Rolling Music Theory Thread

I haven't listened in a few weeks. Took a little break from listening to The Artist.

He is known for playing the ninth in chords though, especially in a major chord, often without a third.

Have you noticed the raised 6th in the bg vocals on the first chord of the chorus of "Rolling In The Deep"? I just heard that for the first time. Weird and interesting and I wonder what motivated that decision!

Yeah, no idea.

The verses on R.E.M.'s "9-9" start on the consequent rather than the antecedent line of the lyrics (i.e., if it's seven lines and you're looking at them as antecedent and consequent, it's BABABAB).

"Fox on the Run" is in B mixolydian and then E ionian in the chorus, right?

Will listen for it when I can over the next couple of days, maybe on the plane tomorrow!

Me too. A good holiday project, like the Great Eastern Throwdown upthread vis-a-vis "Sweet Home Alabama."

Another mixolydian song:

http://thisiheard.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-bangles-real-world-1982.html

(Just got to "Fox" and I think I agree with you.)

Revive! For annual Easter weekend "Werewolves of London" vs. SHA throwdown.

The most chaotic I-IV-V song:

http://thisiheard.blogspot.com/2017/04/public-nuisance-magical-music-box-1968.html

Hm, that is pretty interesting. Thanks for sharing it.

wow that's a great tune!

For future reference: http://www.jargstorff.us/2011/bebop-scales/. Looks reasonably organized and thorough.

Edited the Public Nuisance post because it was impossible to follow and new one on an '83 Jonathan Richman song.

Hey guys, I have a fairly easy question: does this chord have a name?
http://i.imgur.com/wPmsfGn.jpg

Sorry if that tab is written in an unfamiliar format. To clarify, the low E is muted, the A + D are fretted at the third fret, the G is fretted at the second fret, and the B and high e are open. It's basically an E major chord shape, but moved one fret up.

I use it a lot and when I was trying out pedals today in Guitar Center (yeah, like I need more pedals — I know, I know) I was kind of hitting it over and over while twiddling knobs, one of the store clerks asked me what chord I was playing when I realized I actually had no idea.

Fmaj7#11

Or maybe Fmaj7#11/C, the way you are playing it

Seems like you could also let the low E ring or play the low F there as well.

That chord is used in the opening to "ocean size"

I figured it had to be some sort of variant of the Fmaj7 family. In fact, that's always how I play Fmaj7: just adding the first fret on the B and leaving the high e open.

Thanks =)

Dorian Vs Lydian FITE

Another chord name question: what is this one called?
http://i.imgur.com/7coXdFA.jpg

To clarify: both the low E and high e are muted, the A is fretted at the third fret, D at the second fret, G at the fourth fret, and B at the third fret.

I also use it very frequently and I figure I should know what it is if I'm going to be playing it.

Cmaj9

that's a major 9 chord with no fifth

C E B D

xpost

The steely special

I thank you again!

That shape is also really nice to just go up and down the fretboard with. It really helps me get new ideas started.

Cmaj7sus2

I think "Cmaj9" is a better label for that chord than "Cmaj7sus2". "Sus" usually indicates that the third of the chord has been replaced by the suspension, which is not the case here. The D is even voiced as a 9th above the root here; it is a textbook maj9 chord.

(Personally, I would prefer not to describe anything as a suspension unless it is actually prepared and resolved like a classical suspension but I'm weird.)

Maybe some of us have misunderstood or misused a term or concept here and there over the years, but I'd like to think none of us have ever sounded like that fyre festival guy.

Yeah, that was cringingly hilarious.

I had to examine the harmony vocal part on the chorus of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - turns out there's one fewer note in the melisma than the lead vocal part.

More chord questions!

This guy:
http://i.imgur.com/UnpVaGs.jpg

That is: low E open, A at seven, D at five, G open, B at seven, and high e open.

Does this even have a name? It must, right?

Emin11

Oh wait I misinterpreted what you said never mind

So EEGGF#E?

Em sus2

Yeah, although I think it is better to call it Em add 2

Interesting.

I actually only have one song where I play that chord. It gets into some hazy territory for me, as I actually don't keep any of my guitars in standard tuning. Because I prefer such heavy gauge flatwounds, I tune down to D and capo from there. The song where I play that chord is in D# (capo at the first fret), making the notes D#D#F#F#FD#.

The Mamas and the Papas - "No Salt on Her Tail"

I guess you'd call it a bridge at 0:56. Anyway, an eight-bar section that starts on the subdominant. First four bars are:

1. IV
2. ii
3. IV
4. vi - IV

Fifth bar starts on a iii chord, but does it stay on it? Or does it go to a I chord for the third and fourth beats? The musicians seem to be playing different things.

What happens at the end of the chorus in "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves?" Just a hesitation? One extra beat somewhere?

Good question

re: "No Salt On Her Tail," it moves from iii on the first half of the measure to vi on the second half of the measure.

Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves -- I hear it as a bar of 5/8 (where the break and "but every night..." is) followed by a bar of 4/4 (with the little mallet lick and "and lay their money down"). There are some 3/4 bars in the verses too.

crüt, I think the melody suggests that it should go to D minor there, but it doesn't sound to me that the acoustic guitar does that.

I hear it as a bar of 5/8 (where the break and "but every night..." is) followed by a bar of 4/4

I think it happens right there too but I think it's 5/4. Weird thing is, it's an agogic accent on beat four in that bar of five. And then maybe what sounds like an agogic accent two beats later unless you're clued in to the fact that it's actually a downbeat.

Hate it when that happens

5/4 if you're counting double-time, sure. I don't know what agogic means but I know what you're saying. It definitely knocks you off balance if you don't know it's coming.

A friend who is a Radiohead superfan just sent me this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_IHotHxIl8&feature=youtu.be

For the studio version, they probably thought it was a pretty funny joke to have everything hit on the "uh" (as in 1-e-and-uh) but then take out all the drums so there's no context anyway.

Thought you guys might get a kick out of trying to suss out where the verses and whatever other parts of the song there are start and end on this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNa9-INcLec

There's a minor five chord in Don't Go Back to Rockville!