Guitar Chord Charts for Music Composers
Guitar chord charts can be a helpful tool for a music composer. The best way that they can help is by outlining exactly what chords need to be played on the guitar. Notes can be played in multiple places on the guitar and this means that chords can be formed in a few different ways. Even though a major chord may be played in a few different voicings, these voicings will produce slightly different sounds. The problem this could pose for a music composer is that if the guitar player plays an unexpected voicing, it could throw off the tonal intentions of the piece.
To fix this potential problem, a composer can include chord charts that show what voicing and what chord to play in an exact manner. This will eliminate any confusion over chord voicings and maintain the intended tonal balance between instruments.
It may not always matter to a music composer where a chord is being played. In jazz compositions, the chords are only names and the player can even improvise where they want to play them and in what rhythm. However, there are times when a composer needs to get across a very specific sound and there is no room for improvisation. These are the times when guitar chord charts come in handy.
If you are a music composer, think about what the purpose is with the piece of music you are crafting, and whether you should allow the guitar player the freedom to choose their own chord placements, at times they should, and at others they should not. It is up to you, the composer, to realize when these times are and use guitar chord charts on your compositions.
November 11 2009 01:56 pm | Guitar Chord Charts