what key is Free Bird in?

[kadrocker]

I've never been much of a lead player- so I'm trying to learn how to write my own lead to songs.

 

A friend said I ought to learn leads over Free Bird. I don't wanna learn the solo note for note. I wanna make my own version of the solo.....

So- what key is the solo written in?

 

I've been playing for 13ish years and never learned any theory- so I'm trying to pick some up now. The more I learn the easier my song writting has been.

[GreenAsJade]

If you're keen to learn about this, try this:

 

1) Work out the chords.

 

Suppose they are C G and F (which they aren't)

 

2) Write down the notes of all the chords.

 

C: C E G

Gm: G B D

F: F A C

 

Arrange all those notes in order:

 

A B C D E F G

 

Then you can see what the key is: in this case it is C major, or A minor. Use your ear to determine whether it's the major or the minor.

 

Note that by the time you have done this, you will also know for sure what notes to use in your lead, even if you don't recognise the key immediately.

 

Or, if you can't be bothered and just want the answer quickly, you can click

here to find a range of answers

 

HTH

 

GaJ

[JonR]

Even simpler method than GreenAsJade's:

 

1. For each chord, play the notes in that chord. (You don't need to know the note names, just know a few shapes for the chord. You can get by with one shape, but the more shapes you know in more places, the better.) Ultimately, this is using the arpeggio of the chord (which stretches all over the neck).

 

2. For passing notes, use notes from the other chords in the sequence - ideally the ones immediately before or after.

It helps here if you know shapes for these chords that are in the same position as the current chord shape. (So obviously the more shapes you know for any chord, the better.)

 

If the chords are all in the same key (harmonised from the same scale), then following the above rules means you will be playing the scale of the key without having to know (or care) what it is. Moreover, you will be playing more musically than if you just play from the scale of the key without paying attention to the chords.

Start and end phrases on chord tones and everything will sound OK. (And of course, the end of your phrase might be a chord tone on a chord 2 or 3 chords down the line. Choose your target and plot a path.)

 

If those notes are not quite enough for you (and they may sound a tad too safe), you can add any chromatic note you like. Half-step approaches to chord tones are always good, whether in or out of key.

Limiting yourself to the key scale tends to get boring - chromatics spice it up, but you need to relate them to chord tones. IOW chromatics are "out" and you need to bring them "in" to the chord tones (or to good extensions like 7ths and 9ths).

 

In short, the really basic idea is "in" vs "out".

 

Always inside = chord tones (on the current chord)

Mostly inside = other diatonic notes (from the key scale or the other chords)

outside = any other note (not in the chord or key)

 

No such thing as a "wrong note", as long as you resolve it - up or down a half-step will lead to an "inside" chord tone or extension.

 

Of course, the "inside" notes all have their different characters, which you learn through experience, so you can make creative decisions about which to go for. But in the beginning, you can rely on all of them to sound good - they are all "right notes". The "outside" notes relate too (as alterations), and they don't always sound "wrong" to the same extent.

 

 

The overall key of a tune can be nice to know (at least it gives you a sense of control ), but it isn't really necessary, as long as you know the chords well enough. (And there's no substitute for that anyway.)

 

In any case, what's more important than note choice (chord-scales) are things like rhythm, dynamics, tone and feel. The raw material (in terms of the notes) is right under your fingers in the chord shapes - that's easy. The creative part comes in how you construct phrases from it - that's a little harder to lay down rules for, but the more you listen to the kind of music you want to play, the more you'll absorb the language.

[GreenAsJade]

Great advice!

 

To tease out the difference, JonR's advice could be summarised as "don't even ask 'what key its in', just know what the chords are and improvise around the notes in the chords, the key will look after itself", right?

 

I really like that.

 

(And in some ways its the same as what I said, where I was saying "get the notes of the chords, and then you know what notes to play" ... a subtle difference being that it will be best to know which notes are in which chords, and focus on those at the right time).

 

GaJ

[Poparad]

Here are two tips that will help when analyzing the song:

 

1) For the first part of the song, there's one chord that doesn't fit in the key of the song. However, if you just change one note in the key, it works. This is frequently how chords outside of a key tend to work.

 

2) The solo is in a different key than the rest of the song. It's in a minor key, but not a normal minor scale: it's in a dorian scale. The solo itself is actually just minor pentatonic, so this doesn't affect it (since pentatonic is missing the notes that differ between natural minor and dorian).

[codecontra]

Freebird is primarily in the key of G major. You can us the G major scale, G major pentatonic scale, G minor pentatonic scale, and G blues scale for starters and see what works best. The other advice here is is excellent as well.

[EddieAteD]

Some great advice in here!

 

Sorry to be pedantic, but in case the OP is wondering, I think GreenAsJade either meant to write G (not Gm) or to use the note Bb (not B), since G major contains G-B-D, and Gm contains G-Bb-D.

 

I'd also add that I understand you're not keen to learn the solo note for note, but learning at least a few phrases might help you see how the solo was originally constructed (which chord tones, key, playing positions, etc).

[GreenAsJade]

Lol good catch, I fixed it. I started with Am there, but it wasn't as good because it didn't add as many notes

 

GaJ

[JonR]

Some great advice in here! Sorry to be pedantic, but in case the OP is wondering, I think GreenAsJade either meant to write G (not Gm) or to use the note Bb (not B), since G major contains G-B-D, and Gm contains G-Bb-D. I'd also add that I understand you're not keen to learn the solo note for note, but learning at least a few phrases might help you see how the solo was originally constructed (which chord tones, key, playing positions, etc).

I think that can be useful if you're really stuck for ideas as to what to play. Listen, pick out a few simple phrases (or parts of phrases) you like the sound of, and try and find out what they are (internet tab is mostly correct...probably... ).

But the crucial thing when doing that is to look at the notes involved and see how they fit the chord(s) at that moment. How much does the sound of the phrase (the reason you like it) depend on which chord tones it's hitting (or avoiding)? And how much might it depend on other stuff like rhythmic pattern, bends, vibrato, or other effects?

Can you take that same phrase, and play it in a different part of the sequence (over different chords)? What happens (how does it sound) when you do? It may not always sound worse, but it will always sound different - in what ways is it different?

 

Remember that the original players would not have repeated their solos note for note. (And would probably have trouble trying to play from tab of what they did play.) They might retain and repeat favourite phrases or licks; but mainly they would understand the principles they're using, even if only intuitively (by ear). Good improvisation principles will produce different solos every time.

 

As a last tip, try learning to play the vocal melody. This can be a great jumping off point for developing solo phrases, and will, of course, link your improvisation to the song in question, rather than making it some generic improvisation that could belong anywhere. The vocal will lead you through the chords, always tied to certain chord tones.

[mosiddiqi]

All excellent advice.

 

Can I be an utter arse and say that if I'm in the audience, and you're playing "Free Bird"..and you don't play at least some of the signature licks note for note...I'm going to start booing.

[JonR]

All excellent advice. Can I be an utter arse and say that if I'm in the audience, and you're playing "Free Bird"..and you don't play at least some of the signature licks note for note...I'm going to start booing.

Right! Signature licks can be important. In some classic rock tunes (and this would be an example; Hotel California is another), parts of the solo have become as much part of the composition as the vocal or the chord sequence. Audiences expect to hear those things.

 

This is where rock differs fundamentally from jazz. In jazz, an audience would feel short-changed if a soloist played a solo they'd played before: that would be cheating, and might well attract some booing (or more likely some harrumphing under the breath...). That's because the whole point of jazz is the improvisation. Every performance is a chance to play a tune a different way, to create music on the fly.

 

Rock is not like that. It's a form of popular music (with some classical pretensions, but no jazz ones), and as such is about recycling old favourites. No harm in that, and a good singalong is a lot of fun (esp when you can sing along with a guitar solo!).

At the same time, in failing to fully understand the concept of improvisation, rock musicians (and their audiences) miss out on a lot of potential excitement, that element of musical danger.

 

I'm not suggesting that all rock musicians, by definition, don't get improvisation. Many do. It's just that real improvisation is not part of rock culture.

That's why I would commend the OP for wanting to work out his own solo for Free Bird (and why I'm refraining from spelling out the chords) - although I would quibble with the word "write". Rock musicians may write solos - that's fine. Jazz musicians improvise them.

 

Speaking personally - and I'm at least as much a rock fan as a jazz fan - I like it when a band improvises. I don't like to hear those old original solo phrases. It can be impressive that a player has learned them and can reproduce them (so I wouldn't boo); but it's even more impressive if they can negotiate the changes and improvise in their own way - being creative, rather than parroting another player. I would cheer them for that, even if their solo wasn't as good as the original. (Being "good" isn't the point.)

[benzem]

 

Freebird is primarily in the key of G major. You can us the G major scale, G major pentatonic scale, G minor pentatonic scale, and G blues scale for starters and see what works best. The other advice here is is excellent as well.

 

 

+1

 

Learn all the repeating licks. They will serve you well.

[GCDEF]

All excellent advice. Can I be an utter arse and say that if I'm in the audience, and you're playing "Free Bird"..and you don't play at least some of the signature licks note for note...I'm going to start booing.

 

I agree. I'll add that the jam ad the end really doesn't venture out of the pentatonic scale in G. After 13 years, you really ought to be able to figure that solo out. It's not hard. It's just a lot of repeating patterns. I'm a little surprised with 13 years under the belt you need to ask what key it's in. Time for some basic lessons perhaps.

[gennation]

The Key is G. Pretty much G Major in the song and G Minor at the end. But it's still in G.

[gennation]

All excellent advice. Can I be an utter arse and say that if I'm in the audience, and you're playing "Free Bird"..and you don't play at least some of the signature licks note for note...I'm going to start booing.

 

If anyone plays Freebird in front of an audience, that saves someone in the crowd from having to yell "FREEBIRD"

[GCDEF]

 

The Key is G. Pretty much G Major in the song and G Minor at the end. But it's still in G.

 

 

Not trying to be argumentative, but the whole song is G major, never minor.

[EddieAteD]

 

Not trying to be argumentative, but the whole song is G major, never minor.

 

 

I think it's one of those cases where major vs minor is too restrictive, and there are a number of valid ways of looking at it. To me, that G-Bb-C chord progression definitely feels like G minor/dominant blues/rock. I look at it as in G minor (Dorian pitch collection), but with the I chord borrowed from the parallel major.

 

Same general idea as Sweet Home Alabama (D-C-G), I see it as in Dm (Dorian), with a 'majorized' I chord. That is, it's the I chord that's altered, not the other chords. Of course YMMV.

[gennation]

 

Not trying to be argumentative, but the whole song is G major, never minor.

 

 

I agree, no offense taken. I was trying to specify that by saying "but it's still in G"...meaning G Major. You're right.

 

The end is a mix of G Blues and G Major Pentatonic which gives us the classic Minor to Major resolutions ala Bluesy phrasing, as well as playing driectly over the given chord at the time...ala any kind of music.

 

But in the end, yes it's still in G Major and there would be no Key change to G Minor.

[3shiftgtr]

Not trying to be argumentative, but the whole song is G major, never minor.

 

So at the end, during the double time part with the long out solo, when the repeating riff under the solo goes from a bar of G power chord to a bar of Bb power chord and a bar of C power chord to a bar of chromatic walk up from E to G, that Bb doesn't influence the third?

 

And the fact that a big percentage of the melodic choices regarding the third in the out solo are primarily b3rds, not major 3rds,.....

 

....it is NEVER minor? NEVER???

 

I'm confused. The idea in the thread isn't to argue about the sharps and flats in the key sig at the front of the tune....the op is trying to create his own solo....not transcribe.

[JonR]

Lynyrd Skynyrd are taking over. First the long-running dispute about the key of Sweet Home Alabama* - now the argument about Free Bird...

 

* not on this site admittedly. Please keep it here:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/forumdisplay.php?f=30

 

Maybe we should call the UN.

 

Recent statement from Barack Obama: "Once we get the Palestinian situation resolved, I'm going to nail the tonality of those Lynryd Skynyrd songs once and for all."

[jeremy_green]

Too funny! Nothing like a good blues tune to throw a hand grenade into a theory discussion! Next we'll start talking in ratios.

[3shiftgtr]

Just trying to help the OP.

[jeremy_green]

Just trying to help the OP.

 

No doubt! Your MO is always pretty clear man!

 

With ANY blues based music my personal assumption is minor or major are pretty much interchangeable. With much of it based on a dominant chord - which is essentially major (due to the 3rd) AND minor (due to the b7) so either tonality will typically work out* The rest is up to your ears.

 

* there are no hard fast rules about anything related to music really!

[meganutt7]

The thing about Sweet Home Alabama is that it really IS somewhat ambiguous to those who don't know "how to play over it"...

 

The chords are jusr D, C and G, but the "root" feels like D, so that makes it D Mixolydian by default... Now, SOME people play over it using an Em pentatonic scale, because it ORIGINATES in G Major, which is FINE. Others may play a Bm pentatonic over it to emphasize the D tonality (Bm pent = D maj pent) Others still may play D Mixo/G major over it and really fill in the gaps...

 

just saying is all...

[gennation]

Understanding Keys and Scales is where understanding reading helps a lot. IOW, just because a scale changes doesn't necessarily mean a Key changes. The Key changes when the Key Signature changes. The scale can change all day.

 

Although, talking Keys Signatures and stuff is kind of a moot point

 

The scale definitely changes between the tune and the end, but the G chord in the end isn't Gm, it's a G Major. So no Key change.