Beginner impro What are the chord symbols for in sheet music

[freddysilk]

I've purchased a few of these books with the CD, and play with just the rhythm section only. I'm still new to this so maybe someone can shed some light on my question.

On top of the bars are the chords above each measure. I play the notes in the measure but as a saxophonist, what is the purpose of those chords, what do you do with those chords (if you do anything with them), and how does that affect improvisation?

I'm just starting out on blues and noticed it but have no idea of what to do with these chords since there are bars with slashes that means for me to 'play in real time'.

 

[tootsweetz]

Hi Freddysilk

It is not my intention to make fun of your question,only to shed some light on the broad scope of it.

It's a little like someone saying "I've started playing football and I was noticing these white lines drawn on the field, is there any purpose to them and how will they affect my game?"

Not a bad question if you really don't know, but the question also sheds light on how much the person really needs to learn.

It is my understanding that the three main components of music are rhythm,melody and harmony. The chords you speak of represent the harmonic structure of the song and I think you already know what the rhythmic and melodic structures are.

In short, the chords refer to what all the multi-note playing instruments are playing,namely the bass,piano and/or guitar. They are also a guideline for you if you know what they mean,
since melody is also derived from the chords.

From a saxophonists *one-note-at-a-time* point of view, they are note *clusters* that you can use in your improvisation.

When you see chords they are actually a shorthand for what the other players are playing. That is why sometimes they are called cheat-sheets because everything is not written out in full like when you see a huge score of music where every note and rhythm is written.

But just like the lines on a football field, they are very important to the game but certainly not everything.

Now that I have written all this,I need to say that your question reveals that you need some music basic theory training to learn what a chord actually is. You can learn this in a community college beginning theory class or you can get one of several great beginning improvisation books. Jamey Aebersolds vol 1. Anyone can improvise is great because it not only has notes and chords to play with the cd but simple and detailed explanations of chord symbols and what they mean and how they relate to scales etc. I learned so much just from not only playing with Aebersold volumes but by reading the text cover to cover and studying his charts and diagrams.

I must add that I am not here to endorse only Aebersold. There are very many other fine educators that have publications.Too many to name here.

Ok, I didn't mean to go on for so long and I usually don't reply since I can't type but I hope you find some answers in this.

You've certainly come to the right place because you will probably find many experts that
are able and willing to give you a better answer than mine.

Good luck
😉

 

[colin_]

Just coming back to your original questions Freddy...forgive me if you know a lot of this stuff already....

The chords are there to assist your improvisation. Most often you will play the written melody (the 'head') and then improvise when the repeat comes around until the very last chorus, when you play the head again. So you don't need to use both the melody and the chords at the same time, unless you want to alter the melody or add little fills in the gaps.

There are practice tips throughout most of those books but (very basically) you will need to learn the notes that make up each chord and practice playing those arpeggios, right up to the ninth and beyond. Then find out what scales fit with each chord and work with those. With all that under your fingers, you can comfortably construct your own improvised lines.

When you see slashes, it just means repeat the previous measure. Whether that be the written melody or the use of the previous chord symbol.

The fun is just beginning! 🙂

 

[Simon]

... yep. The original question can be answered by the Aebersold Handbook I referred to earlier. Trust me, it will answer all your questions re chord symbols, what to practice etc.

You can indeed use the melody and the chords, in fact this is like the step 2 of improvising. Step 1 being - play the tune over n over until you can't get it wrong! There's a false belief that improvising is creating a completely new melody. This would be about step 10.

Simon

Colin wrote:
Just coming back to your original questions Freddy...forgive me if you know a lot of this stuff already....

The chords are there to assist your improvisation. Most often you will play the written melody (the 'head') and then improvise when the repeat comes around until the very last chorus, when you play the head again. So you don't need to use both the melody and the chords at the same time, unless you want to alter the melody or add little fills in the gaps.

There are practice tips throughout most of those books but (very basically) you will need to learn the notes that make up each chord and practice playing those arpeggios, right up to the ninth and beyond. Then find out what scales fit with each chord and work with those. With all that under your fingers, you can comfortably construct your own improvised lines.

When you see slashes, it just means repeat the previous measure. Whether that be the written melody or the use of the previous chord symbol.

The fun is just beginning! 🙂

 

[visionari1]

Yes Freddie, the chords are what will sound good for that bar (with what everyone else is playing) it's quite a jump in technicallity and theory (almost mathematical) so you do need a fair bit of theory to handle chords and there are trick and simple ways of going through the chord changes. In my experience it's not an overnight thing, but once it starts to work for you it feels magic, and is the door to creativity within your music and with others.
Like all great things, it requires persistenace and focus.

Even the most talented players still have to learn the theory

Cheers

Jimu

 

[mick_wilson]

I would just like to add that The chords are also usefullif you dont have backing tracks but have band in a box. this allows you to program the chords in and create a backing track or play along.it also helps you to see the structure of the chords too. But as far as wondering what they wher and how they affect improvisation im not ready for that stage yet just a mere novice.