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Beginner Question On Chords


KevinBradfield

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Whelp, I've had my Elise duet concertina for a few months now, and last week played it with a group of other musicians for the first time! Realized that playing in a group is a heck of a lot different then playing by myself!

 

I have been getting by without chords much, but playing with them really showed that a lot of times, chords would be a great way for my instrument to find a niche in a group setting. So since then, I have been trying to get chords worked into the music I am playing, which is a challenge in itself also! It seems like when I play a chord, lets say a C chord, that if I use all 3 notes, it is a bit overpowering, and uses soo much of my air! I have tried cheating, and using just the root and the 5th, leaving out the third ( so on a C chord, playing the C and the G note only). I find that it sounds good, and I am not overpowering my melody. Is this something that should be avoided, for reason I am not seeing?

 

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I’ve been playing the Hayden system for 30 years, mostly for Morris, Contra, or English Country Dancing. My basic pattern for chords is to play just the root on the downbeat and then either the 5th or the 3rd or both (depending on context) on the backbeats. To get from one chord to another I tend to walk the bass line in parallel 10ths below the melody (i.e., if the melody goes “bcd" I play “GAB" an octave lower with the left hand).

 

Listen to some my entries on youtube or soundcloud.

 

Good luck.

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