Members GreenAsJade Posted December 24, 2008 Members Posted December 24, 2008 So, I'm learning this solo, which was written by my vocalists's arranger. The song is in either E or C#m (I can't decide). The verse is C#m A Fm7sus4 (three times). The chorus is E A C#m D A E A D B. The song ends on E after a chorus. But anyhow, that's just context (thoughts on key welcome). The second half of the bridge, second half of the guitar solo, is C#m | C#m | D | Ds4 D | The solo, which works really well, has some "interesting" note choices. Most of them I can rationalise, but not all. And the whole last bar is kind of "against" the common guidance of "play the notes in the chord". Here it is (the second half): (As tab at the end) It's interesting how at the beginning of this (the middle of the solo), it's hanging around on the B, the minor seventh. I love how it runs up to the D just as the D chord arrives - this I "get". However, on from there the note choice is far from obvious to me. In particular, the last half of the bar leading up to E seems to be cleverly chosen notes that fit both E and D, except the C#, which sounds so right, yet it's under a D chord. What's with that, do you think? GaJ In Your Room (solo snippet) Cm |--3--| Q. S S Q. S S S E||---------------------------------| B||--12------12-14-12------------17-| G||------------------------16-18----| D||---------------------------------| A||---------------------------------| E||---------------------------------| Cm |---3--| |---3--| S S Q T T S S E. S S S S S S --------------------------------------------------19-| --19s-21--L----21s-19-17-19-------------17-19s-21----| ----------------------------18---16s-18--------------| -----------------------------------------------------| -----------------------------------------------------| -----------------------------------------------------| D |---3---| Q. S S S H --22------21s-22s-21-17--------| -------------------------------| -------------------------------| -------------------------------| -------------------------------| -------------------------------| Dsus4 D S S S S S S S S S S S S S T T S S ---L----17-19-14-17--------------------------------19-21-| --------------------15----------------------19h-21-------| --------------------------------------18-21--------------| -----------------------16-14-16-19-21--------------------| ---------------------------------------------------------| ---------------------------------------------------------| E T T S Q. H --23-24--L--L---------------|| ----------------------------|| ----------------------------|| ----------------------------|| ----------------------------|| ----------------------------|| Duration Legend --------------- W - whole H - half Q - quarter E - 8th S - 16th T - 32nd X - 64th . - note dotted
Poparad Posted December 25, 2008 Posted December 25, 2008 Those last two beats on the D chord before the E chord use the A major pentatonic scale. The key of the song is A, and typically the A major pentatonic scale will work nicely over any chord in the key. If you really want to rationalize the C# (as well as the B on the C#m chord), just extend the chords from triads to 7th chords, and then those notes suddenly become part of the chords themselves. In songs that are just in a single key, minor chords can very easily be converted to minor7 chords without any trouble, and the IV chord (D in this case) and usually be converted to maj7 without much trouble, either. I and V sometimes can be a little trickier, and depend on how the rhythm section is voicing the chord, so you're not quite as free to add the 7th to them.
Members GreenAsJade Posted December 25, 2008 Author Members Posted December 25, 2008 Thanks! I can see, now that you tell me, that "theoretically" (I guess this _is_ theory!) it is in A. That's because if it was in C#m or E, then there would be D#, not D, right? And yet that seems so "unnatural". Hardly any As in sight, and where they are they seem to have a "passing" role. The whole solo is more understandable in terms of C#m pentatonic, D pentatonic, E pentatonic. I guess that makes sense since these are the chords.... just wierd that none of them are the key! Anyhow, thanks again! GaJ
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