah! Lol.
Byron
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Ok i just read what you said, its gotta be in that order! Gotcha! Even though 2 minor chords in a sequence Blah! Lol.
There must be a billion pieces and songs out there with that chord progression! You should probably listen again…
It’s just a minor i – iv – V progression, the esquivaient of a major I – IV – V. -
I’m intrigued and also baffled by the confusion over the next Challenge criteria. Brian said, “those are the progressions’ If someone in your band shouted “the next number’s in Am, Dm, G, & E”
Would you then consider playing those chords in any other sequence? You’d get some funny looks from the rest of your band members if you did.
I rest my case m’Lord
Richard
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Ok i just read what you said, its gotta be in that order! Gotcha! Even though 2 minor chords in a sequence Blah! Lol.
There must be a billion pieces and songs out there with that chord progression! You should probably listen again…
It’s just a minor i – iv – V progression, the esquivaient of a major I – IV – V.True!! Im glad its all summed up now though!
Byron
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Am I the only one feeling like this is an ‘odd’ chord progression? Not making any sense to me.
JH
Nope I agree as well!
Byron
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After careful consideration, consultation and experimentation, the chord progression makes better sense.
Playing the A minor-D minor-G maj-Bsus-C maj-works nicely.
I just added the Bsus before the C major and it serves as a nice passing chord right into the C major. Or, you can walk into the C with a simple B note; amongst other things. I think this is going to work.John H.
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After careful consideration, consultation and experimentation, the chord progression makes better sense.
Playing the A minor-D minor-G maj-Bsus-C maj-works nicely.
I just added the Bsus before the C major and it serves as a nice passing chord right into the C major. Or, you can walk into the C with a simple B note; amongst other things. I think this is going to work.John H.
I really don’t understand why you guys have such a problem!
The progression
|Am – – – |Dm – – – |G – – – |C – – – |
|Am – – – |Dm – – – | … etc…
is a simple |vi – – – |ii – – – |V – – – |I – – – | in C major… There is no better chord to resolve to C than G(7) – which already contains a B note, by the way.Granted, the chord progression doesn’t start with the tonic chord. But there are millions of songs, jazz and classical pieces that don’t start with the tonic chord!
Playing
|Am – – – |Dm – – – |G – – – |E(7) – – – |
|Am – – – |Dm – – – | …etc…
is an equally straightforward |i – – – |iv – – – |bVII – – – |V(7) – – – | progression in A minor (which does start on the tonic chord).What is it that trips you off?
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I think my problem was how it sounded when playing Am – Dm – G – E without using 7 chords. It just sounded much different than what I prefer. You can apply whatever theory you like but if it doesn’t sound good…😊
I did however make it work with some 7 chords and arpeggiation and think it sounds pretty good.
Joe
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge -
Agreed. Both Am-Dm-G-E and Am-Dm-G-C work fine in the key of Am… in fact they go well together. Besides, restraints like this provide a fertile environment for creativity. Gotta think outside the box when stuck inside the fence.
Being new, I’d thought to sit out these challenges for a while, but I may just give this a shot…
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