Anybody use the Goodchord Voice Leading Books?

[e_del]

Enrico,

While your tool can play these notes with ease, few people can.
These are all variants of 1,3,5,7 physically speaking.
Some voicings are playable on some string sets, on some upper frets by some people.

One trick that works at times is to displace the bass note down an octave

C X X E F B is more possible to play than X X C E F B

Of course I do not want to get into the breaking/splitting work...
My idea is to present at least one or two (almost) playable alternatives for each voicing and variant...
Any other configuration is possible, using the left side selector and manually setting the wanted note on the wanted string...
A bit complicated, maybe, but that's the best compromise I found, and after all it's not that cumbersome... hopefully

[e_del]

Hello everybody,

necessity is the mother of invention, and I'm happy to share this:

Chord cycles for guitar online app


If you use it, PLEASE, report some feedback comment (maybe in PM or on the facebook page, to avoid cluttering this forum...)

Beware! I still consider it "beta version" so expect some light (or not-so-light) changes in the future...
there is no instruction manual, and I set up a facebook page in case you need support: Chord cycles for guitar | Facebook



one side note:
It's made with and for computer screen in mind, and I'm aware that more and more people are using tablets and cell phones, I tried repeatedly to find an easy and cheap way to build an android/iOS app, but didn't find one.
The safest way to get this is to hire some professional firm/developer, and after that, there are annual fees to pay for inserting the app in the Play Store /Apple Store, ecc...
My intention is not to sell the app and make money with it, but I don't want spend money just for the glory either...
I was considering some kind of crowdfunding... but I don't know how much it would be appealing in the real world...
What do you think?
... anyway, enjoy! And take the time to like and say hello on the facebook page...

e_del

[jockster]

Hi, this is great - many thanks. Would it be possible to display the chord name for us beginner's, many thanks, si

[e_del]

Hi, this is great - many thanks. Would it be possible to display the chord name for us beginner's, many thanks, si

You're welcome.
Actually the chord name is meaningful only for 135 triads and 1357 tetrads...
I have to find a way to insert the chord names somewhere, in a way that's not too intrusive...

But it's on the todo list

[studiotan]

e_del, thank you for your time and effort on this app, looks great!

[e_del]

Update: just added a "flip table" button, to display the notes in the same top-down order of the fretboard ones...

What do you think should be the default? (Leave a comment in the facebook support page, if you will...)

[e_del]

An update about the cycle application...
I noticed just now that for cycles 4 and 5 only the voice pattern developes only half of the voicings, and repeats itself after the middle point...




weird, but seems nothing is wrong...
But don't worry, the missing voicings can to be manually set using the dropdowns on the left of the fretboard.

[zirenius]

Hey everybody,

I happened to get a hold of extra copies of all three volumes with annotations that belonged to a teacher of mine. Thus, my copies are up for sale. Anybody interested? I'd love for them to sell as a set. Vol. 1 has been used a lot and thus shows signs of use. The other ones have not been taken out of the house too often. I put my name in them, but other than that, all are complete and should find a nice new home.

the books are located in Germany and thus, a deal in the EU would be highly preferable with regards to shipping.

Asking 150€ plus shipping, which is what I paid for the set. I do not wish go make extra oney and I'd love for these books to find a g ood new home and see daily use!

sebastian

[TH]

I'm working on the process of getting Chuck Sher publishers to republish the almanac volumes through Sher. If you've worked with the books and/or believe they've got value that would be worth Sher's efforts, feel free to contact Chuck directly at
shermuse@sonic.net
and voice your thoughts. He's got several people looking over the material but the testimonials of those who've actually unlocked their potential could make the difference between yea or neigh on Chuck's decision. I've always trusted and admired Sher publishing and it is my hope that he will pick these up, and they'd thereby be available indefinitely.
Their material does take a certain inquiring mind and discipline, if only to accept a new vocabulary of voicing chords over changes. That's why personal experience can speak in a way the intimidating format alone can't.

Thanks
David

Hello to all the kind people, who showed interest in my Goodchord books. Unfortunately, all volumes have been sold!

Thank you again,
Sebastian

This refers to his personal copies. In Goodchord inventory, volume 2 is completely sold out. Literally a handful of 1 and 3 can be bought, then it's up to Sher or another publisher.
Do feel free to PM me. Past PM's have somehow been purged from the inbox of my account here, so feel free to contact me anew. I apologize for any correspondance lost in that process; I wasn't even aware of it until I looked up old orders and couldn't find them.
Volume 1
Volume 2
Factorial Rhythms

Thanks

[studiotan]

Email sent to Chuck Sher, best of luck with this project David.

I'm working on the process of getting Chuck Sher publishers to republish the almanac volumes through Sher. If you've worked with the books and/or believe they've got value that would be worth Sher's efforts, feel free to contact Chuck directly at
shermuse@sonic.net
and voice your thoughts.

[driskel]

I have also sent a note to Chuck Sher about publishing this body of work. I made the request for hard and kindle copies.

[TH]

Goodchord enthusiasts, I have something to discuss with you. I'm trying to present this material to Chuck Sher publishers and I've run into some interesting issues.
For long, we've recognized the potential in this material, everything from re-envisioning the way we choose chords to the re-hearing the way we get from chord A to chord B.
Up until now, it's been a task that is the realm of the inquiring mind and the unique player that has been up for the challenge of connecting sound and linear movement in what can only be called a "reframing of harmony". That's what the almanacs do for me anyway.

It's come to my attention that from a publisher's point of view, this gap between "Untapped harmonic/melodic material in a reference book form" and "How can I understand and use this off the bat?" is a bit of an intimidating one.

So I'd like to get some ideas from you.
Do you have any stories or anecdotes that show how you are breaking through this wall?
Would you be willing to share, in video or written form how you play a cycle, and then apply it to or within a song form? (Ex: play cycle 4 melodic minor by itself ending on the V7 chord and superimpose that on the middle section of Stella...)
Can you share some application of this material in a compositional situation?
Are there ways you wind up combining chord family groups or cycles in ways that are not strictly "from the book"? (Ex: I regularly combine melodic minor chords with diatonic chord cycles and the mixture automatically creates "tension" and "resolution" situations from chord to chord.)
Has the use of this material changed the way you hear? (I move internal voices a lot more now)
Is the notational system used intimidating or even prohibiting? Would an intermediary publication of notationally more conventional examples or a "primer" on the cycles written with standard or even TAB applications ( only for one specific example to allow an easier interface) be useful?

Any ideas would be welcome. Throw your thoughts on this thread. It may wind up being a website where your contributions are acknowledged and credited, maybe a book we all contribute to, something else. The goal is to lower the perceived "wall of impossibility or incomprehensibility" that even some seasoned players/authors have seen as an impediment to working with Goodchord material.

Thanks ahead of time for your thoughts. Exciting times!
David

[JakeAcci]

Goodchord enthusiasts, I have something to discuss with you. I'm trying to present this material to Chuck Sher publishers and I've run into some interesting issues.
For long, we've recognized the potential in this material, everything from re-envisioning the way we choose chords to the re-hearing the way we get from chord A to chord B.
Up until now, it's been a task that is the realm of the inquiring mind and the unique player that has been up for the challenge of connecting sound and linear movement in what can only be called a "reframing of harmony". That's what the almanacs do for me anyway.

It's come to my attention that from a publisher's point of view, this gap between "Untapped harmonic/melodic material in a reference book form" and "How can I understand and use this off the bat?" is a bit of an intimidating one.

So I'd like to get some ideas from you.
Do you have any stories or anecdotes that show how you are breaking through this wall?
Would you be willing to share, in video or written form how you play a cycle, and then apply it to or within a song form? (Ex: play cycle 4 melodic minor by itself ending on the V7 chord and superimpose that on the middle section of Stella...)
Can you share some application of this material in a compositional situation?
Are there ways you wind up combining chord family groups or cycles in ways that are not strictly "from the book"? (Ex: I regularly combine melodic minor chords with diatonic chord cycles and the mixture automatically creates "tension" and "resolution" situations from chord to chord.)
Has the use of this material changed the way you hear? (I move internal voices a lot more now)
Is the notational system used intimidating or even prohibiting? Would an intermediary publication of notationally more conventional examples or a "primer" on the cycles written with standard or even TAB applications ( only for one specific example to allow an easier interface) be useful?

Any ideas would be welcome. Throw your thoughts on this thread. It may wind up being a website where your contributions are acknowledged and credited, maybe a book we all contribute to, something else. The goal is to lower the perceived "wall of impossibility or incomprehensibility" that even some seasoned players/authors have seen as an impediment to working with Goodchord material.

Thanks ahead of time for your thoughts. Exciting times!
David

David I feel like I could say and write quite a lot answering these questions and how valuable the books have been for my playing, conception of the guitar, and teaching but honestly the labor of editing such a long stream of thoughts is intimidating and I wouldn't even know to pin point what is most essential or what the publishers would be after.

Knowing myself, I could answer these questions via video but I'd find it difficult to keep the video both short and also pack the punch. But I would be happy to make a video going line by line from your above questionnaire, guitar in hand, with examples, and post it as an unlisted video on youtube so anybody could check it out with the link.

Let me know if that would be useful.

[JakeAcci]

also, e_del, the app is really great! I know it is not finished yet but it's very cool to be able to just plug things in like that - saves some effort for sure.

Question, why do you have the the note names in the chords upside down?

in standard notation and in mick's books, the chords are listed from low to high in pitch and placement on the page.

[e_del]

also, e_del, the app is really great! I know it is not finished yet but it's very cool to be able to just plug things in like that - saves some effort for sure.Question, why do you have the the note names in the chords upside down?in standard notation and in mick's books, the chords are listed from low to high in pitch and placement on the page.

have you seen the latest version?

Chord Cycles for Guitar 1.1

It still has its flaws, but I think is usable... I'm working on a derived version less cycles-oriented, useful to display custom pre-prepared sequences, so I don't know if the current cycles app will further evolve, apart some bugfix if they happen...I develop these things when I have the burst of enthusiasm and the time to do it... (feeling guilty for not practicing ).
I'll keep you informed.

[e_del]

Question, why do you have the the note names in the chords upside down?

in standard notation and in mick's books, the chords are listed from low to high in pitch and placement on the page.

I added a "flip table" button for that 'issue'.

[bako]

Enrico,

Haven't been at your page for awhile. You've done amazing work.
It's fun to play along with the app.
I like having a robot practice partner to work on some technical things like this.
It never tires, never stumbles.
I generally reserve my human contact time less ordered note sequences.
I have wish lists (aka suggestions) but if you pay me too much mind you'll never have time to practice.

Best,
bako

[JakeAcci]

I added a "flip table" button for that 'issue'.

Great!

[JakeAcci]

have I shared this before?

I made this thing to randomize cycles. Just hit refresh, wait for it to load properly, and it will give you a new set of data. I believe it covers all the charts in the 3 books but let me know.

Fun to play around with when you're just looking for something fresh, and now with Enrico's website much faster to get going with it all.

Voice Leading almanac - random cycle - Google Sheets

[e_del]

Enrico,
I generally reserve my human contact time less ordered note sequences.
I have wish lists (aka suggestions) but if you pay me too much mind you'll never have time to practice.

This app is meant to display the ordered cycle "chords", to better show the voice movement patterns, so it's quite "linear" by design.
Of course any C & C is more than welcome, although the software is now a bit chaotic, being the result of continuous additions and modifications (don't forget that all started from a spreadsheet).
I'm working now on a sligthly different version, to see if I can build a more generic "fretboard display", less intricated and more customizable.
But if your suggestions have not a heavy impact on the program structure, I'd be happy at least to try to implement them in the cycles app
(but I'm not promising anything!)

[JakeAcci]

y'all played around much with changing modes or key sig mid cycle? it can be interesting to look at a cycle as-in and adjust by half steps to suit the ear. The other day I came up with this: video : Cycle - Google Drive

A major
Cycle 4
triad w 4th (easier to spell as 7th chord 1257)
drop 2 and drop 4
mixes between mixo, major, lydian, and Phrygian

[bako]

Something I play around with every now and then is the interaction between scale pairs.
I guess naming their modes is another description of the same event.
C Ionian (C) and C Locrian (Db) have a 5 note differential.

I would suggest for starters play the whole thing, both keys on each degree. There are numerous strategies how to mix and match, toggle back and forth between the two keys. It can be an even 1+1, 2+2 from each key or if one of the 2 best represents the harmonic area then that key can be favored 2+1, 3+1, etc.


3 note quartal in cycle 4

C F B --- C F Bb

E F B --- Eb F Bb

E A B --- Eb Ab Bb

E A D --- Eb Ab Db

G A D --- Gb Ab Db

G C D --- Gb C Db

G C F --- Gb C F
-------
B C F --- Bb C F

B E F --- Bb Eb F

B E A --- Bb Eb Ab

D E A --- Db Eb Ab

D G A --- Db Gb Ab

D G C --- Db Gb C

F G C --- F Gb C
-------
F B C --- F Bb C

F B E --- F Bb Eb

A B E --- Ab Bb Eb

A D E --- Ab Db Eb

A D G --- Ab Db Gb

C D G --- C Db Gb

C F G --- C F Gb
--------

[TH]

y'all played around much with changing modes or key sig mid cycle?

If you change scales mid within the cycle, you can use this to introduce non diatonicism that resolves. I've just begun doing this, introduce a chord from another scale in its parallel place, like the #5 visiting from the melodic minor and then return to your cycle in the next chord. Chromatic resolution in a voice led cycle.
If that's what you're suggesting. The more I tinker with this, and the more I assimilate, the more seems to appear that wasn't at all planned by the original design.
It's really an imagination seed bed.
David

[bako]

I just thought of another variation on this game.
What if the keys cycled at the same time the progression cycled?

How useful or useless is this, I don't know. I suspect it would lend some insight into modulation.

C major cycle 2 through major keys, adding a flat to the key signature for each move.

Cma7 Dm7 Ebma7 Fm7 Gm7b5 Ab7 Bbm7 Cbma7

C G B E // C F A D // Bb Eb G D // Ab Eb F C // G Db F Bb // Gb C Eb Ab // F Bb Db Ab // Eb Bb Cb Gb //

E B C G // D A C F // D G Bb Eb // C F Ab Eb // Bb F G Db // Ab Eb Gb C // Ab Db F Bb // Gb Cb Eb Bb //

G C E B // F C D A // Eb Bb D G // Eb Ab C F // Db G Bb F // C Gb Ab Eb // Bb F Ab Db // Bb Eb Gb Cb //

B E G C // A D F C // G D Eb Bb // F C Eb Ab // F Bb Db G // Eb Ab C Gb // Db Ab Bb F // Cb Gb Bb Eb //

C major cycle 2 through major keys, adding a sharp to the key signature for each move.

Cma7 D7 Em7 F#m7 G#m7 A#m7b5 Bma7 C#ma7

C G B E // C F# A D // B E G D // A E F# C# // G# D# F# B // G# C# E A# // F# B D# A# // E# B# C# G# //

E B C G // D A C F# // D G B E // C# F# A E // B F# G# D# // A# E G# C# // A# D# F# B // G# C# E# B# //

G C E B // F# C D A // E B D G // E A C# F# // D# G# B F# // C# G# A# E // B F# A# D# // B# E# G# C# //

B E G C // A D F# C // G D E B // F# C# E A // F# B D# G# // E A# C# G# // D# A# B F# // C# G# B# E# //

The above moves through all the flat keys in sequence and then the same process for the sharp keys.

Using chromatic cycles

m2 and ma7 ---- 12 keys
ma2 and m7 ---- 6 keys
m3 and ma6 ---- 4 keys
ma3 and m6 ---- 3 keys
P4 and P5 ------- 12 keys
#4 and b5 ------- 2 keys

The enharmonic naming system presents some challenges or extra variations, depending on your perspective.

Cycle 2 from C to Db ------ Cma7 Dbmaj7

Cycle 2 from C to C# ------ Cma7 D#m7

[TH]

Here's the update on Chuck Sher. Apparently his panel of guitar advisors, made up of authors who've written guitar books, have considered the Goodrick Almanacs to be too far out and intimidating for the mass market. We will not see a republication from Sher.

Now I'm looking into self publication and some reformatting of the material. It's been out there for a number of years in its present and purist form. Perhaps some exploration into a new format might be appropriate.

Any ideas about what might make these new horizons less intimidating are welcome.

Honestly, I'm starting to think that many guitarists these days are less interested in finding new harmonies and sonic textures and more interested in learning one specific practical application albeit one laid out and quantified by someone else.
That's partially because the guitar seems a huge learning curve from learning someone else's arrangement rote and having the ability to spontaneously know melody, harmony and the fingerboard even with just a few chord voicings.

It may just be that voice leading harmony wasn't popular enough to survive the modern economy, as landing a man on the moon isn't feasible anymore.
Back to exploring self publication.

David