What the F?

Snowman999

Active member
There are songs I hear that I can listen to endlessly. When I eventually get around to looking up the chords they always seem to be F - C - F- C - F - G.

Is there a reason besides my personal taste that these chords represent? Example: It's said E is the rock chord. Minor makes it sad...
 
It is a bit unsettling to realize that so many great songs have very basic chord progressions. Writing hit songs should be so easy right? But that song is usually great because its got a very memorable melody. Add in nice memorable, singable lyrics and you've got a lot of classic songs.

It might not be 2 chords, but think about Let It Be. Just learn C-G-Am-F and you can play the whole song. Those are 4 of the most basic chords that every budding guitar player learns. The thing is, nobody really hums the chord progression. They sing the melody and words. The chords are the accompaniment, not the song.
 
12 Bar blues at it's most basic is 3 chords and most all rock and soul music is just variations of 12 bar anyway.
 
The chords to me come from what they were played on and the players level on the instrument in some cases. Guitar songs that need open strings mean E and A feature heavily. Oldies with Bert Weedon backgrounds had C, G and D, which I always thought odd because it needed better finger skills than a 12 bar in A. Self-taught pianists favour C,G and F, but my Academy taught pianist friend composes in keys that feature five flats or sharps frequently "because it sounds better". Hmmm.
 
Is there a reason besides my personal taste that these chords represent?.
No. It's just sheer coincidence. If you look through all of the songs you really like, you'll find variation, but you'll also find many that have the same or similar chord structures.
I'm also willing to bet that there are loads of songs or even just some songs that you don't care for that are FCFCFCGs. There are only 12 notes but infinite chord variations and even more infinite {:p} sequences. The law of averages almost dictates that many songs that anyone likes will bear the same or similar chord sequences.
 
Ya gotta understand that notes are vibrations...good vibrations
when you intermingle notes they become chords and those chords really do pull on your heart strings the minor major Sad happy thing..

I play songs in all kinds of keys these days but as a by ear player on keys I started with everything in C and C minor

As I started learning prog rock bands I'd notice certain songs I really liked were in weird keys like b minor ... Though I really like to sing songs starting in F... I also find myself digging starting of in A sharp , D, D sharp. A and E when I am working with guitarist.

All that said back to vibrations...so coool

I met this character last year named Frank Simes after an open mic in Monrovia @ 15 miles from the bowels of LA ....We started rapping and he told me about this show he was putting on out in "the valley" called the Big Strum Theory...Little did I know what a bad ass he was even though he had mentioned he was the current Musical Director for the Who...who? The Who...who? :laughings:

I digress...

Here's a video promo of his schtict very cool, very interesting and was worth the drive and the price of admission...I think...least that's how I remember it

YouTube
 
There are songs I hear that I can listen to endlessly. When I eventually get around to looking up the chords they always seem to be F - C - F- C - F - G.

Is there a reason besides my personal taste that these chords represent? Example: It's said E is the rock chord. Minor makes it sad...

Start listening to some old Zappa.... it'll break up that sh!t real quick.
 
There is a person named Ace, and he earned a capital F for failure?

Play the B A G D A D , A C E

He is famous!

Or D A D , C A G E D , A C E , A D D , F proves it mathematically.

F Am E , D Am A G ED , B A B E, G
 
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