Which is preferable for a 2-note minor?

Mycroft · #1 03-02-2019, 01:47 PM

The 1 and the flat 3rd, or the flat 3rd and the 5th?

Erithon · #2 03-02-2019, 04:55 PM

A 2-note minor what? A chord? I'm not sure what you are asking.
If you are referring to a chord, then the root and its minor 3rd are the way to go.

Mycroft · #3 03-02-2019, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erithon

A 2-note minor what? A chord? I'm not sure what you are asking.
If you are referring to a chord, then the root and its minor 3rd are the way to go.

Yeah, a chord. Sorry for not being more specific. Thanks, such was my suspicion.

Kerbie · #4 03-02-2019, 06:07 PM

A chord usually refers to at least three notes, although 2-note "power chords" are sometimes included. So, a minor chord has the root, minor third and perfect fifth.

Mycroft · #5 03-02-2019, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kerbie

A chord usually refers to at least three notes, although 2-note "power chords" are sometimes included. So, a minor chord has the root, minor third and perfect fifth.

Yep. A true chord is a triad at least. I am playing with a slide in open tuning, though. So if tuned to a major chord, unless there is an open string to give you the flat 3rd, you can only get to a partial 2-note minor chord by slanting the bottleneck or bar (Bottleneck guitar or lap steel, respectively). To get a three-note minor, you would have to flat the 3rd string. But then, how do you get a major chord?

So to play a 2nd, 3rd or 6th in a major key with a bottleneck or bar, which are minor chords, you have to play a 2-note chord to "suggest" the minor.

Unless you are Sonny Landreth...

Which I ain't...

I think that the best two-note combination would be the root and flat 3rd of the scale, but thought that I would ask. One poster has confirmed that. Anyone else?

David Eastwood · #6 03-02-2019, 07:00 PM

Wouldn't the answer depend on where the melody lies?

Mycroft · #7 03-02-2019, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eatswodo

Wouldn't the answer depend on where the melody lies?

Explain, please...

David Eastwood · #8 03-02-2019, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mycroft

Explain, please...

Oh, now you've put me on the spot. I was just thinking that if the melody was with the root, the minor third and fifth might be a good match - but if it was veering a little outside harmonically, the root and minor third might be a good anchor. Just looking to fill the triad, basically.

Does that make sense?

Mycroft · #9 03-02-2019, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eatswodo

Oh, now you've put me on the spot. I was just thinking that if the melody was with the root, the minor third and fifth might be a good match - but if it was veering a little outside harmonically, the root and minor third might be a good anchor. Just looking to fill the triad, basically.

Does that make sense?

Do you mean a vocal melody? So it fills in the root and you can complete the triad by playing the flat 3rd and 5th? Same thing can of course be done with a bass or other instrument. My question goes ore towards playing an instrumental alone.

David Eastwood · #10 03-02-2019, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mycroft

Do you mean a vocal melody? So it fills in the root and you can complete the triad by playing the flat 3rd and 5th? Same thing can of course be done with a bass or other instrument. My question goes ore towards playing an instrumental alone.

I guess that’s what I was thinking - a vocal melody. In a purely instrumental context, if you need to suggest (or enforce) the minor voicing with only two notes, I can’t answer the question without context of where the piece is coming from, and where it’s going. And now, I’m rapidly getting out of my depth.

So, I’ll switch it up. Why do you ask?

Mycroft · #11 03-02-2019, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eatswodo

I guess that’s what I was thinking - a vocal melody. In a purely instrumental context, if you need to suggest (or enforce) the minor voicing with only two notes, I can’t answer the question without context of where the piece is coming from, and where it’s going. And now, I’m rapidly getting out of my depth.

So, I’ll switch it up. Why do you ask?

Playing in Open D with a Bottleneck or steel. With bottleneck I can always fret the chord. Can't do that with lap steel.

rick-slo · #12 03-02-2019, 08:32 PM

I guess you could look for three half-step intervals in tuning you are in.
So say you are in an open G major tuning and postulating the tune is in the key of either Am or Bm or F#m or Em.

Notes in G Major: G, A, B, C, D, E, and F♯

A Minor Notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, G,

B Minor Notes: B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A

E Minor Notes: E, F♯, G, A, B, C, and D.

F# Minor Notes F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D, and E

Obviously using E Minor as the key (the relative minor of the G Major key) is your best bet.

Mycroft · #13 03-02-2019, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick-slo

I guess you could look for three half-step intervals in tuning you are in.
So say you are in an open G major tuning and postulating the tune is in the key of either Am or Bm or F#m or Em.

Notes in G Major: G, A, B, C, D, E, and F♯

A Minor Notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, G,

B Minor Notes: B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A

E Minor Notes: E, F♯, G, A, B, C, and D.

F# Minor Notes F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D, and E

Obviously using E Minor as the key (the relative minor of the G Major key) is your best bet.

So if I want to sound the 3rd chord of the Key of G Major, I would instead play the 3rd of the relative Minor? A G chord?

However, my original question was this: Say I want to play the 3rd of the key of G major: Bm. But because I am playing with either a bottlenck or a lap steel bar, I can only fret in a straight line. So if I want to get the flatted 3rd of the triad at the 3rd fret, I have to slant the bar or bottleneck, and have to choose between getting either the 1st or the 5th of the chord at the 4th fret. I think that I should go for the 1st and flatted 3rd and not the flatted 3rd and the 5th. One person has agreed with that.

rick-slo · #14 03-02-2019, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mycroft

So if I want to sound the 3rd chord of the Key of G Major, I would instead play the 3rd of the relative Minor? A G chord?

However, my original question was this: Say I want to play the 3rd of the key of G major: Bm. But because I am playing with either a bottlenck or a lap steel bar, I can only fret in a straight line. So if I want to get the flatted 3rd of the triad at the 3rd fret, I have to slant the bar or bottleneck, and have to choose between getting either the 1st or the 5th of the chord at the 4th fret. I think that I should go for the 1st and flatted 3rd and not the flatted 3rd and the 5th. One person has agreed with that.

Yes, but which to use depends on the context, though most of the time the root being lower in pitch would sound better.

My earlier post was purely regarding keys and not practical considering the limited number of scale notes the guitar is using in it's open tuning.

Mycroft · #15 03-02-2019, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Yes, but which to use depends on the context, though most of the time the root being lower in pitch would sound better.

My earlier post was purely regarding keys and not practical considering the limited number of scale notes the guitar is using in it's open tuning.

I think that your first sentence is a good answer, and conforms with what my ear was telling me. Thanks.