Would appreciate some help approaching this solo...

Hi folks -- I could use a little help thinking about how to approach soloing over the chorus to the Moody Blues "The Story in Your Eyes." I'm playing this song with some folks, and am taking a solo over the verse and chorus structure in the middle of the song (which doesn't happen in the recorded version).

So it would be verse / verse / chorus. The verse is just "Am / D / Am / D / G / C/ G", so it works out really well with Am pentatonic licks (joy!), then I just hit chord tones for the G - C - G change.

But the chorus ("Listen to the tide slowly turning....") is throwing me, and this song moves along quickly. I appreciate those of you more grounded in theory -- which is pretty much all of you -- suggesting a simple approach to soloing over this part. The chorus is:

Em / B / Em / G / B / A / Bm / A / G / D / E

I started with a 12th position Em pentatonic position, but the G chord really clashes. Thx!

Boo, I played this song in a band years ago. I don't have time now, but I'll give it a shot later on if you haven't come up with anything by then.

Em / B / Em / G / B / A / Bm / A / G / D / E

I started with a 12th position Em pentatonic position, but the G chord really clashes. Thx!

That's curious since the Emin pent is the same as the G major pentatonic.

I think I would use E minor over most of it, but try to hit D#s or F#s during those B major chords-they're V of the Emi.

Then once you get to the Bm/A /G etc, you're pretty much in D major/B natural minor-it's the Stairway solo progression.

Hope that helps some!

Hi boo-radley, the chords I hear and read online for the chorus are something more like this...

Em F#m G F#m (listen to the tide slowly turning, wash all out heartaches away)
F#m G (?) A <-- this is the fast change (we're part of the fire that is)
Bm A G D E (burning, from the ashes we can build another day)

Are you sure it's B major on the chorus there? I just had a listen and it sounds like Bm to me. If that's the case, E minor pentatonic will get you through most of it. As Samrsmiley says, it's the same handful of notes as G major pentatonic, so I'm not sure why it's a problem for the G chord. I'd definitely play the changes over that Bm-A-G sequence; that's such a strong moment.

Yeah, this ...

Em F#m G F#m (listen to the tide slowly turning, wash all out heartaches away

And then | A | A | Bm | A | G | D | Esus4 | E |

You'll notice on the recording that Justin doesn't solo over that part - it's not so simple. Straight minor penta doesn't really work too well. Take your que from the vox - play the changes. The melody sticks around B A G and F# (for the Em F#m G part). Then you can do Bm penta for the Bm A G part but switch to E on the Esus to E.

This is possibly my fave Moody's tune.
*GREAT FUZZ tone on the solo!

I was going offer suggestions for the chorus chords, but klasaine beat me to it. There's no B major in this song. Ken's chorus chords:
From waparker -Em F#m G F#m
And then | A | A | Bm | A | G | D | Esus4 | E |

I would only add that the D sounds good as a D/F#, walking down to the Esus4.

I would approach the solo in Am pentatonic for the first part, and G major pentatonic for the last phrase. The MBs don't solo over the chorus chords, but I would go Em pent > F#m pent, G major Pent > F#m pent > A major pent > Bm pent > G major pent > E major pent, or E Mixo because it is becoming the V chord for the Key of Am (A dorian really.) Point of clarification - the 5 in A dorian is Em, but as Joe Bob always says, there is really only one "musical" approach to a minor key song and that is to use the leading tone (G#, the major 7th of the A scale) in the dominant. Our ears want to hear it. Try playing an Em for that chord in this song. Sounds wrong, doesn't it? But in the intro, the E is minor??!! See? Composers can do what they want.

I would only add that the D sounds good as a D/F#, walking down to the Esus4.

But in the intro, the E is minor??!! See? Composers can do what they want.

D/F# - absolutely! (see, your ears are good :wink:)

*The intro Em is interesting isn't it? I 'think' I hear G and G# in there - E7#9 - arranged across the band (I don't know, maybe? I vacillate on that). The lead guitar hits a double bent high "A" (the 4th) right before the vox are in.

Thanks all - yes, I had the chords wrong in the chorus; it's an F#m and not a B major.

JB, I'm not good enough to play a different scale for each change; I like the idea of focusing on the notes Klasaine suggests, then the Bm pentatonic. I'll try that tonight. It's a really fun song to play, and a chance to hit the E7#9 chord the beginning outside of the usual blues cliches.

I'll put the chorus on the looper pedal, slowly, and see what I can find.

I'm not 'entirely' sure the E7#9 is the chord at the end of each intro section - so be careful with that (it won't sound wrong but it may or may not be what they actually play).

The melody notes I mentioned over Em F#m G section is what I would play. I love the way the band uses those notes melodically and I certainly can't come up with anything 'better'.

Thanks all - yes, I had the chords wrong in the chorus; it's an F#m and not a B major.

JB, I'm not good enough to play a different scale for each change; I like the idea of focusing on the notes Klasaine suggests, then the Bm pentatonic. I'll try that tonight. It's a really fun song to play, and a chance to hit the E7#9 chord the beginning outside of the usual blues cliches.

I'll put the chorus on the looper pedal, slowly, and see what I can find.

Don't play scales, play music. I'm just saying that the notes you would use over those changes would be in the scales I mentioned. That chord in the beginning is a straight Em, not really E7#9, although I guess it would sound cool there.

I just read Ken's post wherein he says he hears a G# in there as well, so I have to go back and listen a little more closely.

I really don't hear the M3 in there.