what is this chord progression?

[mlweidl]

so im playing lead this sunday and were playing this song in the key of B (same as the video) but the lead guitar player is playing a funky d chord i cant figure out
its just E Bb D A for the progression

i already knew all the other chords but..... i think its x77900 starting at low e
what do u think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLZvwCB6tCM

[mlweidl]

lead kicks in at 1:33 playing the chords

[blargfromspace]

Sounds like an Esus4 or an A9, depending on which way you look at it!

Play an E after it and it resolves nicely. I'm going to refrain from commenting on the song, definitely not my cup of tea, but sure seems to pull a crowd! Must be fun playing to that many people.

[jazztele]

I'm just trying to figure out how that progression is in the key of B.

[dmrogers]

Originally Posted by mlweidl

E Bb D A

If I am not mistaken, that would be a Bm instead of Bb.

We do that song in the key of D and the progression is:

D Am C G

Try it and see if it doesn't work better.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about what they are playing in the video, work out the chords and fingering that work with your group.

[Wally]

I hear that song as performed in the youtube video as being in the key of E. The vocal line begins on the V chord...B major. IT goes from there to the iim..Gbminor....then to A and back to the E chord. There is no D chord anywhere in that song.....four chords over and over.

[jbmando]

That video is in B. It goes B F#m A E over and over. They sometimes add the sus4 to the F#m. Yes, in normal theoretical terms, these chords are in the E major scale, especially the v minor (F#m) but the song's tonal center is obviously B major.

[jbmando]

If y'all don't believe me, what keys are "Let it Rain" by Eric Clapton and "It Don't Come Easy" by Ringo Starr in? If you say D, then this one has to be B.

[hayseedtele]

I V VII IV in BMaj. That would be a Bmaj F#min7or9 Amaj7 and an Emaj in root position.
Triple Edit:
I knew I was right the first time just typed in the wrong chord up top. It's a Minor V. I like that style of progression. Minor V chords are pretty cool.

[jbmando]

I think you meant a minor v. iv would be Em. The VII has to be called bVII since the 7th degree of the B major scale is A# instead of A. Also, Amaj7 wouldn't really be right here. It's just an A.

[hayseedtele]

1 week after finishing all my theory courses and I already confuse myself with typos. Bah!

[dmrogers]

Originally Posted by jbmando

It goes B F#m A E over and over.

Yep, that's the progression! When I suggested E Bb D A, I was assuming (always dangerous) that the OP had already figured out the progression and had a typo in Bb.

When I got home I grabbed the guitar and figgered it out

I didn't realize it until you mentioned it but the progression we play it in is the same as "Let It Rain" which I also used to do with another group. Alzheimer must be gettin' worse!!!!

[Wally]

Well, the first chord is an E. Every complete phrase ends on E. All 4 of those chords exist in the key of E major. All of these chords do not exist in the key of B major. Yes, you could write accidentals, but why bother to go to that trouble when everything you need exists in E major? The ending is on the B chord...the V chord to the key of E. IT is unresolved...it is hanging...and you can feel it...or at least I can. The bit of extra vocal line is different from anything the singer has done before. I don't feel the B as the center. E is the resolved 'home' to my ear....and I am left hanging at the end by design of the arrangement, I believe.
At least we agree on the chord progression, though, jbmando. (;^)
As for the two other songs that you cite, I'll say (IIRC) they are in D and that doesn't affect what I think of this song. Those two songs dont' hang on the V chord at the end to confuse the issue. THey are the result of the mixolydian thing, right? That iim in this song differientiates this one form your two examples, imho.

Hayseedtele, the I V II and IV in B major would be I-B, V-Gb(major), iim-C#m, and IV-E. That Gb major and the A chord are two big hints for me that the song is in E. A and GbM do not exist in B major. YEs....accidents do happen....but again, why write accidentals when you don't have to? 4 sharps gets it done in my world.

[Scott Auld]

the lead guitar player is playing a funky d chord

Chords don't have to change for the solo, but you can throw neat substitutions if you want to.

We do this song too. For the sake of our singer we play it:

C Gm Bb F

we treat it as:

V ii IV I

For groovy fun times substitute a vi over the IV chord, in my case a Dmin7.

Kim Walker = voice of an angel.

[hayseedtele]

I tried putting it in the tonal center of E, but my brain and my ear hear it as Bmaj with a Minor five and a flatted(natural) Major seventh chord.

[jbmando]

First chord is a B. I have the standard notation for this song in two sharps and the chords are D Am7 C G. There is no Gb in the key of B, if you are going to stay strictly orthodox with theory.* It is an F#, which, in this case is minor. Those other two songs hang on the D at the end, so if you are calling B the V, then those other two songs do hang on the V...but they don't. They are in D and this one is in B.


* The B major scale scale is going to be some kind of BCDEFGAB. The rules for the intervals among the degrees determine whether the notes are natural or sharp. B is a "sharp" key, so there are no flats, unless you need an accidental in the piece. Therefore, knowing that the intervals of the major scale (in steps) are: Root-whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half, the C has to be C#, the D has to be D#, the F has to be F#, the G has to be G# and the A has to be A# - five sharps = key of B.

[jbmando]

Originally Posted by hayseedtele

I tried putting it in the tonal center of E, but my brain and my ear hear it as Bmaj with a Minor five and a flatted(natural) Major seventh chord.

You can't call that A a major seventh, because in theory terms, the major seventh is one half step below the root. Call it the "Flat 7 major."

[jbmando]

Finally added link, bumped with next post.

[jbmando]

Here is a PDF of the song in D Major:PDF of Revelation Song in 2 sharps.

[jbmando]

What is happening here is the use of the relative minor of the flat 7 chord. From B - (I) to F#m - (v but also the relative minor of the flat VII) to A - (flat VII) to E (IV.) The very last phrase of the chorus goes back to B and it ends on B. This should be thought of as B mixolydian, which has the same key signature as E Major, but in mix. mode, the v is minor. In any case, one cannot get the tonal center of this song to be E; it is definitely B.