E minor song with a strange chord.

[playst12]

I've just begun to study basic chord theory and I have question about this chord progression in Steve Vais song.

A:                                                 | Em(add9) | % | Fmaj7(#11) | % |                                                                         | Em(add9) | % | Am(add9) | % |                                                                    | Em(add9) | % | Cmaj7 | % |                                                                    | Fmaj7(#11) | % | Em(add9) | % |  

Song seems to be in E minor. But how the second chord relates to this? Is Fmaj7(#11) borrowed or parallel chord or something? What makes the chord fit even it doesn't seem to be in E minor at all?

Thanks in advance.

 

[BydoEmpire]

 

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BydoEmpire wrote:

 

I 

bet

 the melody highlights the F# or F depending which chord it's over.

 

This is For the Love of God, right?  Hm, there's no F or F# in the main melody, but the line over the Fmaj7#11 does highlight other chord tones.  Interesting there's no G in the main melody, either, but it works.

[BenTunessence]

 

Is this from "For the Love of God"?  That chord progression looks familiar.

 

Like Bydo said, the F comes from the Phrygian mode.  Looking at the notes in the F chord, the only note not from E minor is the note F.

Technically, you could call the F chord a "Neapolitan chord", which is a major chord built on the flatted 2nd degree of the scale, a half-step above the root.  It's job is to resolve down to the root, which it does in this chord progression.

Vai likes those #11 sounds, so he just spices up the Neapolitan chord with the note B.

[Tricky]

Cool explanation Bydo.

I'm also a relative newbie on the journey towards theoretical knowledge and am wondering if this example may also be "thought of" as as Secondary Dominant? IE V/v ?

[BydoEmpire]

 

D'oh, meant to just reply with that and somehow just edited my original response into oblivion... oh well...

 

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Tricky wrote:

 

I'm also a relative newbie on the journey towards theoretical knowledge and am wondering if this example may also be "thought of" as as Secondary Dominant? IE V/v ?

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F would be the secondary dominant of a Bb, which isn't a diatonic chord in E or Emin, so I don't think that's it, but maybe it's some kind of substitution.  I could certainly be wrong.

[jeremy_green]

That progression is in E Phrygian (same notes as the key of C) - no sharps or flats present. The #11 (#4) pushes the Bb up to a B natural. The Cmaj7 (and Amin) reinforces this tonality.

Typically that #11 screams Lydian - especially where Vai is concerned. But this chord progression works because it is diatonic. I haven't analyzed the melody - but I suspect Vai treats each chord as a pseudo key change... or he may not and just stick to chord tone-y type stuff.

[The Burninator]

 

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jeremy_green wrote:

 

 

That progression is in E Phrygian (same notes as the key of C) - no sharps or flats present. The #11 (#4) pushes the Bb up to a B natural. The Cmaj7 (and Amin) reinforces this tonality.

 

 

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What about the add9 in Emadd9, isn't the an F#?

[playst12]

Isn't that Fmaj7(#11) sort of outside chord and since melody works for that part it doesn't matter? As I recall someone answered here something about that earlier (and made a funny comment about that vid also but I cant find that post.

[onelife]

That progression is in E Phrygian (same notes as the key of C) - no sharps or flats present. The #11 (#4) pushes the Bb up to a B natural. The Cmaj7 (and Amin) reinforces this tonality.

Typically that #11 screams Lydian - especially where Vai is concerned. But this chord progression works because it is diatonic. I haven't analyzed the melody - but I suspect Vai treats each chord as a pseudo key change... or he may not and just stick to chord tone-y type stuff.

Interesting and a good point - although the Emadd9 contains an F# - but it's not a completely diatonic E Phrygian progression.It's also worth noting that F natural is the flat five substitution for B natural (the dominant in the key of E) although I don't see the Fmaj7#11 being used as a dominant chord in this instance.