Help with Ted Greene chord progressions

[frankhond]

This is maybe a question for Tim Lerch... but any insights are welcome.

I got the Ted Greene chord progression book after working through Matt Warnock's study guide for I Fall In Love Too Easily. There are six types of 2-5's in that song, and Matt presents several kind of drop2 and rootless comps that just totally blew my noob mind. Rather than jumping around to hit the chord shapes, the 2-5's here change mostly by moving one or two fingers, or one chord shape that changes function by shifting it a few frets... and it sounds "right", very pianistic like those quick chord licks one hears behind Miles on any record... and there are alterations and extension but it's all very simple and obvious.

I got inspired and suspect there are more of those in the Ted Greene book but just opening it makes me want to close it again.

Is there a progression to the madness? Did Ted sequence those in a special way? Or is there a curated list? A course? Tim or Matt or anybody?

[hohoho]

Hohoho!
Ted writes some about this on page 26 ("Look Mabel this guy Greene's gone crazy..."), just before the SHORT I vi ii V's section

[dot75]

Free to download, written by one of Ted's students...it may help.

Trail Guide to CHORD CHEMISTRY
Your Essential Road Map to Understanding Ted Greene’s Book
LEON WHITE

[frankhond]

Sorry if I was unclear, the book I'm referring to is "Modern Chord Progressions for the Guitar" by Ted Greene. I'm looking at the trail guide now, thanks for the tip! But it mainly refers to the chord chemistry book and doesn't really address my issue.

[frankhond]

Hohoho!
Ted writes some about this on page 26 ("Look Mabel this guy Greene's gone crazy..."), just before the SHORT I vi ii V's section

=) he does indeed. He's gone crazy and I need help....

[jameslovestal]

From Chord Chemistry I learned these inversions:

minor 7 = Major 6 based on the b3; E.g. Cm7 = Eb 6

major 6 = minor7 based on the 6; E.g. C6 = Am7

minor 7b5 = minor 6 based on b3; E.g. Cm7b5 = Eb minor 6

minor 6 = m7b5 based on 6; E.g. Cm6 = Am7b5

*****
Major 7th and Dom 7th 4 note voicings don't 'convert' to straight forward chords due to the placement of the half-step intervals. (e.g. one ends up with chords with both 5 and #5, or 1 and b2, etc..).

If there are other 4 note chord 'conversions' (that end up making straight forward chords), please let me know.

[TLerch]

I love MCP its a very great book. I would play thru only a page at a time in the early sections of the book. Ted seems to organize the examples melodically as well as harmonically. Meaning there will be many examples on a page that have basically the same chords but the melodic content is different for each one. I think that you should just sample the simpler pages and make a note of any example that perks up your ears, then focus on the favorites. If something gives you trouble make a note of it an try it again later. Its hard to keep it all straight at first but after a while you'll see the way its organized.
all the best
tim

[wolflen]

It does take some study to realize that there is a "method" to the way Ted constructs progressions..its NOT random

pay attention to the Bass and Treble first ..are they going in the same direction or contrary motion ..then what are the inner voices doing..moving with each other or again in contrary motiion..
how are they moving with the bass and treble notes.

play one voice at a time..then two..and so on..then mix and match so to speak...
most likely there is a melodic phrase in the treble line..see if you can find one in each different progression

some of Teds short four chord progressions do some or all the above..and can be "connected' with other progressions...
if the progression is just a ii7 - V7 ..the next example may be the same ii7 - V7 but will compliment the first and the same may also happen in reverse..

In watching Ted play he is "connecting" alot of progressions like the examples in his books ..using inversions and wide voicings and experimenting with the voices in the chords
as he told me once..."...chords are just melody notes that have stopped for a second.."

when you have found a nice melodic progression in the book ..move it through several keys and positions and experiment with the inversions and any harmonic devices you may know.
flat-fives..cycle of fifths/fourths..and so on..see if you can use it with a tune or progression you already know

keep stretching your ears