famous beagle
Well-known member
Unless she was only capoing across strings 1-5, but with the way he named all the notes referenced to open position, this doesn't seem to be the case.
Unless she was only capoing across strings 1-5, but with the way he named all the notes referenced to open position, this doesn't seem to be the case.
JTC111
Active member
Oops... you're right. It would be a C7 (no 3rd, 5th in the bass). My damn brain farted on that one.
leddy
Well-known member
It's called the "go buy a Mel Bay book and find a teacher" chord.
zbert
In the swamps of Jersey
Thanks for all the help. Just to add a bit more of my confusion only working in the OP. The notes once again are (from low E) E A G G E E. Now considering the chord before it is C The chord looks more like a C6 with no C. Sorry for my confusion, and no, I do own a chord book and this is not in it. lol
leddy
Well-known member
Remember that chords don't have to always have all the notes, and inverting a chord can make it look like it is something different than what it truly is. You need to know the melody (and what scale(s) the melody is based on) and you need to know the function the chord is providing. That's one reason why you are getting multiple answers. You also won't get that knowledge from a book of chords.
G
ggunn
Crystal Flavolian
Those are the notes, or are they what they would be if it weren't capoed? The chord before it was a C, or is it what would have been a C if it weren't for the capo?
But the notes you cite could be an A7 with no third. It's also a G something and an E minor 11th with no 5th. I'm no music major, but I don't think you can call it any kind of a C chord if it doesn't have a C anywhere in it.
What does it feel like? I'm guessing it feels like a 5 chord. Does the bass player play a G against it?
D
dementedchord
Psychotic State alumni ch
where's a clip?? ya gotta hear it in context to resolve ambiguities...
famous beagle
Well-known member
This isn't necessarily true and is getting a bit off topic, but in jazz you play plenty of rootless voicings that aren't very ambigous at all. Sure, they could have more than one name, but my point is the root is not necessary in the voicing for the chord to be named after it.
Here's an example:
-------
---5--- E
---6--- C#
---5--- G
-------
-------
There's no A in this chord, but most people will hear it as an A7.
Or:
-------
---5--- E
---4--- B
---5--- G
---4--- C#
-------
This chord could be called a C#m7b5 (aka half diminished), but it's also a common rootless voicing for A9, especially in blues.
zbert
In the swamps of Jersey
I'll get a clip up tonight.
D
dementedchord
Psychotic State alumni ch
minor quibble... this is true ONLY if we can assume that there's a bass player and he's taking care of the root... in your m7b5 example it by it's nature would function as a dominant type chord... but cant be named specificly that if the root isnt present...
JTC111
Active member
But what you hear it as and what it is are two entirely different things. Granted, many chords share the same collection of notes and the name of the chord changes based upon the key of the song, however, no chord can ever actually be an A7 without an A in it.
Two instruments can combine to create a chord. Building on your example, if a guitarist plays a C#-E-G triad over a bass player's A, it would sound like an A7 but the guitar player is not playing an A7. I don't get the impression that's what's going on with the OP though.
NL5
Unpossible!
OK, I feel much better about my lack of musical understanding. I read through this entire post, and I think my head is gonna explode! 
G
ggunn
Crystal Flavolian
Yeah, that's why I was asking what the bassist was playing. Without an anchor it can be any one of a number of of things.
JTC111
Active member
Scratch the Em11th chord idea, in addition to there being no 5th, there's no 9th as well. And if it were some kind of G chord, it would be a G chord with either the 2nd or the 6th in the bass and I've never heard of such a thing.
I don't understand why you folks are trying to make this complicated. The move from the I to I7 is a very common one and that's all this appears to be, albeit, the player is using a variation on the I7... but good for her.
K
K Road
New member
Just what this thread and the chord currently under debate will resolve to has me in a state of exultant anticiption. Very interesting. But why not post a clip of the tune so we can hear it in musical context along with a diagram similar to that provided by famous beagle, I'm sure the matter could then be cleared up to everyon's satisfaction.
K.
K.
famous beagle
Well-known member
I suppose one could say this, but it seems awfully semantic.
I mean, first of all, what would you call (low to high) G-C#-E if you don't call it A7?
I guess you could call it Em6/G if you wanted, but that's not a common voicing for Em6, and it is a very common voicing for A7.
Secondly, music theory is really nothing more than applying names and terms for musical devices and explanations for how and why things work. It allows us to communicate with other musicians, but it doesn't exist in a vaccum. The "rules" of music theory are broken all the time, and if it's been communicated by two musicians that this is an A7 chord, then why can't it be?
Thirdly, if a guitarist is playing a solo arrangement and plays this chord, and it sounds (in context) like an A7, and he's thinking of it as an A7, and the audience is hearing it as an A7 ... and ... etc.
A rose by any other name ....
Walks like a duck, talks like a duck ....
etc.
zbert
In the swamps of Jersey
OK, here is a very quick mix from the HD24 throught the board, so please excuse the bad level matches. The vocals are about 80% done. There is just one guitar played by the singer/songwriter and a drum track. Nothing else.
http://www.box.net/shared/808101kn85
http://www.box.net/shared/808101kn85
famous beagle
Well-known member
Hmmmm ... I didn't hear the chord we were thinking it was anywhere in there. Do you know where it is?
If you're talking about the first chord, it has a D note (sounding pitch) in it ... sounds like the open second string capoed at the 3rd fret. That first chord sounds like this to me:
(Capo 3rd fret)
----0----
----0----
----0----
----5----
----0----
---------
This would be even more of an ambiguous chord, but I think the easiest name would be Em/A. This would be in reference to guitar, not sounding pitch. The sounding pitch chord name with the capo would be Gm/C
jasonbmerrill
the end of unreality
ive never seen something get so confusing for no reason...
famous beagle
Well-known member
Apparently, we needed to hear the track, because the chord described is not on the recording.