Artist/Genre Progressions - What Are the Proper Playing Rhythms?

Scaler 2 Tutorials
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Good afternoon folks. This is my first post. I have a rather dumb question…

When I pull up the ‘ARTISTS’ or ‘SONGS’ suggested preset chord progressions, they look pretty cool! But how do I use them?

Just to pick a random one - “70s FUNK & SOUL 1” has nine chords in the progression. When I hit the play button in Scaler, it just plays those nine chords as if all of them are to be held for the same duration. All whole notes. They aren’t played with a rhythmic pattern so that they actually sound like they are playing in a song. I can’t tell the difference between important chords and passing chords or accent chords.

I guess that’s my job to figure out, right? But I’m a bit lost with these artist progressions. I would love to use one to make a song.

They kinda sound like chord gibberish because Scaler doesn’t play them with a rhythm. Just whole notes of all the chords in a row. How did the artist who created the preset progression expect me to play these? How long to hold each one? What’s the riff? LOL!

And that’s the case for any progression I’ve found when there lots of chords. I’m just not sure how they are supposed to sound. And I can’t make sense of how the artist intended the progression to flow if it was in an actual song.

Is there a way for Scaler to play the artist or genre progressions in a more “song-like” way? So I can hear the chords played in the rhythm the artist intended when he/she made the progression?

I hope that makes sense! Sorry for the dumb question!

Bo

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Not a dumb question at all, but it is actually a pretty big one, but you gave the correct answer yourself. “I guess that’s my job to figure out, right?” and that’s the joy of the thing.

Think of the chord sequences as a blank canvas. Scaler also provides a plethora of different coloured paint pots, and a wide variety of brushes to use with them. It’s a corny analogy, but it might help.
You can use the progressions to generate a wide variety of motifs, rhythms and sequences based on those chords. Each chord can have any of its parameters changed individually. You can find a multiplicity of borrowed alternative chords. You have sophisticated tools for modulating into another key. Don’t forget you can use multiple synchronised instances of scaler to meld ideas together.

Scaler isn’t a “press ‘n’ play” tool, and it relies on you as the artist to paint the picture.

If you haven’t already done so, check the many excellent videos at

which will start to give you answers to your question. I think you will find it rewarding.

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