thebowl
Tele-Meister
This board always seems to have good discussion of theory. I got my first guitar in the 60s, but I have only in the past decade or so begun to focus on musical theory. I am so glad that I got around to this. I get so much more pleasure from my playing.
Recently I have been spending a lot of time (first thing in the morning, quality time) on a set of lessons by Jens Larsen, whose stuff I really enjoy. The jist of the lessons is to learn Take the A Train. The chords, the melody, the arpeggios, the scales, all at or around the eigth position. I am far enough into it to work out my own soloing lines, which is such a huge milestone.
This morning's epiphany had to do with the third, specifically in Cmaj7, which is the key of the tune. The third obviously establishes a chord as major or minor. And I have learned that the third and the seventh are arguably the two most important tones, after the root. All basic stuff, no? But what hit me today is that the third can be THE resolution of a line of melody. It has finality all its own, in the key. It doesn't cry out for a resolution, like a 5th (which sort of demands it) or even a 9th (which asks politely, but firmly). You can end your journey at the third, with no open question about the key. I am now wondering if, for purposes of soloing, it may not be more useful than the root, if only because it IS different from the root note.
Recently I have been spending a lot of time (first thing in the morning, quality time) on a set of lessons by Jens Larsen, whose stuff I really enjoy. The jist of the lessons is to learn Take the A Train. The chords, the melody, the arpeggios, the scales, all at or around the eigth position. I am far enough into it to work out my own soloing lines, which is such a huge milestone.
This morning's epiphany had to do with the third, specifically in Cmaj7, which is the key of the tune. The third obviously establishes a chord as major or minor. And I have learned that the third and the seventh are arguably the two most important tones, after the root. All basic stuff, no? But what hit me today is that the third can be THE resolution of a line of melody. It has finality all its own, in the key. It doesn't cry out for a resolution, like a 5th (which sort of demands it) or even a 9th (which asks politely, but firmly). You can end your journey at the third, with no open question about the key. I am now wondering if, for purposes of soloing, it may not be more useful than the root, if only because it IS different from the root note.
