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Analysis of "Killing Me Softly"??


alez

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Posted

Hi All,

 

I've been taking a look at "Killing Me Softly With His Song as sung by Roberta Flack" and I fail to analyze it harmonically.

 

The fakesheet can be found in the New Real Book and is as follows.

 

Part "A":

 

Bbm7 / Eb9 / Ab / DbMaj7

Bbm7 / Eb9 / Fm / %

Bbm7 / Eb7 / Ab / C7

 

Part "B".

 

Fm / Bbm7 / Eb / Ab

Fm / Bb/D / Eb / Db

Ab / Db / GbMaj7 / %

F / %

 

I'll put my thoughts here, chord by chord, in the hope that you can help a bit. Many thanks in advance.

 

Bbm7: not a lot of info yet.

 

Eb9: take the notes from this chord, together with the ones from the previous one, and you have a scale, 4 flats so Ab maj or F natural min, plus Eb9 is a dominant so I take it's a V, therefore I assume Ab maj as the key.

 

First 3 chords are then a major II - V - I in that key. On to the next chords.

 

DbMaj7: fits in the Ab maj scale, so IV.

 

Fm: fits in the Ab maj scale, so VI.

 

C7 (last chord of part "A"): doesn't fit plus it's a dominant, so V/VI.

 

Fm: new key is then Fm, and this is I.

 

Bbm7: fits in the F natural minor and harmonic minor scales, so IV.

 

Eb: fits in the F natural minor scale, so bVII.

 

Ab: fits in the F natural minor scale, so bIII.

 

Bb/D: doesn't fit plus it's a major triad followed by a chord built a perfect fourth up, so I'd guess V/bVII (new key is Eb major) or maybe I (new key is Bb major).

 

Eb: fits in the Eb major and Bb major scales, it would be IV or I.

 

Db: no clue, although it looks like a return to Ab major key where this would be a IV.

 

Ab: this would then be I.

 

GbMaj7: no clue, can't be a bVII in a major key.

 

F: no clue at all, again doesn't fit.

 

Help??

 

All the best,

 

Alex

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Posted

 

Originally posted by alez

Hi All,


I've been taking a look at "Killing Me Softly With His Song as sung by Roberta Flack" and I fail to analyze it harmonically.


The fakesheet can be found in the New Real Book and is as follows.


Part "A":


Bbm7 / Eb9 / Ab / DbMaj7

Bbm7 / Eb9 / Fm / %

Bbm7 / Eb7 / Ab / C7


Part "B".


Fm / Bbm7 / Eb / Ab

Fm / Bb/D / Eb / Db

Ab / Db / GbMaj7 / %

F / %


I'll put my thoughts here, chord by chord, in the hope that you can help a bit. Many thanks in advance.


Bbm7: not a lot of info yet.


Eb9: take the notes from this chord, together with the ones from the previous one, and you have a scale, 4 flats so Ab maj or F natural min, plus Eb9 is a dominant so I take it's a V, therefore I assume Ab maj as the key.


First 3 chords are then a major II - V - I in that key. On to the next chords.


DbMaj7: fits in the Ab maj scale, so IV.


Fm: fits in the Ab maj scale, so VI.


C7 (last chord of part "A"): doesn't fit plus it's a dominant, so V/VI.


Fm: new key is then Fm, and this is I.


Bbm7: fits in the F natural minor and harmonic minor scales, so IV.


Eb: fits in the F natural minor scale, so bVII.


Ab: fits in the F natural minor scale, so bIII.


Bb/D: doesn't fit plus it's a major triad followed by a chord built a perfect fourth up, so I'd guess V/bVII (new key is Eb major) or maybe I (new key is Bb major).


Eb: fits in the Eb major and Bb major scales, it would be IV or I.


Db: no clue, although it looks like a return to Ab major key where this would be a IV.


Ab: this would then be I.


GbMaj7: no clue, can't be a bVII in a major key.


F: no clue at all, again doesn't fit.


Help??


All the best,


Alex

 

 

You are correct until the Bb/D. This is just an 1.st inversion of the Bb an functions as a secondary dominant to the Eb. So V/bVII to bVII. Db is bVI. Ab Is bIII and back to Db (bVI).

The two last chords are modal interchange chords. What that means is that you borrow chords from parallel and modal scales to the key you are in. When analysing you always choose the scale that has the most in common with the original key. So the Gbmaj7 is MI: bIImaj7 from F-phrygian and the F chord is MI:I from F-Ionian.

 

This is the way I would analyse this.

 

Spooky_tom

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Posted

Man, thank you so much for reading aaall my post, for the enlightening reply and for registering in the forum as I see that was your first post. That was great and really useful, many thanks and WELCOME!!!

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Posted

 

The two last chords are modal interchange chords. What that means is that you borrow chords from parallel and modal scales to the key you are in.

 

 

 

There are other theory explainations to this as well. "Modal Interchange" is a term that has developed recently (last few decades) to describe what's happening.

 

Traditionally the F major would be called a picardy third. It's simply the replacement of a diatonic minor i chord with the major I.

 

The Gbmaj would be called the Neopolitian, which is a major chord 1/2 step above tonic that resolves down.

 

In this case the F major is used as a turn-around chord back to the Bmin at the beginning. I dont' thing that the song actually ends on it.

 

When analysing you always choose the scale that has the most in common with the original key. So the Gbmaj7 is MI: bIImaj7 from F-phrygian and the F chord is MI:I from F-Ionian.

 

 

I didn't quite get that but...... I think the F is acting as Dominate to the ii (Bmin) in Abmaj.

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Posted

And just as a little thing to add:

The C7 at the end of the A section is of course the V7 of F, which is the key you move to into the B section.

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