Help On a Chord Change

[vournikas]

Evening, all

The last couple of days I've been toying with playing along to some Zero 7 tunes on my guitar, and they're simple but very satisfying to play.

However, I'm having trouble working out the "middle" or "chorus" bit in this tune:-

I Have Seen

Go to 1:25 for the change.

I've got the verse down as Eb / Ab / Gb (so key of Gb major, I think), but when the tune gets to, 'Time goes so slow......' I just can't nail that chord down. It's got an Ab note in there somewhere, but I'm stumped as to where to go after that.

Any help is appreciated!

[languagetimothy]

Yep tricky... is it from the Abm to Ab7 then adding the F on the B string (whatever that chord is... callled) then moving to a C major?

[vournikas]

Great thinking, Sir!

I've just been fiddling around using your Ab minor idea, and that first chord in the "change" works out as (something like) an Ab minor add4 type thing (Ab / Db / Ab / Cb) moving to Ab maj. The last two ascending chords of the chorus then came easily: Bb maj / Db maj.

Many thanks, and a virtual pint for you

[Super Slo Mo]

I haven't listened to the tune yet, will do it tomorrow, but just for your info, it's not an 'add 4th', it's an 'add 11th', which is essentially the same thing, it's just terminology.

[vournikas]

Aye, I thought "add 4" wasn't the right chord description, just the best I could come up with when adding a 4th note to an Abm.

[Super Slo Mo]

Right, I have sat at the piano for a few minutes and think it is the following:

Key of Eb Minor.

First three chords are Ebm, Abm and Gb.

Then we have some modulation going on. I haven't figured out into which keys, I think we have 2 changes but it's not that important.

Anyway, as far as I can tell, the chords at the change/chorus are: Emaj7 (E chord with D#), Fminor 9, these are repeated. Then there's a Gm7, to a C major chord, and it ends on what appears to be a B7 before the verse starts again in the original key.

I might be miles out, but it sounds about right, and the tonal elements of the maj7 and 9th chords appear to fit.

[GetCarter]

I assume you mean 1:28... and as SSM says it's E maj 7 to F min 9

[Edwin Strohacker]

Super Slo Mo said:

Right, I have sat at the piano for a few minutes and think it is the following:

Key of Eb Minor.

First three chords are Ebm, Abm and Gb.

Then we have some modulation going on. I haven't figured out into which keys, I think we have 2 changes but it's not that important.

Anyway, as far as I can tell, the chords at the change/chorus are: Emaj7 (E chord with D#), Fminor 9, these are repeated. Then there's a Gm7, to a C major chord, and it ends on what appears to be a B7 before the verse starts again in the original key.

I might be miles out, but it sounds about right, and the tonal elements of the maj7 and 9th chords appear to fit.

Sounds exactly like that to my ears, which would make it a quick key change from D# to E.(or Eb to E depending on your perversions) nothing more than that, no need to over complicate things.

[Super Slo Mo]

Phew

[vournikas]

Thanks for all the added input, people

I've not tried all the Eb suggestions yet, but I'm not looking forward to playing Fm9 that's for sure (I'm shyte at playing "jazz" guitar chords as I call them)

[Edwin Strohacker]

I really like Zero 7, they got lumped in with the dinner party end of things in the chilled dance scene but I reckon they were pretty polished arrangers & writers. I know Andy Nunn a bit who plays keys with Morcheeba & he rates them, I think he's right

[GetCarter]

vournikas said:

I'm not looking forward to playing Fm9

Em9 (first position) is one of the easiest chords to play on the guitar (just 2 fingers needed). Fm9 is just the same, but a finger stretching pinkie stress.

Top tip to make that stretch easier... your left hand (assuming you are right handed) should be almost in front of the left of your chest - not way out to the left of your body (low slung - rock and roll style). It makes fm9 - and most other chords with a barre MUCH easier to play. If you watch a classical guitarist, you'll see what I mean.

Edited by GetCarter on Monday 20th March 17:21

[vournikas]

GetCarter said:

vournikas said:

I'm not looking forward to playing Fm9

Em9 (first position) is one of the easiest chords to play on the guitar (just 2 fingers needed). Fm9 is just the same, but a finger stretching pinkie stress.

Top tip to make that stretch easier... your left hand (assuming you are right handed) should be almost in front of the left of your chest - not way out to the left of your body (low slung - rock and roll style). It makes fm9 - and most other chords with a barre MUCH easier to play. If you watch a classical guitarist, you'll see what I mean.

Edited by GetCarter on Monday 20th March 17:21

I've had a look, and yep Fm9 looks OK actually. It helps that (after xxx years of playing) I last year decided for no apparent reason to shorten the strap length for my guitar, so it now sits John Petrucci fashion rather than Jimmy Page. The difference is night and day when one has short-ish fretting fingers.

[vournikas]

May I trouble the experts on another chordal question? This one is the jazz "standard" Fly Me To The Moon, of which I've sussed out the main tune on guitar.

Have a listen to this from 0:12 to 1:04:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdJ0zMv4N4o

This intro - for me - makes the tune, but for the life of me I cannot work it out and google is failing me. Just before Tony sings, "Poets often......." the chord "sounds" Cmaj-ish but being a jazz tune (and I'm very much on a steep learning curve on jazz guitar), there's probably more to it than that.

Any and all advice - as always - appreciated

[Eddie Strohacker]

I'm no jazz guitarist....but the specific chord sounds like EbMaj7 to to me.