beach boys slash chords,7ths,9ths

walters

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beach boys slash chords songwriting

HOw can u songwrite using these Slash chords, 7ths,9ths, etc. like brian wilson did in the beach boys?

Even after going to music college and learned the theory of these chords i still can't songwrite using slash chords,7ths,9th.etc

Please look over these songs and the chords and what would u do or try to songwrites using these chords like the beachboys did?

Before i went to music school all my songs where just minor and major chords and even after music school i only just major and minor chords , how do u start to songwrite using these slash chords , 7ths,9ths like the beachboys did please?
 
God Only Knows (Brian Wilson/Tony Asher)



A....E....A....E....A.....E/G#....F#m7....E..F#.G

D/A.............Bm6
I may not always love you
F#m...F#m7.............B/A
But long as there are stars above you
E/B............Cdim
You never need to doubt it
E/B......................A#m7-5
I'll make you so sure about it
A...............E/G#.....................F#m7..............E..F#.G
God only knows what I'd be without you

D/A.................Bm6
If you should ever leave me
F#m........F#m7..................B/A
Though life would still go on believe me
E/B...............................Cdim
The world could show nothing to me
E/B............................A#m7-5
So what good would living do me
A................E/G#........................F#m7......(A...G...A...G...) or (E..F#.G..A..B.C)
God only knows what I'd be without you


G/D...Em6...Bm..Bm7....E/D...A/E...Fdim....A/E....D#m7(b5)
D...............A/C#............................Bm7
God only knows what I'd be without you

D/A.................Bm6
If you should ever leave me
F#m........F#m7..................B/A
Though life would still go on believe me
E/B...............................Cdim
The world could show nothing to me
E/B............................A#m7-5
So what good would living do me
A................E/G#........................F#m7.............E/G#
God only knows what I'd be without you

A...............E/G#..........................F#m7.......E/G#
God only knows what I'd be without you
A...............E/G#..........................F#m7.......E/G#
God only knows what I'd be without you
 
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (Brian Wilson/Tony Asher)


Gm7/C........................Bbadd9....................Ab9....................Dm7/G
I keep looking for a place to fit in where I can speak my mind
Gm7/C...............................Bbadd9.....................Ab9.....................Dm7/G...G7(b9)
I've been trying hard to find the people that I won't leave behind
............Eb............Eb/F...................Dm7.........Gm7.....Dm7/G....................G7(b9)
They say I got brains but they ain't doin' me no good I wish they could

Cm7.............F6.....................Cm7......F6
Each time things start to happen again
..Cm7................F6......................Cm7..............F6................................F7
I think I got something good goin' for myself but what goes wrong
Cm7/G.....................F..............Cm7/G..................F
Sometimes I feel very sad, sometimes I feel very sad
Cm7/G.....................F............Eb...A7+5...Dm7/G...G7(b9)
Sometimes I feel very sad
Cm7......F6/C..Cm7.................F.............Bb/C. /Bb. /Ab. Gm7
I guess I just wasn't made for these times

Gm7/C.........................Bbadd9...........Ab9.........................Dm7/G
Every time I get the inspiration to go change things around
Gm7/C..................................Bbadd9.........................Ab9.............................Dm7/G...G7(b9)
No one wants to help me look for places where new things might be found
Eb...................Eb/F.................Dm7................Gm7..........Dm7/G....................G7(b9)
Where can I turn when my fair-weather friends cop out what's it all about

Cm7.............F6.....................Cm7......F6
Each time things start to happen again
..Cm7................F6......................Cm7..............F6................................F7
I think I got something good goin' for myself but what goes wrong
Cm7/G.....................F..............Cm7/G..................F
Sometimes I feel very sad, sometimes I feel very sad
Cm7/G.....................F............Eb...A7+5...Dm7/G...G7(b9)
Sometimes I feel very sad
Cm7......F6/C...Cm7.................F.............Gm7/C....Bbadd9....Ab9....Dm7/G..G7(b9)
I guess I just wasn't made for these times

Cm7....F6......Cm7.............F6............Cm7
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
Cm7....F6......Cm7.............F6............Cm7
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
Cm7....F6......Fm6/Ab.......G7...........Ebm6/Gb
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
.........................F6..............................Cm7
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
 
That's Not Me (Brian Wilson/Tony Asher)


A6.............................................................................E7sus4........E7
I had to prove that I could make it alone now but that's not me
.....A6.............................................................................. E7sus4.........E7
I wanted to show how independent I'd grown now but that's not me
.............Bm7/F#...................E7
I could try to be big in the eyes of the world
...........Bm7/F#................E7.......................C#m7.........F#maj7....G#m7/F#
What matters to me is what I could be to just one girl

.........F#maj7...........................G#m7/F#......................F#maj7.....G#m7/F#
I'm a little bit scared 'cause I haven't been home in a long time
.........Bmaj7..........................B7...............................Emaj7..........E6
You needed my love and I know that I left at the wrong time

.......A6.......................................................................................E7sus4........E7
My folks when I wrote them told 'em what I was up to said that's not me
..........................A6................................................................................E7sus4.........E7
I went through all kinds of changes took a look at myself and said that's not me
...Bm7/F#.......................E7
I miss my pad and the places I've known
........Bm7/F#.............E7..................................C#m7....F#maj7....G#m7/F#
And every night as I lay there alone I would dream

...F#maj7.......................G#m7/F#..............................F#maj7.....G#m7/F#
I once had a dream so I packed up and split for the city
.........Gmaj7......................Am7/G......................Gmaj7....Am7/G
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
.......Cmaj7..............................C7..........................................F........F7
I'm glad I went now I'm that much more sure that we're ready

...F#maj7........................G#m7/F#.............................F#maj7.....G#m7/F#
I once had a dream so I packed up and split for the city
..F#maj7..........................G#m7/F#....................F#maj7.....G#m7/F#
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
 
Copyright violation. Thread reported.

Wait right where you are, walters. They're coming for you.
 
Slash chords are just the usual suspects played on a Gibson LP through a big Marshall stack cranked up to tube bleeding distortion.
Can't you change chords mid word, by syllable, quickly?
Or write a song about Jack the Ripper that should get the slashes happening.
Or primitive agricultural processes that way you'll get the burn as well.
 
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Play a riff, or a complete song, with vocals, and have someone else, a college trained someone else, write down the chords just from listening. You may find that you actually ARE writing in slash chords.
 
The notes in the slash chords are just there to create bass movement – this can be apparent with a lot of LP and XG work in the 70s and early 80s – also a lot of acoustic folk.

On the keyboard it also colours chords to lead them in other directions – like Gm7/C in I just wasn’t made for these times; the C is not in the main triad, but is the 2nd in the relative major Bb or the leading note to F major – the Bbadded9 then sustains that C while note being part of the Bb major triad.

Working with chords as a writing instrument often makes us just sing the main triad notes and only grace 2nd, 4th, 6th & 7th unless we hit the actual chords. The presents of slashes/augmentation allows the composer to to move the melody around a lot more while maintaining the over all character of the underlying chord.

Wilson essentially wrote melody and interwove complex harmony and the chords are a representation of that.

If you’re desperate to write with this level of augmentation and inferred bass movement then just start of with a few simple ones amongst straight triad and listen to the melody they suggest – as always your instincts will be the best guide
 
No, you did good. There's a large goup here who think walters is a troll, a pain and already know the answers to the questions he ask. I just think english isn't his main language. Plus he hit Talkbass Doublebass section with a theory question that was both brilliant and stunningly stupid in concept.( one of those things you take years to learn, but never actually think about) I admire that.
 
Cheers I see the pattern emerging in Walter’s post - still made me think about slash chords in my own writing - maybe it is part of a grand plan – you know like Chaos Theory!
 
Cheers I see the pattern emerging in Walter’s post - still made me think about slash chords in my own writing - maybe it is part of a grand plan – you know like Chaos Theory!

Nah, he's just baiting SSG, who at this very moment is writing a song on guitar that only uses 7th's and 9th's. He won't actually record and post it, but he'll tell walters exactly how to do it. Then walters will change the question, which in turn will set SSG off on a tirade.

You'll see.
 
Nah, he's just baiting SSG, who at this very moment is writing a song on guitar that only uses 7th's and 9th's. He won't actually record and post it, but he'll tell walters exactly how to do it. Then walters will change the question, which in turn will set SSG off on a tirade.

...then Ford Van will point out that SSG needs to put up or shut up, to which SSG will say he already has, but he'll be really pissed off saying it, so Ford Van will have a little chuckle.
 
Hopefully sweetnubs will contribute a little something in here, too, just to keep it moving.

He'll probably say don't even bother trying to write songs if they're going to be recorded on digital. In fact, just put your guitar up on eBay, it's not even worth it. He'll have to keep his post short though because he's short on time recording famous (never-heard-of-before) bands on his billion dollar analog studio gear while freelancing in 10 different studios simultaneously...
 
He'll probably say don't even bother trying to write songs if they're going to be recorded on digital. In fact, just put your guitar up on eBay, it's not even worth it. He'll have to keep his post short though because he's short on time recording famous (never-heard-of-before) bands on his billion dollar analog studio gear while freelancing in 10 different studios simultaneously...

Good point.
 
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