need some help

[sardonic]

F#m/+5 - Gsus2 - A6 - Bm/+5e+--------------------------------+
B+-2---3---5---7------------------+
G+-2---2---6---7------------------+
D+-0---0---4---5------------------+
A+--------------------------------+
E+-2---3---5---7------------------+
first of all, do i have the chord names correct?

second, i wanna make some sort of chorus with C#, D and E, but thats where i get stuck

what scale is this? F#phrygian?

im fairly new to jazz guitar theory, and am trying to use jazz stuff to enhance my poppy kinda play... so please dont make it too complicated

[sardonic]

ps. ive been reading a lot at this forum last couple of weeks, just couldnt post anything yet

[mahayana]

Nice little progression, Sardo.

All your chordnames are justifiable except your A6 is an Am6 ( A6 is 5X465X).

An F# phrygian scale is just D's major scale played from F# to F#. It has some notes in common with these first 4 chords.

[mjo]

O.K., I have a question.
The first chord: F#, D, A, C# ....why not call it D Maj7 / F#
Second chord:...I have no idea, G sus2 is fine with me ...
Third chord: A, F#, C#, E = F#-7 / A .....( it looks like a 6 on the G string, right ?)
Fourth chord: B, G, D, F# = G Maj7 / B.

This would put it in D major.
As for the chorus, try the chord qualities of the key, though, it may be nice to modulate a bit.

-best,
Mike

[sardonic]

yeah thats a 6 on the G string, code looks a bit odd at this forum

i named these chords F#, G, A, B coz thats wut the progression sounds like to me... i just didnt kno wut to do with the aug 5 since there's already a 5th in there:

F# (1) A (3) C# (5) D (+5)

i would have called it F#m-6 or F#m(m6) as in an altered/minor 6

why is there no min6 and maj6 anywayz?

why not do the same as with the 7's, where the min7 is played in both minor (m7) and major (7) chords, we could also state that the min6 is played as a standard, so:
Am6 = a c e f
A6 = a cis e f
Amaj6 = a cis e fis
Am(maj6) = a c e fis

this is probly all wrong for some reason ;D



bout the progression:

so for the chorus i could go D E C# D, but then with modulations (any suggestions?)
and how bout D G E A as chorus?

ps. this is where i usually get stuck, probly coz i dono anything bout modulation xept that it just makes sense to my ears most the times but if i cant figure it out by ear, im lost

[mahayana]

Sorry about misreading that 6 as a 5!

I like theory discussions. As you know, the same chord can have many correct names.

Though it's technically correct to talk about altering 2nds and 6ths, we avoid confusion by calling these altered notes 9ths and 13ths.

Professor would have some thoughts about the min6/maj6 question, but the simple answer is that the triad is what's minor or major. You're right to put the added altered note at the end of the name.

Now what is cis, fis?

[mjo]

Naming chords:
-(I'm no expert and I have my own troubles with this at times. Please correct me if I go astray)-
The minor or major 6th is dealt with in notation. A chord labeled as a "6" chord is presumed to mean a major 6th interval. To indicate a minor 6th use "b" (flat). You don't usually see chords labeled with a b6 - to me, this indicates that the chord may be better named from a different note, (you will see chords labeled as "b13", usually dominant chords. The use of extensions above 7 indicate that the note occurs in the octave above the 7th).

In the F# minor, listed above, the "D" is the 6th degree - (b6 actually). While mahayana is correct in saying that chords can be named in a variety of ways, this is usually a result of function within the progression.

....if I can stack notes in nice, tidy 3rds on the staff, I'm happy

As for building on the progression, by all means use your ear. If you have a melody in mind, let it dictate the harmony. You've set yourself up nicely, I think, with the bass line, try and build via that - up a 4th, 2nd, ?? You can always use the A7 to move into the D........

Well, I hope there's something useful in all that.
-best,
Mike

[sardonic]

well in the F# chord, the D i play is either a minor 6th or augmented 5th and not the 13th

i think one of the problems here is that there's so many different methods:
F#m/+5 or F#m(b6) or Fism(m6)

some even call it dim6

mahayana said:

Now what is cis, fis?

in europe we dont say F# but Fis, and chords we write with capitals, lose notes we dont:

F# = Fis: fis ais cis (F# A# C#)

[sardonic]

played this the other night:

e+--------------------------------+
B+-3---5---0---0------------------+
G+-0---0---0---0------------------+
D+-4---4---4---2------------------+
A+-3---5--------------------------+
E+---------0---0------------------+
but then i need some sort of bridge to go from Em back to the F#m

and i dont have any melody in mind yet, thats usually not how i write... i often listen to what the songs wants, where its leading to... problem is, im not hearing it, yet

[sardonic]

me again ;D

how about you guyz play a bit with these chords, record it and then post here... would love to hear what you come up with... i´ll post mine too, soonish

[mahayana]

I did play with your latest four, sardonic. I like open chords, (i.e. chords with one or more open strings). I'd call these D7sus4, D9sus4, Em9, Em.

My suggestion for resolving these to your original chords would be to play the last Em chord as X0200X (Em7) then emphasize the open D in your first chord 2X022X (don't play the bass F# when you first strike the chord).

[morjaz]

Sardo......couldn't resist extending your descending line to 0x400x, 0x200x, 02000x, 04200x, 03200x, but connecting back to an F#m?..I followed those descending chords with x3203, to 24000x...probably not of much use ...I'll be interested to see what others do with your progression

[sardonic]

i figured i dont really need a bridge back to F#m if i play some sorta melody line in Em

bout the names:

Csus#4/9 - D349 - Em/9 - Em

chord names are funny... the C im playing has a C, F#, G and D... if the F# was a F it would have been a sus4, so i simply called it a sus#4, and the D is just an added 9... another approach is to just mention wat other notes are in the chord, so i have a D with an F# (3), G (4) and E (9) ;D

dont you guyz record the stuff you play?

im still working on my verzion of this song, will post when its done

[mjo]

Hey, that was a good idea,.....playing the song, rather than "blind analysis" !

I'm going to stick with naming the chords, rather than going too far with building on it. I don't have the technology to record and post and the way I was playing this is likely different from what you have in mind. -(if you know diminished and minor 7, b5 chords, you can make just about anything happen with this tune)-

I'm going to stick, pretty much with my original thoughts on your first section. This sounds, very much like a I IV V to me = Dmaj, G, A6 (as a dominant)..........let's forget the F#minor chords, yours and mine.

The new section you posted I, honestly had a hard time defining. These voicings seem very open and don't dictate a specific function. Having said that, I hear very little difference between the 4th chord of your first section and the 1st chord of your second section. - that means I want to put them both in the G major camp. The 2nd chord of this "new section",=D,F#,G,E I would tend to name as D6,9, which tends to sound fairly ambiguous as far as function. The last 2 chords work well as E minor chords and would set up a ii - V back to D.

From what I know, (somewhat limited) I would encourage you to avoid names like "sus#4" and "D349". The last example, in particular is used to define specific inversions of a chord, (letter name, followed by intervals) and this could be confusing to someone reading a chart.

That's my take on this. Let me know what you think. Best o' luck with the tune, I think you have some nice voicings in there !

-best,
Mike

[Professor]

If you want to go back to F#, then you need to go to C#7 or E#dim7.


Or...

From the bottom up.. G, D, B, E#. G and E# resolve out to F#, D resolves to C# and B to A#.