Harmony analysis: JQUAI The Return of the Space Cowboy

[Ph-J]

Ok,so I've listened to the rest:

Verse:
Db Maj - Fsus/C (*)- Cb Maj - Absus
Db Maj - Fsus/C - Cb Maj - Gb7sus - Ab7sus -
Dbmin7 - CbMaj7 - Ab7sus

Chorus:

Ebmin9 - Fmin9 - Bbmin9 // Ebmin9 - Fmin9 - Bbmin9 //
Ebmin9 - Fmin9 - Bbmin9 // Ebmin9 - Fmin9 //

I played only the chords here
http://home.scarlet.be/~tsa10920/space_cowboy.mp3

So actually, the verse stays in Db
IMaj7 - III 7sus (a sus V of vi, actually) - bVII Maj7 - V7sus (x 2)
Imin7 - bVII Maj7 - V7sus
(I suppose the fact you can hold Bb and Eb on the 2d, 3d and 4th chord makes it sound so smooth)

The chorus goes to Bbmin: iv min9 - v min9 - i min9 (with a minor v)

What I don't get is where the G6add9 and A11 quoted in Eddu's post come from ?!


(*) or Cmin7add4 for those who prefer

(addendum about the second chord: the reason I prefer to call the second chord Fsus/c is because a Cmin chord in Db should have a flat 5, while calling it Fsus/C makes it a secondary dominant to Bbmin, in which the g natural, if you play one, is the raised 6th degree)

[eddu]

Kullervo thanks a lot!

Its been like the private lesson i always wanted to have! (chord only playing included!)

Sorry, but its been so good i am thinking in coming back with another harmony analisys...hehe

Tha chords were an extract from some gutar tablature's site, but yeah your playnig seems identical to the original so they might be wrong. As i dont i play piano the exact chords are more difficult for me to find, it was wonderful to hear them isolated from the rest.

Thank you to everybody again

[eddu]

Uh i forgot one last question..is there any reason other than "it sounds good, lets go there" to have the verse in Bmin? I mean, is there any rule when modulating? Do certains modulations fit better than other?

[JumpingJackFlash]

Uh i forgot one last question..is there any reason other than "it sounds good, lets go there" to have the verse in Bmin? I mean, is there any rule when modulating? Do certains modulations fit better than other?

Well, Kullervo said the Verse is in Db major, and the chorus is in Bb minor.
So, yes there is a very good reason for that key change: Bb minor is the relative minor of Db major. - They have the same key-signature. This is a very common key change, and it works well because the keys are so similar.

For more details, look in my post on Sharps, Flats and how to work out Keys.
And also, my Introduction to modulation (changing key).

[eddu]

I see.

So, for example, is a modulation on the V dominant good because of this relationship?

So for example having verse in Cmaj and chorus on GMaj or Min 7?

[JumpingJackFlash]

I see.

So, for example, is a modulation on the V dominant good because of this relationship?

So for example having verse in Cmaj and chorus on GMaj or Min 7?

Yes. - The dominant key contains only one more sharp, so they are closely related. The modulation therefore sounds more natural than to keys that are more distantly related (keys which have few notes in common). The modulation to the dominant is very common. (You can also use the Cycle of Fifths to keep modulating up in 5ths, which if you do it long enough, you eventually arrive back where you started).

Similarly, modulating to the subdominant (IV), is also fairly common because again, the keys share the same notes with only one exception.

Modulating to the relative minors (or majors as applicable) of these keys can also be done for the same reasons.

Note though that keys, unlike chords, are not named 'minor 7' or anything like that. - The key is essentially the major or minor scale on which the music is primarily based, and scales contain seven different notes. So, adding a seventh to a triad is fairly common, but you cannot add a seventh to a scale or key (they already contain it).

[Ph-J]

Kullervo thanks a lot!

you're welcome

[BosseJo]

Are you anlyzing the keyboard chords only? The bass is clearly playing a Gb over the third chord (two rather quick ones I think and then up to Ab) which brings the harmony closer to the original chord (Gb6/9) imo.

I would probably notate the proposed F7sus/C chord either as Cm7 or Cm11. It depends on what purpose the transcrition has (and for what instrument). Cm something for sure since the chromatic bass line is what I think is important and I think F7sus/C is making the transcription harder "to get".

[Ph-J]

Are you anlyzing the keyboard chords only? The bass is clearly playing a Gb over the third chord (two rather quick ones I think and then up to Ab) which brings the harmony closer to the original chord (Gb6/9) imo.

Well, the bass is playing two short Gb to give some movement, but it doesn't change the harmony, Gb is just the 5th of CbMaj7

I would probably notate the proposed F7sus/C chord either as Cm7 or Cm11. It depends on what purpose the transcrition has (and for what instrument). Cm something for sure since the chromatic bass line is what I think is important and I think F7sus/C is making the transcription harder "to get".

I'm understand the 'harder to get', but I should point that the notation I used was chosen for analysis purposes, ie. to replace everything in the Db context. Now, BMaj7 is also easier to read than CbMaj7, but it makes matters more complicated when you try to understand what is happening tonally.

For the F7sus/C or Cmin7add4: dunno, the second notation might be easier to read, but to me, functionnally, the chord is not a Cmin (vii) chord.

[loachm]

...one of my favourite songs ever with some lovely chord progressions... thanks for the work...

(...and let's not forget the marvellous drumming and bass playing in this song ...)

[BosseJo]

Are you anlyzing the keyboard chords only? The bass is clearly playing a Gb over the third chord (two rather quick ones I think and then up to Ab) which brings the harmony closer to the original chord (Gb6/9) imo.

Well, the bass is playing two short Gb to give some movement, but it doesn't change the harmony, Gb is just the 5th of CbMaj7

I think it does. The pull from Cb (or B) is so strong there so I think it's more correct to notate a Gb chord there otherwise I feel that the important bass movement is missing.

[Ph-J]

Are you anlyzing the keyboard chords only? The bass is clearly playing a Gb over the third chord (two rather quick ones I think and then up to Ab) which brings the harmony closer to the original chord (Gb6/9) imo.

Well, the bass is playing two short Gb to give some movement, but it doesn't change the harmony, Gb is just the 5th of CbMaj7

I think it does. The pull from Cb (or B) is so strong there so I think it's more correct to notate a Gb chord there otherwise I feel that the important bass movement is missing.

hmm, are you by chance a bassist ?
Actually, he plays Cb, interchange lower Gb Cb G Cb, then he approaches the Ab from F F# G Ab, but this still doesn't change the harmony. Note this has nothing to do with the importance of it to the global sound.

hey, here is the bass on my ep

http://home.scarlet.be/~tsa10920/space_cowboy_bass.mp3

(hmm, now I have to say, the bassist seems to think the second chord is a Cmin, crap or do bassist always play the C in a Fsus/C like it's a normal C ? )

[BosseJo]

Are you anlyzing the keyboard chords only? The bass is clearly playing a Gb over the third chord (two rather quick ones I think and then up to Ab) which brings the harmony closer to the original chord (Gb6/9) imo.

Well, the bass is playing two short Gb to give some movement, but it doesn't change the harmony, Gb is just the 5th of CbMaj7

I think it does. The pull from Cb (or B) is so strong there so I think it's more correct to notate a Gb chord there otherwise I feel that the important bass movement is missing.

hmm, are you by chance a bassist ?

Nope, guitarist

hey, here is the bass on my ep

http://home.scarlet.be/~tsa10920/space_cowboy_bass.mp3

Are there different versions? I got mine from I-tunes.

[Ph-J]

Are there different versions? I got mine from I-tunes.

lol, nope, I wasn't clear: it meant, here is me trying to play the bass notes on my keyboard

(i played the chords a bit above in the thread, this time i tried the bass)

[BosseJo]

Are there different versions? I got mine from I-tunes.

lol, nope, I wasn't clear: it meant, here is me trying to play the bass notes on my keyboard

(i played the chords a bit above in the thread, this time i tried the bass)

Well, I got that part... I did some searching and there seems to be different versions of the song? I also found this on mytube:



There's even a live clip with the guy playing bass with Jamoroquai.