A flat major where one note is always in the wrong key?

[empphryio]

Listen to Ambient Lullaby for the real world by Baron Bodissey on #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/RCvPE

Is it literally wrong? Or is it that it sounds like that Bach Well Tempered Clavier piece at first and when a note suddenly plays that isn't, it just seems wrong? I'm leaning toward that. As before the melody comes in it really sounds like the Bach WTC. Maybe I should just have the melody start immediately so people aren't busy thinking about Bach.

The tonic seems to be A flat but it always plays f# instead of g. Is it even really in a major key?

I did a second version with all f# pulled up to g.

Listen to Ambient Lullaby by Baron Bodissey on #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/3DM53

Something about this is mildly distressing to me. I prefer the "wrong" version. (Sorry for sound quality. Was possibly for OSC. Will replace the lead eventually as it gets too hard on the ears. Too bright turns to dull mush quickly when I mess with it.)

My question is, is the first one A flat major? Or is it C# major? Or is it not even major? Is it "wrong" or does the Bach similarity just distract?

[BertKoor]

Code: Select all

| Ab | Bb | Ebm | Ab |

Note that the melody contains a Gb which is the minor seventh of Ab, making it Mixolydian.

Is that wrong? No, just different. Not exactly what you expect

[xalama qo]

Hi, my initial thought after a quick listen is that perhaps you should reinforce the "wrong" note with the pad sound.
When I listen to the melody and the arp they don't seem clashy to me, but the sustained pad is the more dominant indicator of chord/key than the arp, and some of those pad notes need to move with the melody.
Imo

[shawshawraw]

Code: Select all

| Ab | Bb | Ebm | Ab |

Just a small error - the 2nd is Bbm. Otherwise well said!

ps I prefer the "right" version. Probably confirmation bias

[jancivil]

The b7 directs down to 6, the 3rd of the IV harmony. Functionally a plagal move to IV, ie., IV of IV. It's spelled Gb. Ab to F# is a stretch for the key of 4 flats, albeit it does form the basis for augmented sixth chords in C minor (eg., Ab C F#, a secondary dominant, of V).
an entirely different effect

[empphryio]

Thanks all for the comments. I will mess with the pads some more. Issue there is the attack is so slow I was avoiding changing notes much. I really love it without the pad.

[jancivil]

There's nothing untoward to address really. It's not typical tonal function (V never seems to resolve to I, always to vi) but there's a perfectly cromulent reason for a Gb.

Gb is the 7th of a V7 of IV in Ab, additionally. IV is tonicized again and again there.
Quite a lot of music uses materials that exceed a single scale off a

yer f**king welcome btfw