What do I do with this in terms of chord changes and accompaniment?

[HoopyFrood]

I'm working on a guitar-led thing, but it's a bit weird so I'm not sure what to do with it in terms of chords and accompaniment, because it's outside of my expertise. First it's heavily syncopated and so every second note/beat is off the grid of the piano roll, and second it feels like the accented notes and so the ones that would dictate the chord changes are on the off-grid notes, and so I can't really tell what chord I should even be using.

Here's the audio: https://on.soundcloud.com/SojsE

The drum track may just be a temp track, I haven't decided whether to keep it or not.

And here's the piano roll for it:

https://imgur.com/6L3KkEf

https://imgur.com/umDhpkY

https://imgur.com/QDLYItN

https://imgur.com/rdBZYA7

My questions are: First is it even working at all or is it too weird? And second, if it is working where would you place chord changes and what chords would you use?

[amanise]

I think that's quite nice really. I'd keep the drum part, and maybe come up with one or two variants of it to use on sections where the character of the melody changes a little. If there isn't one of those I'd make one and work it in somehow. Doing it in MIDI makes it difficult to get much expression I would imagine - which is what really differentiates the stringed instruments IMHO. I'd be looking at using the MIDI you have as a guide track for a real guitar - if it's the guitar that's going to lead. But then my first instrument is guitar - so I would say that. This would be OK if something else were leading.

Next thing I'd do is counter point it or under pin with bass of some kind - either a synth or a stringed bass. An acoustic stringed bass guitar would be ideal. That would also help inform your choice of chords for a rhythm part. It sounds like you have days of fun ahead, so good luck and enjoy yourself!

All of these kinds of decisions and directions are entirely up to you though - what do you want to do with it?

[The Red Bladder]

It is a good intro. Remember the saying "Please don't bore us, just get to the chorus!" I was hoping for the tune to begin after two bars. As it stands, it's good, but it sounds like the bits between the main body of the piece.

[adrian_k]

It's not weird. I didn't look at the piano roll (wouldn't help me ) but I quickly jammed along (guitar) and here are some basic chords that seemed to work, just playing along with the drum beat, changes on 1 & 3:

'A' part:
| Gm7 Dm7 | Dm7 Gm7 | Gm7 Cm7 | Cm7 Gm7 | Gm7 Dm7 | Dm7 Gm7 |

'B' part:
| Gm7 Cm7 | Dm7 Gm7 | Gm7 Cm7 | Dm7 Gm7 | Gm7 Cm7 | Dm7 Gm7 |

I'm sure you could complicate this a lot more especially if as Adrian says above you introduce a second, slower melody line, maybe in the bass.

[HoopyFrood]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, but maybe I didn't make clear enough what I was asking. I'm used to writing melodies with a strong accented note on, for example, the on beat of bars 1 and 3, and that note is what I derive the chords from. Then I usually either have the chords landing on the on beat or on the offbeat. So in the piano roll that means either the chords land at the start of the first light shaded bit on the section marked 1, or at the start of the second light shaded bit of that section.

But with this one there's only a weak, unaccented note on the light section of bar 1, the strong, accented note comes one and a half rectangles after that. So I don't know how to derive the chords or where to place them, I've tried doing it on the bar and it just doesn't sound right. Same as the bassline, I've been experimenting with having it on the accented notes which sort of works, but it also kind of clashes. So I was wondering where I should place the chords and bassline.

It's not weird. I didn't look at the piano roll (wouldn't help me ) but I quickly jammed along (guitar) and here are some basic chords that seemed to work, just playing along with the drum beat, changes on 1 & 3:

In light of what I mentioned above, are you talking about strums on the downbeat? I'm not sure if that's working for me.

[amanise]

That's why I'd go to the bass line next - then you only have one note to worry about at a time and it won't matter whether its an up stroke or a down stroke You may end up with something really nice that doesn't need a lot of chords.

You could then treat your bass notes as the root notes of your chords, with the remaining decisions to be around which of those chords fit with the melody line as well (i.e minor 7ths or major 7ths or just majors or minors or whatever). Those here with strong theory would be able to know that without experimentation - but I have to jam around to a never ending loop to see what sounds best.

Have a play - its all fun.

[Exalted Wombat]

You know that your first note isn't on beat 1 of the bar?

[Exalted Wombat]

You're riffing on a G natural minor scale in a sort of folk dance feel. I don't think there's any point in looking for a more complicated chord structure. You could go to town on the drumming. You could add a middle section with a bit of variation, maybe move to a F root. Here's a (completely un-'produced') suggestion.
https://youtu.be/Kp4AdhMA41A
After that - well - anything! Maybe a complete change of mood?

[HoopyFrood]

You know that your first note isn't on beat 1 of the bar?

It is, but it's just not accented at all.

That's why I'd go to the bass line next - then you only have one note to worry about at a time and it won't matter whether its an up stroke or a down stroke You may end up with something really nice that doesn't need a lot of chords.

You could then treat your bass notes as the root notes of your chords, with the remaining decisions to be around which of those chords fit with the melody line as well (i.e minor 7ths or major 7ths or just majors or minors or whatever). Those here with strong theory would be able to know that without experimentation - but I have to jam around to a never ending loop to see what sounds best.

Have a play - its all fun.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

You're riffing on a G natural minor scale in a sort of folk dance feel. I don't think there's any point in looking for a more complicated chord structure. You could go to town on the drumming. You could add a middle section with a bit of variation, maybe move to a F root. Here's a (completely un-'produced') suggestion.
https://youtu.be/Kp4AdhMA41A
After that - well - anything! Maybe a complete change of mood?

Hmm, like a drone? That might work, perhaps I'll try it.

[Exalted Wombat]

You know that your first note isn't on beat 1 of the bar?

It is, but it's just not accented at all.

You may have aligned that first note to a barline in your sequencer, but musically it's an upbeat.

[OneWorld]

Because it's noodling about Gmin7, Cmin7, Dmin7 for me it is sort of crying out to lob an bEmaj, bBmin.....try playing an eBmaj over the Gmin7........but that's just me, I write by sort of throwing the kitchen sink in and then when the song is groaning under the weight chromatic shifts, major to minor, minor to major whatever, till it gets to the point where the song says "That's it, I'm packing my bags, just get rid of it ('it' being superflous ornamental chords that do nothing but clutter the tune up)" and then I start trimming things down........and oftern end where I started....but sometimes happen across something that scratches my creative itch.....which is where I am now, going from D7, E7, C, A7 but I can't decide over which sounds best, a Emin7 or E7.....both seem to fit, decisions, decisions, how we suffer for our art

[sonics]

You may have aligned that first note to a barline in your sequencer, but musically it's an upbeat.

Had a listen. I have to agree 100%. Just listen to those obvious snare beats on 2 and 4. It's actually a very simple swung riff.

[Exalted Wombat]

You may have aligned that first note to a barline in your sequencer, but musically it's an upbeat.

Had a listen. I have to agree 100%. Just listen to those obvious snare beats on 2 and 4. It's actually a very simple swung riff.

You're hearing the snares on offbeats, 2 & 4? I'm hearing them pretty strongly on 1 & 3.

[sonics]

You're hearing the snares on offbeats, 2 & 4? I'm hearing them pretty strongly on 1 & 3.

Yep! If you can hear it that way it's a simple swung groove.
I can't hear the snare as 1 and 3!

[Exalted Wombat]

You're hearing the snares on offbeats, 2 & 4? I'm hearing them pretty strongly on 1 & 3.

Yep! If you can hear it that way it's a simple swung groove.
I can't hear the snare as 1 and 3!

There's a snare hit on the second note, after the 'little note'. You really hear that as a '2' or '4', not a '1'? Well, OK...

[ajay_m]

I'm not at home in the studio right now but listening to that I just felt I wanted to put an acoustic bass underneath (with a fairly prominent finger slap to it, not too smooth), with a walking line and the accents on the beat but with a bit of a 'skip' to it, so starting I think just the initial few bass notes are whole notes on the beat then the bass line starts to loosen up a bit and could have some runs which are actually quite a bit faster than the main guitar part, which is not necessarily conveying the primary melodic interest as the piece evolves - I could see the final piece where that guitar line is actually subordinate to other ideas as they evolve. If you want to keep that kind of 'folk influence' then it'd be tempting to bring in accordion or one of that family of instruments, I could see that instrument then carrying a melody that builds on top of the guitar line, which sinks back into the mix as the tune progresses and becomes more of a 'tuned percussion' kind of thing in terms of what it's contributing.

Also then I see the original guitar line as anchoring a chorus, assuming we're working in a pentatonic kind of folk-style framework, so we'll bring that back but it'll want a strong melody on top there for the chorus and the verse takes the guitar right back in the mix, but it's still there, so we're not actually doing key changes across verse/chorus but we are creating a melody for the verse and chorus that fits together. The chorus melody I imagine does somewhat track the guitar line but not exactly. The verse goes somewhere else, but that would be a matter of experimenting I think.

Hard to describe all this in words but that's how I felt your track speaking to me, creatively, at least.

[BWC]

You're hearing the snares on offbeats, 2 & 4? I'm hearing them pretty strongly on 1 & 3.

Yep! If you can hear it that way it's a simple swung groove.
I can't hear the snare as 1 and 3!

There's a snare hit on the second note, after the 'little note'. You really hear that as a '2' or '4', not a '1'? Well, OK...

Yes, I also hear it as snare on 2 & 4 Playback starts between beats 1 & 2. Export / render error maybe?