Pearl Jam - C or D?

This is as much a guitar nerd post as a PJ post, but I was just going over "Born to Run" with my guitar teacher, and that song features the E/G# chord, which is basically the weirdest chord that doesn't sound weird. Maybe because it's a piano-type chord? Anyway, I've only come across it one other time (though I know it pops up here and there) in the tricky bridge to Huey Lewis's "Power of Love," but my guitar teacher recently played a benefit backing Eddie Vedder and noted the intro to "Better Man" (which I think he had to learn) is a bunch of variations of that E/G# chord. Now, Vedder isn't much of a guitarist, but he's solid enough, so our theory is that "Better Man" (which quickly gets really, really simple and repetitive) was written while or sometime after Vedder was trying to figure out "Born to Run." Like, it's a really, really conspicuously awkward chord, especially for beginners/me, so our theory is that he sat around making the chord shape, practicing it, moving it around, and that turned into "Better Man." Anyway, just a fun theory.

I feel like E/G# is somewhat common.

Based on the first sentence I thought this was going to be about how "Unemployable" sounds like "Born In The USA."

It's really not that common, though, not on guitar songs; "Born to Run" was I believe written on piano, which is where I think E/G# pops up more. So, like, Elton John and stuff.

It's just an inversion of a major chord, it's not weird at all. D/F# is basically the same and that pops up in lots of guitar songs.

Well, I find it weird! Or at least super awkward. And have only come across it in two songs. Well, three now: "Power of Love," "Born to Run" and "Better Man." Talking about this one:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MJdjxDvQjJs/Uym9P9rothI/AAAAAAAAA7M/AlVD9gIqyik/s1600/E-G%23+Chord.png

It's not that weird in context of the song. It starts off on this version of D/F#:

https://jsmusicschool.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/df.png

And then he just shifts it up two frets on the next line to E/G#.

I'd say he strummed the first chord, thought it sounded good, moved his fingers up a bit and hey presto.

Try it as xx6454

The way I've shown is how Vedder actually plays it, though - with the G# on the low E.

Anyway, I still miss Jack Irons in Pearl Jam.

It hasn't been quite the same since he left.

hey spenno

Hey!

matt cameron's a great drummer though, and a pretty great songwriter too.

Oh, for sure; I miss Jack's contribution to the band's sound a lot but it's no knock on Matt. Evacuation and In the Moonlight are among my favourite late-period Pearl Jam songs.

Well, it's no knock on Matt's ABILITY anyway. I'd have been tempted at one point to say that his talents were being somewhat wasted in Pearl Jam but at least Soundgarden are back together now so I don't think that's true anymore.

He's a great drummer but I think Pearl Jam's previous drummers were arguably a better fit for their core sound.

I'd have been tempted at one point to say that his talents were being somewhat wasted in Pearl Jam but at least Soundgarden are back together now so I don't think that's true anymore.

Yeah. Though I would be bummed to see SG and find it was Matt Chamberlain and not Matt Cameron playing (not sure who drummed at Hyde Park last summer, was p sure in was Cameron)

Yeah, that was Cameron - Hyde Park was one of the only Soundgarden shows he played at in 2014, Chamberlain played the rest for the most part.

I get the impression that was a one-off arrangement for last year though, Cameron's played at every Soundgarden show since.

Funnily enough, I'd be thrilled to see Chamberlain sit in with Pearl Jam (again). He's a GREAT drummer and his style seems a lot more suited to them than Soundgarden.

Chamberlain's a great session drummer. I even liked him back in Edie Brickell's band, and he was an integral part of Tori Amos' band sound, too, and he's great when he plays with Jon Brion. Not sure how well he ultimately fits PJ, though. I mean, he's a session guy and can fit in anywhere, in the end, but I actually like Cameron's contributions.

E/G# is a very common inversion, it's just E major with the 3rd in the bass instead of the root. I've seen inversions like that in countless songs. On guitar, I tend to just play a standard E major chord but use my little finger to fret the G# on the low E string. Using chords like this is great for creating descending basslines, e.g. A E/G# D/F# E, or ascending basslines, e.g.: F D/F# G E/G# A.

oh yeah, chamberlain was in pj between krusen and abbrusseze, wasn't he?

Soundgarden getting a Cameron replacement while he does PJ shows irritated me so much...I get it from a logistical standpoint, because PJ has a bigger repertoire and changes setlists dramatically from night to night, so it's easier for a guy to come in and learn a set that Soundgarden plays every night than to keep up with the demands of a PJ tour. But Cameron is Soundgarden's backbone more fundamentally than any drummer has been for PJ. Totally agree that having Jack Irons back for one tour would've been wonderful.

Jack was beautifully loose, No Code is so great partly bcz of him.

But Cameron is good! He's a great fit, and while maybe he's not someones technical cup of tea, he's a keen collaborator, plus his steadiness & easygoingness has helped glue the band together in a positive way. They are a better band collectively for having him imo

But it would def suck seeing Soundgarden without him, that's some bullshit

Maybe he needs cloning to play both bands at the same time

oh yeah, chamberlain was in pj between krusen and abbrusseze, wasn't he?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM0zINtulhM

It was recorded live, so that's his playing too.

yeah Cameron is good with PJ...I wish more of their work with him had the interesting spark he brought to the best parts of Binaural, but that's more down to the band already being on a creative decline by the time he joined.

I wish more of their work with him had the interesting spark he brought to the best parts of Binaural, but that's more down to the band already being on a creative decline by the time he joined.

That said, Matt does seem like more of a cerebral, 'straight' drummer (in terms of feel) that someone like Irons or Abbruzzese who, despite having very different styles, both seem like looser, groovier players which I think fits right in with the band's expansive 70s rock thing.

If anybody is interested, this bod has a really good YT channel in which they sync the soundboard recordings of full gigs to crowd digicam footage, I know there's a lot of this stuff to be found out there but this guy/girl is especially good at putting them together.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn-WEUogXBFbwfm3nmGN3rw

Getting a little too into the rhythms of even flow at the bar ...will bring it down a notch

Nah, take it up a notch buddy

Looks like I get to see them at Wrigley Field, pretty psyched. I've seen the band a bunch but not for a long while, and even though I never put on their records I've always been impressed by them live.

Unrelated, I heard "Hard to Handle" by the Black Crowes today, and parts of it sort of reminded me of a slower, major key version of "Even Flow."

my friend is going to the Home shows in Seattle & i am crazy jealous

They were fine last night but not their best. A friend in the know told me that Seattle - the planning, the playing, the organization - took a lot out of them.

really? My FB page was full of friends in all. Was that the show at which he used Tom Petty's guitar or some shit?

Yeah, among other stunts. Dennis Rodman was there babbling, Vedder played a Petty guitar, Cubs World Series trophy on stage, they covered "Rebel Rebel," etc. I've seen them before and they've been better. They just never gathered momentum. Bolstering my position, I know they had permission to blow past the curfew, which was 11pm, but they stopped more or less right there.

I mean, it wasn't bad! They're a good live act. But this was not the keeper among the sets I've seen them play.

And indeed, band was significantly better tonight, rain delay and all.

Looks like a great setlist both nights, with some fun songs thrown in. Got the itch to attack the PJ DVD collection tonight.

2020 European tour announced - got my London tickets and hopefully grab Krakow ones on Saturday. Merry Christmas to me.

those london ticket prices though :-(
might do amsterdam and might be able to blag stockholm lollapalooza... definitely want to catch a few if i can anyway

they havent had a US tour in SIX YEARS wtf are they doing a european tour :( why do they hate me

Warming up for a US tour?

^^ My guess. Rumor has it a new album will be out next year, so it makes sense. Still leaves time for an appearance at Lolla in August, otherwise maybe Summer 2021 for their big North American tour?

Damn, I haven't seen them since the Backspacer tour in 2010!

ok kneejerk reaction set aside...
i just talked to a fanclub friend, scuttlebutt is that they will ~hopefully~ also announce US tour as well
so i am crossing fingers & toes

🚨NEW ALBUM MARCH 27 🚨
🚨🚨🚨🚨US TOUR🚨🚨🚨🚨

https://pearljam.com

Snagged tix for Oakland on April 18 woooop
Excited!!!

Feel free to commence cynically distancing yrself from my excitement since this is ilm after all

single is called "Dance of the Clairvoyants" so I guess they're finally going prog

Vedder is so cute these days.

“these days”

cute in all decades imo

Album cover is very Rush!

it def is

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Pearl_Jam_-_Gigaton.png
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/66/Rush_Grace_Under_Pressure.jpg

I follow the nature photographer who shot the PJ cover on Instagram. He has a lot of amazing shots of Arctic wildlife.

https://www.instagram.com/paulnicklen/

would be a pretty cool cover without the heartbeat gimmick