http://andrymi.com/community/ Andrymi, a collection of music nerds Topic: ways to avoid musical stagnation.... en Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:08:49 +0000 http://andrymi.com/community/topic/ways-to-avoid-musical-stagnation#post-477 Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:09:41 +0000 Steelbones 477@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>Here's a similar idea to changing the key.<br /> Change the key voicing.<br /> Say you've got a song in E minor, the third note of an E-min scale will be a G. So transpose all your Es to Gs, then transpose all the other chords/notes in the sequence to the third of what they were before.<br /> Technically you're still playing in the same key but you're re-voicing that key to it's own third. And don't do it to the whole song, change the verse but not the chorus, or vice versa. It really works. And then you can try the same idea with 5ths or 4ths, whatever.</p> <p>A very simple idea for power chord based songs also works using thirds.<br /> Standard power chords are just root+5th, so try them as root+3rd, and again don't change all the chords, just change a few, see what you like.</p> <p>Finally there's a little thing I do that I call "unresolving 3rds", (that's my name for it, although I'm sure it has another).<br /> Any given root note has it's corresponding 3rd within the scale, that 3rd will either be natural or flatted. Root plus natural 3rd tends to sound major, and flats tend towards minor.<br /> So ignore what the correct 3rd should be and play the other one.<br /> You might think it'll sound out of key, but as long as you don't have any conflicting notes playing at the same time, it might technically be out of key, but it won't sound out of key.<br /> You can try this idea with other note relationships but the root+3rd relationship is by and large the strongest.</p> <p>And one rhythmic idea you can try is to change the emphasis of the beat.<br /> You can play the same 4-4 beat 4 different ways, ie: one-2-3-4=emphasis is on the one, 1-two-3-4=emphasis is on the two, and so on.<br /> This idea works really clearly when alternating between damped and open picking, ie: open one-damped 2-3-4, or damped 1-open two-damped 3-4, and so on.</p> <p>Anyone else? </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/ways-to-avoid-musical-stagnation#post-475 Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:21:31 +0000 Breakfastime 475@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>henry, your birthday post got me to thinking about musically feeling 'stuck'...</p> <p>Good ways to avoid musical stagnation? I mean besides learning new songs?</p> <p>How's about:</p> <p>1) playing songs you know in different keys? This is a GREAT way to tickle your brain and make your fingers 'think' a little harder. Try it! C'mon...pick a key, any key...how about a flat key? I dare you!</p> <p>2) play a song you know with a different rhythm. Just heard a great SKA version of Ellington's "Caravan" and it kicked my ass! Try a different rhythmic feel...go ahead...try that favorite song in waltz time...i dare ya!</p> <p>3)learn to playe the melody of your favorite song! You already know the chords, right? How about the melody? Can you play tyhe melody on guitar? Once you get THAT...then strip the chords down to just the bass notes...and try playing the melody with a simple bassline accompaniment...c'mon! you already know how it SHOULD sound...work with it!</p> <p>Okay, what else? Anybody got any other suggestions? </p>