Help Analysing this Song/Chord/Scale

[diijay]

The song is composed with this chords:
The number on the right corresponds to the octave.
B4 Ab4 Bb4 C5
B3 Ab3 Bb3 C4
Ab3 E3 Gb3 Ab3
Ab2 E2 Gb2 Ab2

Abdim - Eaug - Gbaug - Abaug

Emajor without the root or Abdim..Ab,B,D
Eaug:E,Ab,C-without the fifth
Gbaug:Gb,Bb,D-without the fifth
Abaug:Ab,C,E-without the fifth

It could be those two scales:

E minor lydian: E; F#/Gb; G#/Ab; A#/Bb; B; C; D;
or
Ab whole tone scale:G#/Ab; A#/Bb; C; D; E; F#/Gb;

however the melody plays this notes:

B Ab Bb C B Ab Bb C B Ab Db C Eb Ab Gb Eb, and as you can see has some notes outside the scale and those notes form a harmony outside the scale as well as you can on the following.

Some melody notes plays together with the chords forming this chords: Gb+Bb+Db(Gbmajor), Ab+B+Eb(Abminor),Ab+C+Eb(Abmajor)

Any more thoghts analysing this?

Any books that teaches more about this kind of composing and the lydian scale?

[C00kie]

The song

Got an example online of how it actually sounds?

is composed with this chords:
The number on the right corresponds to the octave.
B4 Ab4 Bb4 C5
B3 Ab3 Bb3 C4
Ab3 E3 Gb3 Ab3
Ab2 E2 Gb2 Ab2

Looks more like that's the bassline. You'd never put the octave next to chords.

Also after an E I'd write F# instead of Gb, to keep continuity in the scale and not skip F inbetween E and G. And that also makes the Ab a G# and the Bb an A#. So after this minor correction that would make it:
B G# A# C
B G# A# C
G# E F# G#
G# E F# G#

Emajor without the root or Abdim..Ab,B,D

G# B D would be G#dim or Bdim. If the bass plays B#, I'd go for B#dim.

Eaug:E,Ab,C-without the fifth

E G# C: I suspect the bass plays G#, so based on that G# C E (an inversion of the notes you named) is G#+5.

Gbaug:Gb,Bb,D-without the fifth

F# A# D: again if root note is A# then A# D F# is A#+5.

Abaug:Ab,C,E-without the fifth

G# C E we've seen before as G#+5.

So the whole collection of notes we get from the chords is:
A# B C D E F# G#
Normally, three sharps would be the key of D (F# C# G#) so this scale is not the to be expected natural major or minor scale.
If you look at the tone distances in semitones: 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 is quite odd. The two semitone intervals next to each other disqualifies most "normal" scales. Not really my territory, so I refrain from trying to label it. And without having listened to the whole composition it's rather futile. The excersize on paper is not all there is to it.

however the melody plays this notes:
B Ab Bb C B Ab Bb C B Ab Db C Eb Ab Gb Eb

Rewritten:
B G# A# C B G# A# C B G# C# C D# G# F# D#
and ordered:
A# B C C# D# F# G#

Combined with the notes from the chords:
A# B C C# D D# E F# G#

I'd really need to listen to it to be able to analyse it further. You left some clues to do a reconstruction in a sequencer. But I can't do that right now, and the timing info is still missing.

[diijay]

Thanks for the answer but you are looking for a different point of view, you saying there is a bassline.

Why didn't you analyse the bassline being Ab,E,Gb,Ab or G#,E,F#,G# just like I did, and what is missing is the 5th instead of the root?

Is it because the bassline moves more than your way or sounds better your way?

In your way of seeing things the bass moves smaller interval, is it another way of seeing things or most likely the way it should be and it would sound better this way?

Thanks.

[C00kie]

Thanks for the answer but you are looking for a different point of view, you saying there is a bassline.

No, I said it looks like a bassline. Since I haven't heard this piece I'm just guessing. I had to do it with the info you gave me, and that leaves lots of room for interpretation.

Single notes aren't chords. Yet! Good info if you want to replay it, but the octave in which notes are played is irrelevant for analysis.

Why didn't you analyse the bassline being Ab,E,Gb,Ab or G#,E,F#,G# just like I did

You confused me with putting the B Ab Bb C sequence before the Ab E Gb Ab. I had no way of knowing what bass notes coincided with what chords (if they ever do) from the info you provided. I stated the words if and suspect to make clear it's just my interpretation.

and what is missing is the 5th instead of the root?

Do you just want to get approval that your analysis is right, or are you open for other interpretations?
Three out of the four chords I named were "5+". That means the 5th is raised by a semitone. The other was "dim", which means the 5th is lowered by a semitone. So the perfect 5th is never there indeed.

Is it because the bassline moves more than your way or sounds better your way?

In your way of seeing things the bass moves smaller interval, is it another way of seeing things or most likely the way it should be and it would sound better this way?

To be honoust, I'm clueless about how it actually sounds and what the bass plays. If you could post a clip (.mid or .mp3) that would be very VERY helpful.

[diijay]

Hey Cookie thanks for the answer.

I am just trying to think in a diferent way or analyse in another way.

Just trying to understand why you analysed that way instead of mine, meaning you didn't use the notes provided as bass notes(G#,E,F#,G#).

You think it sounds better your way?why?
I am not comparing just trying to undestand your logic, analysis and the reason you thought that way instead of mine?

Thanks.

This is the music, my notes/chords might be even wrong I am just analysing what I did.

[C00kie]

Ah, now we're getting somewhere.

There's a bass playing | G# | E | E F# | G# |
and the "melody" does | B | G# | G# A# | C |

That's just a third's interval (plus an octave or two) with the bass line. Not uncommon to omit the fifth, not worth noting. It leaves lots of open room to your imagination to fill in whatever you'd like, but the major and minor third intervals are strong enough to give the suggestion of full chords.

Here's the chords I can make of it used in the first minute or so:

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| G#m  | E    | E   F# | G#    |

The first chord implies the regular minor scale of G#, in which the E major chord solves seamlessly. But the surprise is that the fourth bar goes to the G# major scale and then swiches back to minor when the progression repeats. Quite a dramatic effect.

Note that I wrote C as the last note for melody. In theory that should be called B#. Ab and G# scales are the worst to note down imho.

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Ab Major: Ab Bb C  Db Eb F  Gb Ab
Ab Minor: Ab Bb Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab
G# Major: G# A# B# C# D# E# F# G#
G# Minor: G# A# B  C# D# E  F# G#

Note that in Ab Minor there's a Cb (same as B) and Fb (same as E) while in G# Major there's a B# (same as C) and E# (same as F). So whichever you choose, it doesn't go smoothly.

It would be so much easier if it were a semitone higher:

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| A    | F    | F  G | Am  |

or lower:

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| G    | Eb   | Eb F | Gm  |

Maybe I'd rather pick Ab over G#, but it's really a moot point.