KVR Audio

Wavves · Post by **Wavves** » Sat Apr 02, 2011 1:25 am

Is Daft Punk's "Something about us" in Cmajor? I'm pretty sure it is, but I could be wrong. I'm working through a tutorial now here I'm playing out the chords now and writing down the progression. Just wanna make sure I'm right, or wrong....The C# sharp chord is throwing me off, since there no sharps in Cmajor, but combined with the other notes (G-A-C#) its apparently an A7 and A is a note in the key of Cmajor.

Original song here

Audiosprite · Post by **Audiosprite** » Sun Apr 03, 2011 10:59 pm

i scanned through the tune and i'd say it's in D Dorian, which has the same key signature as C major, yes. the A7/C# is the dominant.

Username652719 · Post by **Username652719** » Fri Apr 08, 2011 1:01 am

Don't worry about what is "in" or "out" of the key signature. If the song starts with a tonic on C and end with a tonic on C, it's in C.

I'm guessing you hear the C# as a little funny, and you should, because it's not traditional, but you must also note that it's certainly not enough (in either time or space) to cause the tonal center to be seriously degraded and the ear to shift. Because of this, it's simply irregular sounding, and does not alter the tonal center.

Baxter · Post by **Baxter** » Fri Apr 08, 2011 1:34 am

This tune is simply in the key of D minor. Dorian is not a key, it is a mode (scale). Keys are either major or minor. The D dorian mode is (D/E/F/G/A/B/C). In this song, the scale used most predominantly is the D natural minor scale (D/E/F/G/A/Bb/C/D), although this song does also use the dorian pentatonic scale (D/F/G/A/C), but, if you will notice, the dorian pentatonic scale is already a part of the D natural minor scale, only with E and Bb omitted. Notice that the only difference between the D minor scale and D dorian mode is that D minor has a Bb, and D dorian has a B natural. (Nice tune, by the way.)

Baxter

Audiosprite · Post by **Audiosprite** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:48 pm

Baxter wrote:This tune is simply in the key of D minor. Dorian is not a key, it is a mode (scale). Keys are either major or minor. The D dorian mode is (D/E/F/G/A/B/C). In this song, the scale used most predominantly is the D natural minor scale (D/E/F/G/A/Bb/C/D), although this song does also use the dorian pentatonic scale (D/F/G/A/C), but, if you will notice, the dorian pentatonic scale is already a part of the D natural minor scale, only with E and Bb omitted. Notice that the only difference between the D minor scale and D dorian mode is that D minor has a Bb, and D dorian has a B natural. (Nice tune, by the way.)

Baxter

There are Bs in the core chord progression, though, as in the Em and G chords. No Bbs. And I've never found anything constructive to come out of differentiating between modes and traditional scales.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:15 am

Audiosprite wrote:I've never found anything constructive to come out of differentiating between modes and traditional scales.

That's your problem, it shouldn't become the person's problem you are acting as if to advise.

D dorian has D as a tonic; it most assuredly is not C major. C major has C as a tonic. These are NOT interchangeable objects. Modes are not traditional scales. When something is different, you differentiate between them. D dorian doesn't have the Bb D minor does. There is a different construction again. They're used differently, which may have escaped your notice. When there is different usage and different construction, there is a 'differentiation' to be made that's real. I have no idea what that statement is even supposed to mean in your own mind, but it's misleading to someone new to the concepts.

Audiosprite · Post by **Audiosprite** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:29 am

jancivil wrote:I have no idea what that statement is even supposed to mean in your own mind.

Apparently, because you just agreed with me.

Wavves · Post by **Wavves** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:27 pm

Time for a thread revival!

I want to cover/remix this song and a couple others with my friends/production collective leading up to an EP release, so once again. I'm calling on the mystical ear powers of the more experienced musicians here lol, who have been helping me thus far. I have the chords that start the song and play throughout obviously, and the bass I missing 3 parts.

The funky guitar melody that comes in at 0:19 is that a guitar? lol

The synth notes that start at 0:58

Melody that starts at 2:13

HALP PLZ LOL

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:43 pm

Audiosprite wrote:
jancivil wrote:I have no idea what that statement is even supposed to mean in your own mind.
Apparently, because you just agreed with me.

Again, I did not. I find it useful to make a distinction where there is a difference.

To someone - particulary a beginner, which is who I'm trying to provide the most useful information for, and provide clarity to the rest of readers as they find it - the "C scale" might be seen as the same thing as D dorian, E phrygian etc. It's a row of 7 tones that correspond with the white keys. There may be confusion of terms, so I provide a distinction: the D dorian mode has the tonic D or it isn't dorian mode. That's a 'construction' I find useful to teach someone with.

Beyond that, I am interested in modal music practice such as raga, which does not consider a row of tones (eg., thaat) such as a westerner might find convenient to call a 'mode', as the same thing as a scale. That approach would be insufficient. The tones in the given thaat (which is a kind of parent to a family of ragas) have a relationship to the tonic that are particular and subtle, and the given vakra (broken) forms will accord with and expound upon these relationships. OTOH: a C scale might have characteristics according to harmonic usage. These are definitely different areas of music.

These distinctions may be lost on you but that should not become another person's limitations.

Is this song in Cmajor?