Help with naming chords!!

[Vince]

I wrote a song last week using some cool sounding chords, and I'd like to know what the name of one of them is (wrote it through trial and error based on how it sounds!)

 

Going from low to high, the notes are B F# A D F# B

 

Also, the song starts with Dmaj7 - A - B chord (see above) - F#. repeated, then going to E - F# a couple of times.

 

What Key is it in???

[Poparad]

Originally posted by Vince I wrote a song last week using some cool sounding chords, and I'd like to know what the name of one of them is (wrote it through trial and error based on how it sounds!) Going from low to high, the notes are B F# A D F# B

 

 

That's a simple Bm7 chord. B D F# spells Bm, and the A makes it Bm7.

 

Also, the song starts with Dmaj7 - A - B chord (see above) -

 

 

This part is in D major. You might say it's in Bm (the relative minor of Dmajor), but I would probably go with Dmaj as it's a common cadence in that key (a deceptive cadence to be precise).

 

F#. repeated, then going to E - F# a couple of times. What Key is it in???

 

 

Ok, now it changes keys a bit. E and F# are only found together in the key of Bmajor.

 

This might actually give you reason to say the first part was in Bm as opposed to Dmaj. Then you'd be switching between parallel minor and major keys (Bm to Bmaj).

[Vince]

Smart Arse!!!!

Thank you very much!!

Whilst I'm getting my head round this, What scale(s) would I then use for these keys?

[Poparad]

Originally posted by Vince Smart Arse!!!! Thank you very much!! Whilst I'm getting my head round this, What scale(s) would I then use for these keys?

Dmajor/Bminor for the first part, and Bmajor for the second.

You can simplify those to pentatonics to, such as Dmajor/Bminor pentatonic, and Bmajor/G#minor pentatonic.



There are other pentatonic choices too.

For the Dmajor part:

Dmaj/Bm pent
Gmaj/Em pent
Amaj/F#m pent

For the Bmajor part:

Bmaj/G#m pent
Emaj/C#m pent
F#maj/D#m pent


Those pentatonics correspond to the I, IV, and V scale degrees of each key. Once you know the key that a progression is in, you can use that formula to come up with the three pentatonics for that key, and switch between them at any time.

[Vince]

Ah ha!!

The theory behind the answers!!!

Thank you very much, once again!!!

James