Rolling Music Theory Thread

Oh excellent, I think you are right. Just playing an A major chord didn't sound right.

It just sounds like a major chord a wholestep down from the root to me, but maybe there's a maj6 in there, there's definitely something giving it a little extra texture

OK, I've been playing it with the sixth and I like that best. I don't know if that's what the guy is playing on the record, but it sounds good.

It occurred to me that the note the vocalist is holding over the second chord is the maj6 of that chord, so that's probably why it sounds right, whether or not the guitar is playing that note

Man, I love the chorus of Selena Gomez's "The Heart Wants What It Wants." Starts with a melodic line over the VI chord, same line over the iv chord, then it has this three-note descending line over the i chord followed by this awesome, sequential three-note descending line over the III chord where the last two notes are not chord tones (and the last fall is a p4).

Thread of remembering last year's Easter break music theory throwdown

lol

this is convincingly Lydian-sounding, though i suppose it's probably better described as a change of key/level

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmcsA6D8a1E

"Sugar and Spice" by the Cryan' Shames modulates down a whole step towards the end of the song instead of going up a whole or half.

Just now came across an interesting roundup review of three recent Jazz Theory books here: http://jjs.libraries.rutgers.edu/index.php/jjs/article/download/89/74

I posted a few things here about a month ago: an old published article on a Smith Brindle guitar piece and two recent conference presentations on 20s blues songs.

Replace "4" with "a" in the URL as always.

Cool!

First chord of "Starman" seems to be what I think of as a Flamenco chord, Bflat chord under an E, Bb Lydian some might call it.

No seventh through.

I'm hearing A with that chord and not E.

Bb Maj 7? Or a whole different chord?

I heard it as what would be a B flat barre chord with an open E instead of an F on top. But my ear is lousy, who knows. Will check again come the morn.

OK, I am hearing that high E. It seems like there's a lower A in there somewhere, too.

Hm. Maybe certainly there is an A in the chord when it goes to F. And the "telegraph" lick is an A.

This guy is playing it like me, but
This other guy puts the A in the bass like you do.

Wrote on the Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Pretty Song from Psych-Out." Basic idea was to see how many key centers it has and I end up saying seven. Such a great song!

http://thisiheard.blogspot.com

re starman: it sounds almost like a b-flat major triad and an a-minor triad being played at the same time? May be two guitars or a very oddly tuned guitar.

Possible.

Feel like it goes to F, maybe you are hearing the top three notes of Fmaj7, unless there is not F in the bass, just the A minor triad. Perhaps the Bb chord is struck and still ringing when the other chord is played.

What is third chord of "Little Red Corvette"? Seems like it definitely changes from verse to chorus. Both start F# G#. Then for chorus third chord is a Bbm, but on verse it is some kind of Bbm9 ( no third)- like an Fmin triad first inversion over a Bb.

For consistency probably should call those first two Gb and Ab.

Okay maybe related chord of Db in that place on the chorus every other time.

Sorry to not have attempted to respond to this James Redd, but do not own a copy of the song.

Wrote on Camper Van Beethoven's "Folly," from the third album:

http://thisiheard.blogspot.com/2016/07/camper-van-beethoven-folly-1986.html

S'okay, Tim it is a pretty simple song, and popular and on YouTube.

Yeah. Do you still hear the ninth in the Bb minor chord?

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.