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I'm not sure this should go here since it isn't my original clip, but it's such a useful video I wanted to link to it to help everyone out. This post is geared toward the intermediate rock guitarist.
Robby Barnby is a virtuoso YouTube jazz guitarist. He does one of the best explanations of the tonic/dominant diminished scale I have ever seen.
That said, you do need to have your theory together before you watch it because he moves very fast through the material.
In rock and metal we often call it whole/half or half/whole diminished scale. There is a circumstance for using each. In rock and metal we usually shift down 1/2 step from the root and play minor third runs up the scale without a real, fuller understanding of what we are doing. Diminished chords are usually used between diatonic chords in a progression, usually 1/2 step up or down, to create tension and movement to the next chord.
I learned a lot of things here, namely the relationship between diminished chords and dominant 7th chords as a way to strengthen tension and resolution. You can also use diminished chords as a way to change keys since you can change your root note in the diminished chord to take the song in another direction. I think of diminished chords like traffic roundabouts--you get on when you want and get off where you want.
Half-diminished is more difficult for me to use unless it is diatonic. In my own work I often like to move half diminished chords chromatically down to full diminished chords by lowering the b7 to bb7, although I don't think this is correct as far as traditional jazz/fusion practice.
The Barnby video shows why rock guitarists should learn chords not as shapes but as relationships. Take a shape and be able to identify what the chord is as the root note changes. It isn't enough just to say 1st/2nd/3rd inversion or a slash chord. Jens Larsen's jazz videos are good for teaching this too. The point is to eventually develop solid reharmonization and improvisation skills.
As for what a reharm is, here is an example using 16 bit Legend of Zelda music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys0zXG_sZ4Y
Until one masters all this, there is the plugin Scaler, which suggests alternate voicings/inversions/progressions and even entire reharmonizations as an aid to songwriting. If we need AI in the music industry as an assistant and not as a replacement, it is through something like Scaler, which becomes a musical thesaurus of sorts during the songwriting process.
For me in metal this is all a way to escape the ubiquitous descending E minor/Andalusian cadence.
It's not as hard as it seems once you understand more basic concepts and can build up to higher level content. Theory is often compared to math, yet I hate higher mathematics but love music theory. I just wish I had a better understanding of Bach-ian counterpoint. Fux's "Gradus ad Parnassum" doesn't make much sense in a modern context.
If all this sets you down the path to discover your inner Holdsworth, keep in mind he had his own system of understanding the fretboard that was even more complex than traditional theory: https://youtu.be/wts2Mw6Nb5s
Anyway, hope this helps. If this is not the right forum for this post please feel free to move it. I just hope it helps break everyone out of rock guitar clichés.
Robby Barnby is a virtuoso YouTube jazz guitarist. He does one of the best explanations of the tonic/dominant diminished scale I have ever seen.
That said, you do need to have your theory together before you watch it because he moves very fast through the material.
In rock and metal we often call it whole/half or half/whole diminished scale. There is a circumstance for using each. In rock and metal we usually shift down 1/2 step from the root and play minor third runs up the scale without a real, fuller understanding of what we are doing. Diminished chords are usually used between diatonic chords in a progression, usually 1/2 step up or down, to create tension and movement to the next chord.
I learned a lot of things here, namely the relationship between diminished chords and dominant 7th chords as a way to strengthen tension and resolution. You can also use diminished chords as a way to change keys since you can change your root note in the diminished chord to take the song in another direction. I think of diminished chords like traffic roundabouts--you get on when you want and get off where you want.
Half-diminished is more difficult for me to use unless it is diatonic. In my own work I often like to move half diminished chords chromatically down to full diminished chords by lowering the b7 to bb7, although I don't think this is correct as far as traditional jazz/fusion practice.
The Barnby video shows why rock guitarists should learn chords not as shapes but as relationships. Take a shape and be able to identify what the chord is as the root note changes. It isn't enough just to say 1st/2nd/3rd inversion or a slash chord. Jens Larsen's jazz videos are good for teaching this too. The point is to eventually develop solid reharmonization and improvisation skills.
As for what a reharm is, here is an example using 16 bit Legend of Zelda music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys0zXG_sZ4Y
Until one masters all this, there is the plugin Scaler, which suggests alternate voicings/inversions/progressions and even entire reharmonizations as an aid to songwriting. If we need AI in the music industry as an assistant and not as a replacement, it is through something like Scaler, which becomes a musical thesaurus of sorts during the songwriting process.
For me in metal this is all a way to escape the ubiquitous descending E minor/Andalusian cadence.
It's not as hard as it seems once you understand more basic concepts and can build up to higher level content. Theory is often compared to math, yet I hate higher mathematics but love music theory. I just wish I had a better understanding of Bach-ian counterpoint. Fux's "Gradus ad Parnassum" doesn't make much sense in a modern context.
If all this sets you down the path to discover your inner Holdsworth, keep in mind he had his own system of understanding the fretboard that was even more complex than traditional theory: https://youtu.be/wts2Mw6Nb5s
Anyway, hope this helps. If this is not the right forum for this post please feel free to move it. I just hope it helps break everyone out of rock guitar clichés.
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