Music Theory

As a beginner I have recently returned to Bass Guitar with a view to getting a small group together when I feel competent again, I used to play in a pop group many years ago, but obviously didn't really know what I was doing, it didn't seem to matter then, but as a more mature person now I want to know how to be a good musician.

I've been inspired by a bass jazz book and CD by Ed Friedland, 'Building Walking Bass lines' by HAL-Leonard publishers.  A chord sequence was introduced based on the cycle of fiths progression, I wondered what key it was in. Since then I've learned about chord centres through you web site, and although I haven't arrived at a full explanation I assume this is a complicated example.

Here is one example F#m7, B7, E7, A7, Dm7, G7 ,Cmaj7, Bm7, E7, Am7, D7, Gm7, C7, Fmaj7.

The second example is Am7, D7, Gmaj7,Gm7, C7, Fmaj7, Fm7, Bb7, EbMaj7, Em7, A7, Dmaj7.

My second topic is about deriving Chords from a Scale. In another book the Blues scale of 1,3b,4,5b,5,7, 8  starting on the root E is given. So the question is in a scale with less than 7 notes excluding  the octave, what chords can be derived, and how is it completed?  I assume that both tiads and 4 & 5 note chords will be applicable which inc. the VII or is it vii, and 9ths?

As a bassist I'm interested in Blues walking bass lines using 1,5 and 7ths and Octaves, but this doesn't apply to all derived chords b7th for instance.  I came across a great web site and program at http://www.microtools.de/gcplus/index.htm which I'd recomend to down load, which tabulates many examples, and which displays chords and scales, and plays them through a choice of instruments.  There are many scales listed which I'd never heard of so if someone can explan how to approach other scales apart from the Major and Minor so I can explore these other types of scales?

So any help in explaining these concept would be welcomed.
BR
MikeB

Hi Mike, these are great questions!

The sequences you list are mostly based on movement of fifths, except a few where I guess they have varied the pattern to arrive at a particular ending chord.

For example, Cmaj7->Bm7 in the first, and Gmaj7->Gm7 or Ebmaj7->Em7 in the second.

With your next question, the Blues scale is one of the few exceptions about related chords and scales, since the melodies will usually include the b3, while the chords are usually major or dominant 7th, and therefore include the 3, not b3.  It's one of the mysteries of the blues and covered in How Music Works at:

http://www.howmusicworks.org/811/Playing-with-Scales/The-Blues-Exception

I haven't used the program you refer to, but from the home page it looks it has a similar focus to ChordWizard, except without many of the features.  Have you explored ChordWizard yet?  You can get a good idea of it from the demo videos at:

http://www.chordwizard.com/video_cwfg.aspx

Happy to continue this discussion, but could you copy and paste these questions into new topics of their own?  Then we can give them the focus they deserve.