Welcome to our forum. A Message To Our New and Prospective Members . Check out our Forum Rules. Lets keep this forum an enjoyable place to visit.
Check out our 2023 Group Christmas Project HERE
Log In
Register
Home
Topic RSS
(2 votes) 
Regulars
Offline
Found this site that does a good job with real-time visuals for chord progressions (piano, guitar) for pop songs. Has other useful information like "cheat sheets" for scales, popular chords, chord progressions, etc.,
Examples of Fleetwood Mac's Gypsy here:
https://www.hooktheory.com/the.....-mac/gypsy
and F Major Cheat Sheet:
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
Regulars
Offline
I think one of the best ways to learn chord progressions, is to buy a bands song book with chord boxes. Some of the best books are ones which have lots of tunes in from different bands, like the busker books. I learned guitar myself in a couple of weeks from a book with bob dylans songs and chord boxes, that was about 40 years ago, I had a friend who was a guitarist and I asked him to teach me, he threw me the dylan book, said put your fingers on the strings were it shows you to in the boxes, and listen to the record. I learned all the scales using the box system and memorised them, which isnt to hard as when you know one shape you know the shape for the other keys. I had a friend who was a very well known guitarist who didnt know a note of music, seriously not making this up, and many times I watched him listen to a complicated piece of rock music and immediately play it back.
Or just use ultimate guitar, click on a chord and it shows the finger placement in a chord box.
But each to their own;)
Regulars
Offline
@stringy I think you’re right--I think using what enables you to visualize it best is what you should use. I can see that having played guitar for a long time makes it more second nature to see it in the guitar’s box system.
I used to visualize notes on a keyboard until I played violin for a while; now I see it (in my mind’s eye) on the violin fingerboard. However, with something like a chord progression, I still imagine a keyboard to visualize the intervals.
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
Regulars
Offline
I've used Hook Theory Cheat Sheets a lot & try to mention it whenever I can, because it's a great place to try out modes/scales, their chords & some common progessions - and HEAR them.
There's also another place, ChordU.
If you sign in, you can access more advanced chord progressions & features. Even the guitar chord boxes give the letter notes to each chord, but there's piano & other instruments to chose. Whether simple or more advanced chords are chosen, they are heard played with the tune recording in real time - so play along!
You can search for almost any tune & have progressions generated. See notes, download PDF, Midi - even edit & more!
I've enjoyed using both.
Regulars
Offline
Hey Gang,
I've read some of the comments in this topic and I'm looking for the simplest way to add a harmony part to an existing song.
I know you can add 3rds or 5ths either up or down or any part of the chord for whatever the current measure dictates, but is there any software that makes the process simple? I've played guitar and some keyboard so I know chord theory, but I'm looking for the simple (lazy) way to do it.
Also, is there a good free music notation software program out there so I can write it? @SharonC?????
Thanks for any advice.
Grandpa
Violin ---- the most human of all instruments
Regulars
Offline
I like starting wuth the main melody then ill play chord backing track and then just improvise harmonny or 2nd part.. try that for a bit.. youll know and hear what sounds good. it wont to everybody.. we all have our own taste but usually we are close. start sparse... a note here or there and build on it.
its kind of like playing to your own backing track..
maye not what youre looking for but an idea ive done and seems to work and be enjoyable.
Regulars
Offline
Grandpafiddle said
Hey Gang,I've read some of the comments in this topic and I'm looking for the simplest way to add a harmony part to an existing song.
I know you can add 3rds or 5ths either up or down or any part of the chord for whatever the current measure dictates, but is there any software that makes the process simple? I've played guitar and some keyboard so I know chord theory, but I'm looking for the simple (lazy) way to do it.
Also, is there a good free music notation software program out there so I can write it? @SharonC?????
Thanks for any advice.
Grandpa
@Grandpafiddle I don't know of any software that makes it simple. What Abitrusty suggests above makes sense.
As far as notation software, I use Musescore, and when I do (along with actually playing it), it is a bit trial & error 
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
1 Guest(s)
Mouse
ELCBK
