Secret Side Quest

I've seemed to neglect our weekly hiatus updates, taking the concept of weekly very loosely.  We are currently working on a supplemental feature for Chord du Jour that would make our current weekly song goal a bit more interesting, and it would perhaps kick-start what I really wanted to do when we started the Jam Session podcast:  Giveaways and contests!

Other than saying we're working on something, all the details are a bit secret, but we'll reveal this stuff...soon!

Keep on jammin'.

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Streamlining the Production Process with Templates

We've used Pro Tools as our digital audio workstation of choice for about the past five years.  While every little project should, theoretically, have its own unique approach, we're in the process of creating music as quickly as possible.  So, to do this, we have made a basic template of tracks used for every project:

We've earmarked a few tracks for drums;
We have a couple mono tracks for guitars;
We have one track for bass;
We have a few stereo tracks for synths (if any);
We have kept several available for vocals.

We have also specified basic inputs, buses, and plug-ins for each template track.

We've saved this template as its own file.  Whenever we create a new Pro Tools project, all we have to do is import the tracks (which otherwise have no data in them) from the template file to the current project.  Almost instantly, we're ready to rock -- just add music.

Hopefully this song-a-week project will be realized sooner than later.  Cheers!

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Weekly Updates (Temporarily)

Quickly recording actual songs, as opposed to spur-of-the-moment, single-progression jam sessions, is taking longer than we'd like.  So far we're tracking the drums to the songs that have already been written (and they've been written quickly).  Once the drums are in, building the track with basslines, guitars, vocals, etc., will be fun.  It'll take some time, but it'll be fun!

Once we are a couple of finished songs in, we'll restart Chord du Jour on a daily basis, with new songs posted about every Wednesday (or a rerun Jam Session...whatever).

Please stay tuned!

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Make That a Few More Weeks...

Chord du Jour will probably return in early June (we need more time to work behind the scenes!).  In the meanwhile, we'll post periodic updates at the DeRamos Music website.  We'll see you all again in June!  Cheers!

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Two Week Break

Exciting things are afoot at Chord du Jour!  So exciting, that we'll need to take a couple of weeks off to get a good running start at:

1. Recording Sessions!  We plan to take our Jam Sessions concept to another level, by quickly producing actual songs!

2. Adding some helpful reference material!  We want Chord du Jour to be much more than a random chord/scale/mode/podcast blog.  For all our rock 'n roll silliness, we want to educate.  Seriously.

In the meanwhile, we'll be updating our recording endeavors at the DeRamos Music website.  We'll see you all again on May 2nd!  Cheers!

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F Chord (Piano)

F is the root note, A is the major 3rd, and C is the perfect 5th.

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F Mixolydian (Guitar)

Notes:  F G A Bb C D Eb F

    F Mixolydian
E |----------------------------|----------------------------|-13-15-17|
B |----------------------------|-----------------13--15--16-|---------|
G |----------------------------|---------14--15-------------|---------|
D |-------------------------13-|-15--17---------------------|---------|
A |-------------13--15--17-----|----------------------------|---------|
E |-13--15--17-----------------|----------------------------|---------|

Compare with Bb major:  Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

Compare with F major:  F G A Bb C D E F

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Jam Session Rewind: 212o -- The Closing Track

This week's rewind, Jam Session 212o (6:13; see original show notes) closes out our 12-week run of...well, reruns.  I personally like the spacey groove of this jam session.  Take a listen:



So next week, I hope we'll have something new...and different!  Fingers crossed...

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F Minor Pentatonic ("F Aeolian" Position, Guitar)

Notes:  F Ab Bb C Eb F (Compare with the F minor scale/Aeolian mode:  F G Ab Bb C Db Eb F)

    Fm
E |---------------------|--------------------|-1--4--6--8--11--13---|
B |---------------------|----------1--4------|----------------------|
G |---------------------|----1--3------------|----------------------|
D |-------------1-------|-3------------------|----------------------|
A |-------1--3----------|--------------------|----------------------|
E |-1--4----------------|--------------------|----------------------|

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F Dorian (Guitar)

Notes:  F G Ab Bb C D Eb F

    F Dorian
E |----------------------------|----------------------------|-13-15-|
B |----------------------------|-----------------13--15--16-|-------|
G |----------------------------|-----12--13--15-------------|-------|
D |---------------------12--13-|-15-------------------------|-------|
A |-------------13--15---------|----------------------------|-------|
E |-13--15--16-----------------|----------------------------|-------|

Compare with Eb major:   Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

Compare with C minor:  C D Eb F G Ab Bb C

Compare with F minor:  F G Ab Bb C Db Eb F

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Bb Chord (Piano)

Bb is the root note, D is the major 3rd, and F is the perfect 5th.

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Bb Ionian (Guitar)

This is the Bb major scale:  Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

    Bb Ionian
E |-----------------------|-----------------------|-6--8--10--------|
B |-----------------------|--------------6--8--10-|-----------------|
G |-----------------------|--------7--8-----------|-----------------|
D |---------------------7-|-8--10-----------------|-----------------|
A |-----------6--8--10----|-----------------------|-----------------|
E |-6--8--10--------------|-----------------------|-----------------|

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Jam Session Rewind: 111l -- The Noisy Jam

This week's rewind, Jam Session 111l (15:16; see original show notes), was a fun, disgustingly long, super-noisy bit of rock 'n roll.  We had an unmanned guitar on a guitar stand, plugged in to an amp.  My brother Jon played a guitar but also controlled foot pedals for the effects attached to his guitar and the unmanned guitar.  I played the bass at times, and at other times I smacked the unmanned guitar to play a chord or two.  There are no overdubs; all instruments were recorded at the same time.  The drum beat was a bit reminiscent to Nine Inch Nails' "March of the Pigs" (but slower).  Anyhow, take a listen:



We've challenged ourselves to, instead of creating Jam Sessions, create Recording Sessions next time around (in a couple of weeks).  In other words, in place of quickly-created chord progressions and improvisations, we're going to take a bit more time and make some quickly-recorded -- yet full-realized -- songs.  It will be quite the challenge for your Jon and Ryan, your Chord du Jour hosts!  Can we do it?

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F Minor Pentatonic ("Bb Dorian" Position, Guitar)

Notes, starting with Bb (even though the it's really in F minor):  Bb C Eb F Ab Bb C Eb F

    Bbm
E |------------------|--------------------|-6--8--11--13-----------|
B |------------------|----------6--9------|------------------------|
G |------------------|----5--8------------|------------------------|
D |-------------6----|-8------------------|------------------------|
A |-------6--8-------|--------------------|------------------------|
E |-6--8-------------|--------------------|------------------------|

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Bb Mixolydian (Guitar)

Notes:  Bb C D Eb F G Ab Bb

    Bb Mixolydian
E |---------------------|---------------------|-6--8--10------------|
B |---------------------|-------------6--8--9-|---------------------|
G |---------------------|----5--7--8----------|---------------------|
D |----------------5--6-|-8-------------------|---------------------|
A |-------5--6--8-------|---------------------|---------------------|
E |-6--8----------------|---------------------|---------------------|

Compare with the Eb major scale:  Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

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Eb Chord (Piano)

Eb is the root note, G is the major 3rd, and Bb is the perfect 5th.

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Eb Lydian (Guitar)

Notes:  Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

Compare with the Bb major scale (Ionian):  Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

    Eb Lydian
E |---------------------------|------------------------10|-11--13---|
B |---------------------------|-------------10--11--13---|----------|
G |---------------------------|-----10--12---------------|----------|
D |---------------------10--12|-13-----------------------|----------|
A |---------10--12--13--------|--------------------------|----------|
E |-11--13--------------------|--------------------------|----------|

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Jam Session Rewind: 310p -- The Potential Temp Track Replacement

Today's rewind is Jam Session 310p (6:48; see original show notes).  When a production can't get the rights to an actual song, they often hire other musicians to create a mimicking, sound-alike, but not-infringing, replacement track.  A more polished recording of Jam Session 310 can potentially be a temp track replacement for several popular songs.  (By the way, DeRamos Music runs a temp track replacement service.)



We are so close to new Jam Sessions (and more)!

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F Minor Pentatonic ("Eb Mixolydian" Position, Guitar)

Notes:  Eb F Ab Bb C Eb

    Eb
E |-----------------------|------------------------|-11--13---------|
B |-----------------------|-------------11--13-----|----------------|
G |-----------------------|-----10--13-------------|----------------|
D |-----------------10----|-13---------------------|----------------|
A |---------11--13--------|------------------------|----------------|
E |-11--13----------------|------------------------|----------------|

Compare with F minor pentatonic:  F Ab Bb C Eb F

Compare with Eb Mixolydian:  Eb F G Ab Bb C Db Eb

Compare with Eb major:  Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

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Eb Ionian (Guitar)

This is just the Eb major scale:  Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

    Db Ionian
E |---------------------------|------------------------10|-11--13--15|
B |---------------------------|-----------------11--13---|-----------|
G |---------------------------|-----10--12--13-----------|-----------|
D |---------------------10--12|-13-----------------------|-----------|
A |---------10--11--13--------|--------------------------|-----------|
E |-11--13--------------------|--------------------------|-----------|

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Ab Chord (Piano)

Ab is the root note, C is the major 3rd, and Eb is the perfect 5th.

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G# Locrian (Guitar)

Notes:  G# A B C# D E F# G#

    G# Locrian
E |---------------------|---------------------|-4--5--7------------|
B |---------------------|----------------5--7-|--------------------|
G |---------------------|-------4--6--7-------|--------------------|
D |-------------------4-|-6--7----------------|--------------------|
A |----------4--5--7----|---------------------|--------------------|
E |-4--5--7-------------|---------------------|--------------------|

Compare with the A major scale:  A B C# D E F# G# A

Compare with the G#dim chord:  G# B D

Compare with the E7 chord:  E G# B D

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Jam Session Rewind: 109i -- 12-Bar Blues in Ab

Today's Rewind is Jam Session 109i (6:29; see original show notes), which has a 12-bar blues structure, which is essentially a full song in and of itself:  Just add lyrics (and some sort of a melody).



In any case, we'll have some new Jam Sessions soon!

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