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  • Theory Munchkin - Touch my Chord

The aim of this thread is to teach you harmony. Well, either teach it to you or dust off the cobwebs. This is not a thread to ask what your chord is because you're too lazy to figure it out. But you will find some oddball chords in here that might spark you into writing a song with it (much like Hendrix did when Larry Carlton showed him a chord... and I think "Castles made of Sand" was the result. Best not to quote me on the song though, but I think it was that one).

As an example, I give you this:

e|--5-----2-----------|
B|--8--5--2--5--5--7--|
G|--0--6--5--4--7--7--|
D|-----0--4--6--5--5--|
A|--7--------4--3-----|
E|-----6--4--------6--|

What are the key, chords and progression?

Please don't use Guitar Pro or anything else to identify the chord for you... try work it out. Then work out the progression which would also help with the key.... sometimes ? . Understandably this thread might take a while to kick in... but the reward is worth it. You can also put in fragments of the answer if you can't work out the complete thing.

So whomever wants to put one up, go for it. Test your skills.

If anyone is brave enough to work out the example above... go for it.
    I will need some lessons first. Heck I just hear things and then play them. My theory is shocking

    The only thing I know is Every American Dad Goes Bald Eventually
      Probably you should render that diagram in a fixed font. The characters don't line up properly.
        Oh... its fine on my screen. without the code brackets it usually goes all funny... lemme check...

        ****** seems good to me in the code brackets bob... whats it doing on your screen?
          My chord naming is horrible, so this will be fun ?
          EmAdd11
          A# Hendrix chord? I think it's called a Bb#9 (no 7th)
          G#11
          C#m7
          CAdd9
          Gm b5/ Bb (some form of inversion?)
          ? PM me the answer pls!
            Somethigni to help with the alginment is font type. Not sure which one, but some font uses the same width for all characters. That might help.
              I took the liberty of converting the tab to a fixed-width font. How does it look now?
                Lethe wrote: My chord naming is horrible, so this will be fun ?
                EmAdd11
                Bb Hendrix chord? I think it's called a Bb#9 (no 7th)
                G#11
                C#m7
                CAdd9
                Gm b5/ Bb (some form of inversion?)
                ? PM me the answer pls!
                Not giving you any answers yet, hehehe. Try to add in the progression and key as well. This way it'll make you think about function ?

                ps: progression as in I ii iii IV V vi vii etc
                  X-rated Bob wrote: I took the liberty of converting the tab to a fixed-width font. How does it look now?
                  Cool man, looks good on that one too. So the code button didn't work for yours? I'll remember to use the one you formatted it with. But it really looked normal on my screen with those code brackets... but thanks Bob ?
                    evolucian wrote:
                    Lethe wrote: My chord naming is horrible, so this will be fun ?
                    EmAdd11
                    Bb Hendrix chord? I think it's called a Bb#9 (no 7th)
                    G#11
                    C#m7
                    CAdd9
                    Gm b5/ Bb (some form of inversion?)
                    ? PM me the answer pls!
                    Not giving you any answers yet, hehehe. Try to add in the progression and key as well. This way it'll make you think about function ?
                    Good point. I'll have to do this when I get home so I can hear it. Currently just at the office trying to visualize the chords lol.
                    I did edit the one chord from Bb to A# btw ?
                      Here's my BS shot at it (good one by the way Evo - completely stole my morning)

                      Emadd11 (or G6/9, not sure though) - Bb11#9 - G#7add11 - C#m7 - Cadd9 - Bb#5#9

                      I haven't figured out the key(s) or the progression.
                      Would love to see someone crack it! ?
                        Arjun Menon wrote: Here's my BS shot at it (good one by the way Evo - completely stole my morning)

                        Emadd11 (or G6/9, not sure though) - Bb11#9 - G#7add11 - C#m7 - Cadd9 - Bb#5#9

                        I haven't figured out the key(s) or the progression.
                        Would love to see someone crack it! ?
                        Nice one. It seems we're more or less on the same path! ?
                          Lethe wrote:
                          Arjun Menon wrote: Here's my BS shot at it (good one by the way Evo - completely stole my morning)

                          Emadd11 (or G6/9, not sure though) - Bb11#9 - G#7add11 - C#m7 - Cadd9 - Bb#5#9

                          I haven't figured out the key(s) or the progression.
                          Would love to see someone crack it! ?
                          Nice one. It seems we're more or less on the same path! ?
                          Lol ? Yeah.
                          I took another shot at it.
                          Seems to me that it might be in the key of C# something and the chords might be:

                          1. Emadd11 or C#m6b5
                          2. Bb#11add#9 or C#m maj6b9
                          3. G#7add11 or C#7sus4
                          4. C#m7
                          5. Cadd9
                          6. Bbmaj6add9 or C#6b5b9 or Gmadd#11

                          As you can see, i'm pretty much rubbish at chord naming ?
                          As for the progression, this is what i've got so far (thumb-suck):

                          biii - VI - V - i - VII - VI
                            That second chord puzzles me - or I'm reading it wrong.

                            As I read it, the notes (low to high) are A#, D, C#, E

                            Now an A would be A C# E
                            A# would A# D F
                            So we seem to have an A# with a flat 5 and also a minor 3rd in the mix.

                            OR the D and the C# are either an 8th and a major 7th or a 3rd and a 4th. So maybe a D major 9th with a sharp 5?

                            Dunno. I'm sure when I get around to playing it it'll sound interesting and mysterious.
                              Nice guys... glad to see you liked the puzzle. This could have a few ways of interpretation, but here is the one I'm happy with:

                              Em add11 (i) - Bb#9 #11 (bV) ... from here it flips a tritone away (on the circle) to the key of Db (which is its major aspect) and uses its parallel minor (so it becomes Dbm)... and continues:

                              Ab7add11 (V) - Dbm7 (i) ... this is used to ease the transition back into the key of Em which makes Cadd9 (VI) - Bb add 13 #5 (bV)... another tritone movement to get to the i ... ?


                              You may add your interpretation down... unless you're happy with mine ?


                              @Bob - an A#major chord would be A# - C## - E# ... It might sound anal but if you write out your notes on the stave as A#-D-F it would spell a different chord altogether. As for playing the chord... it will sound ghastly when taken out of context. I also removed the melody notes connecting the chords so that just the chord used is present.

                              edit: The second chord, its #11 can also be seen as a b5... this would help in keeping with V chord in its altered state.
                                evolucian wrote: @Bob - an A#major chord would be A# - C## - E# ... It might sound anal but if you write out your notes on the stave as A#-D-F it would spell a different chord altogether. As for playing the chord... it will sound ghastly when taken out of context. I also removed the melody notes connecting the chords so that just the chord used is present.
                                Anyway you cut the cake that chord has a C## (or a D, depending on the key signature) with another note a semi-tone below it. So hard to see it as having the A# for a root as it then has the minor and major 3rd.

                                Or I'm spectacularly wrong.

                                  X-rated Bob wrote:
                                  evolucian wrote: @Bob - an A#major chord would be A# - C## - E# ... It might sound anal but if you write out your notes on the stave as A#-D-F it would spell a different chord altogether. As for playing the chord... it will sound ghastly when taken out of context. I also removed the melody notes connecting the chords so that just the chord used is present.
                                  Anyway you cut the cake that chord has a C## (or a D, depending on the key signature) with another note a semi-tone below it. So hard to see it as having the A# for a root as it then has the minor and major 3rd.

                                  Or I'm spectacularly wrong.

                                  You're on the right path... when you come across a chord that has something like that... you can see the minor 3rd as a #9...

                                  In this instance the root note would be Bb. So the notes present are Bb - D - C# - E. The D is the major 3rd, the C# is the #9 and the E is the #11 (edit: or as a b5, to keep up appearances of a V chord)
                                    evolucian wrote: You're on the right path... when you come across a chord that has something like that... you can see the minor 3rd as a #9...

                                    In this instance the root note would be Bb. So the notes present are Bb - D - C# - E. The D is the major 3rd, the C# is the #9 and the E is the #11.
                                    Ah. They don't call you "Yoda" for nothing.
                                      X-rated Bob wrote: Ah. They don't call you "Yoda" for nothing.

                                      Lol, don't know so much about that... but thanks ? This example was a difficult one though... an example that really gets you thinking outside the conventional key limit (even though there isn't a limit, some folk get trapped into thinking thats all there is in a key - 7 chords - only possibilities being 7ths and further extensions).

                                      If someone would be so kind as to post their own example that they'd like to see others guessing, that would be cool ?