Harmony analysis: JQUAI The Return of the Space Cowboy

[eddu]

...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 ...)

Yes, i think bass is sooo cool!. JK's melody is amazing as well.

Kullervo could you do one last thing for me please. Could you post the chord's midi file here so that i can download it and see quickly the notes that are playing?

Thanks.

[eddu]

Sorry, but today i had the time to do the analysis myself and i have more questions.

Verse:
Db Maj - Fsus/C (*)- Cb Maj - Absus

So actually, the verse stays in Db
IMaj7 - III 7sus (a sus V of vi, actually) - bVII Maj7 - V7sus (x 2)

Second chord - III7sus

1. If i look the III chord on the DbMajor scale its Fmin, not F7sus, so, as you said it has more sense thought as a sus V of Vi but then, why cant i see the VI (Bbmin) after the dominant?
Instead of this perfect cadence then we go to CbMaj?? Isnt this anything but something harmonically right? (I know you can do what it sounds good, just trying to see if there's some reasonable theory here)

2. Third chord - CbMaj. I simply dont get it. Its not a chord from the dbmaj scale. The nearest chords i can find is Cdim (VII), but this is bVII and Maj instead of min. Then why do you say the verse stays on Dbmaj? Somebody said this chord was a modulation..isnt it?

I hope i have explained myself properly.

[Ph-J]

1st, here's the midifile with the chords
http://home.scarlet.be/~tsa10920/space_ ... chords.mid

Sorry, but today i had the time to do the analysis myself and i have more questions.

2. Third chord - CbMaj. I simply dont get it. Its not a chord from the dbmaj scale. The nearest chords i can find is Cdim (VII), but this is bVII and Maj instead of min. Then why do you say the verse stays on Dbmaj? Somebody said this chord was a modulation..isnt it?

I hope i have explained myself properly.

very properly, I was waiting for that one

Actually, I have 2 different propositions:

The first one would be, that, as I read on this very board some day (remember that my bg is classical), a lot of pop/rock/whatever music actually use the mixolydian scale as a basis for its harmony: so you don't have a vii half diminished (C Eb Gb Bb), but a bVII, the Cb Maj chord. The fact he always avoids to play a C on the V (dominant) chords and always sus them could support that idea (the only C we have is either coloring the Imaj7, or the 5th of the V of vi (ie not a Db chord)

I also have another proposition, somewhat related to the F7sus/C, though it might a bit contrived: take a deep breath the Fsus/c chord is a Cmin7(add4) chord alright, but functioning as the ii of the V of iv.
It is then followed by the CbMaj chord that would be a tritone substitute of the V of vi (B substituting for F as the bass), but as a sus chord, so instead of the common A Eb (D#) that would be common to the 2 chords, we would have Bb Eb.

Both propositions leads to your other point, we have either a ii-V(sus) of vi, or a V(sus) of vi, both of which do not absolutely have to be followed by the vi, the 'surprise' (the mixolydian bVII or the tritone sub for V of vi) is what makes the song interesting, after all.

And the vi does come alright...

...in the chorus

[eddu]

Mmm...ok i'll have to take a look a bit harder when i got time. Anyway i think i'll have to learn a bit more before understanding it all

Now theres another more generic question coming to my mind.

As the theroric explanation of the harmony seems to be a bit complex (or opened at least), i wonder if this song (or if this kind of tunes, composing style) has been written having all of this theory background in mind or its just some casual chord playing and a melody idea, along with excellent playing by good musicians of course.

To me this song (basically i am talking about the verse, the rest is easy) sounds too smooth to be just a "lucky" chord progression but, at the same time, still sounds fresh enough and not too bizarre (like other jazz style standars) to be catchy and kind of commercial.

I am quite new to harmony study and i've been composing for more than 10 years without using it. I think i cant make a so smooth progression like that (i play guitar, not keyboard, maybe this doesnt help much) but i really would like to. Will i get it studying or is it just the lack of talent??

[martian]

i think writing stuff like this probably has little initial thought to theory. with piano the smoothness comes from how you play the right hand chords, the less movement you have to make to each chord the smoother the transition. there may be an advantage over the guitar in this area because you can change the function of a chord just by changing LH bass.

so as an approach you're constantly experimenting by moving 1 or more fingers on the RH and most importantly the LH bass till you hone in on your next chord. then you can form long smooth progressions which dont really move anywhere on the RH (virtual insanity, another example), and esp with 4 finger RH voicing (which can create 5 finger chords including LH bass) they can seem quite complicated to explain theoretically.

but after the initial chords are found there may then be some theory knowledge or just experience used for key changes, or other sections.

thats my best bet anyway, not knowing them.