[usagi]

Can anyone recomend sites / books / etc that focus on some of the dissonant chords. Jeff Loomis uses a lot of great sounding stuff in the last Nevermore CD. I'd like to learn some.

[Drew]

Well, 30 second post before I get back to work...

The thing with dissonance is, you can be as dissonant as you want... provided you find a way to resolve it. So, rather than learning dissonant chord voicings, delving into theory to get a better feel for cadence and resolution may be your best bet.

[Naren]

Originally Posted by Drew

Well, 30 second post before I get back to work...

The thing with dissonance is, you can be as dissonant as you want... provided you find a way to resolve it. So, rather than learning dissonant chord voicings, delving into theory to get a better feel for cadence and resolution may be your best bet.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I have this one song that sounds INSANELY dissonant, but the truth is only 1 of the chords I'm playing is dissonant, but amongst the other chords, it makes the song found very disturbing. And the fact that I switch between a minor chord and the same chord with an added flatted fifth makes that riff sound really disturbing and dissonant. The main riff is a variation of that which sounds desperate and angry. But, like Drew said, with dissonance you have to know how to do it right and how to resolve it or it'll sound off and just plain wrong.

[usagi]

Okay, in that regard then could you recomend any books on theory, or sites etc?

[distressed_romeo]

Scott Henderson's 'Jazz Chord System' is meant to be pretty good, although I've never found it. Same goes for 'Chord Chemistry' by Ted Greene, which pretty much all the greats from all genres of music seem to have studied. 'The Advancing Guitarist' by Mick Goodrick is incredible, although it's pretty dense and cerebral, and you have to learn to read staff, as no tabs are provided.
I've found with dissonance and altered sounds, that it's really more a question of exploring on your own than learning parrot fashion from books. Just experiment, even if it's totally random and arbitrary, and make sure you keep a log of everything that seems to work.
There are all sorts of things in music (as in life ) that aren't theoretically 'correct' if you analyse them, but just seem to work in context.

[smueske]

At the risk of oversimplification -- the consonant intervals are 1,3,5,6, and 8. Other intervals, and augmented and diminished intervals are all dissonant. Dissonant chords contain any configuration of dissonant intervals, which is why 7th chords, which typically don't sound dissonant, technically, are.

If you are not quite ready to delve into theory just yet, get a good book on scales and modes and play around with constructing chords from them. A really good book in this category is the Guitar Grimoire's "A Notated Study of Scales and Modes". In that book, he lays out the ground work for a system of thinking about relationships between modes.

When you are ready to start learning theory, any good book on Harmony will do the trick. Just be prepared to learn a lot of rules that really don't apply to heavy music, but help with the idea of connecting chords and such.

One of the best books on Harmony I've read is Arnold Schoenberg's "Theory of Harmony" -- but you'll want to read other harmony books first because a lot of what he writes about is the philosophy behind making aesthetic decisions in composition.

[distressed_romeo]

It's really important to train your ears first...all these books are great, but you should really try and absorb the sounds aurally and THEN systemise it in this sort of way.

[usagi]

Thanks, I've kind of been doing what you suggest already pulling chords and arpeggios from scales. Everytime I look at theory I get completely confused and give up.

[Naren]

Originally Posted by usagi

Thanks, I've kind of been doing what you suggest already pulling chords and arpeggios from scales. Everytime I look at theory I get completely confused and give up.

It's always like that at the beginning. But, at least fundamental knowledge of theory (such as intervals and chord construction), is very very important to progress as a musician. I suggest you just keep at it without giving up. Even if you don't understand now, you WILL understand if you keep at it. Playing music is one of the most enjoyable things in life and you'll be glad you didn't give it up if you persevere. Your playing will thank you for knowing even the most simple theory (such as, how the fretboard's notes are layed out or how to transpose into different keys).

[Metal Ken]

Originally Posted by usagi

Thanks, I've kind of been doing what you suggest already pulling chords and arpeggios from scales. Everytime I look at theory I get completely confused and give up.

Here's what happened to me when i first started learning theory:

I was like "WTF? How does that even work? Why does this work like that?"

BUT if you accept certain things as postulates to build knowledge on, you'll learn more things, then you'll come back and notice how that stuff you just learned suddenly applies to things you've already learned, or you'll look at things and be be like "aaaaha!" and then things will start to make sense. Once things start to make sense, then you'll be well on your way..