I might as well have slapped you all in the face.

Why? You asked some questions and we answered them.

:laughing: I was just kidding about how I referred to the second position as the first, comparing it to slapping you all in the face, as if it was as bad of a thing to do.

:laughing: Okay I obviously missed the whole context!

Hello! So I sort of am trying my hand at songwriting, and was wondering if someone could explain something to me. I know how to create a basic melody, but I dont think I exactly explain counter melodies. Is it just a different progression in the key ? Or do they have guidelines? Sorry if I sound like an idiot haha...

From Wikipedia:

"In music, counter-melody (often countermelody) is a sequence of notes, perceived as a melody, written to be played simultaneously with a more prominent lead melody. Typically a counter-melody performs a subordinate role"



Simply put what this means is that countermelody is a line of melody that is played along with some sort of main phrase, and serves to emphasise it rather than overshadowing it.

Listen to this:

Jeff Wayne war of the worlds - eve of the war - YouTube

You can hear the synth plays the main melody. UNDERNEATH that you can hear strings playing a long descending run, then those strings come BACK up in pitch, and play a melody slightly different to the synth line, that complements the synth line without being the main focus of attention.

That is counter melody. To my knowledge there isn't a theoretical method to working with it apart from the same theory you would use to create the first melody. Its just layering it so that it works with itself.

Look up something called Counterpoint. It's a study and a method of writing a contrasting melody. There are rules and regulations that produce pleasing results when followed. There are rights and wrongs, and though you may break the rules to your own liking (cuz it's your music, right?), there're a lot of good sets of skills to be learned through this subject matter.

Cheers.

I have a question.

Is there any limit to chord patterns?

For example, the common progression I, IV, V. Are there any rules to which chords you can combine? Or can you randomly just pick a pattern like I, IV, VI, II, etc?

Good question man. I'll give you three versions of progressions, and then an overall summary.

I. Standard
http://www.electricchili.com/wp-cont....-20-08.47.jpg

This is a fav pic of mine. This gives a roadmap of possibilities for 'normal' progressions, with a little bit of personal option allowed.
The * means that the I chord can go to anything.

II. The Circle
Another way is by the circle of 5ths progression - I V ii iv iii viii* IV I, or the other way with I IV vii* iii iv ii V I.

III. Contemporary
The third is a more contemporary form with chords called Chromatic Mediants.

Chromatic mediants are two chords of the same quality (both Major or both minor for example).
The roots of the chords must be related by a distance of a minor third or a Major third, up or down.
Here's an example:

A Major can go to-
- F# Major - a minor third down.
- F Major - a Major third down.
- C Major - a minor third up.
- C# Major - a Major third up.

Enharmonic spellings are fine (A major can go to Db Major, for example).

If you do a chromatic mediant, but change the quality of the chords, (A major to c minor for example), it's called a 'doubly chromatic mediant'.

IV. Summary
Finally, it doesn't really matter WHAT you do. Music is what you want it to be. Make up your own system, lest you'll sound like everyone else. These progressions I've mentioned are popular for two reasons - they sound good, and they're used very very very often. If you do something new that sounds good TO YOU, then run with it. And then other people will be tuning their ears to your sounds and dig 'em too.

Something of a theory question -

How do I take an approach to sight reading and intuitive understanding of traditional scores, without it being a terrible chore? As a guitarist, traditional notation is all-but uneccessary, but I intend on picking up saxophone at some time in future, and I already own a (terrible) violin.

How do I make sight reading interesting and fun to learn?