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Four chords, but what's the key?

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GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 724
edited June 2015 in Theory
Continuing the "What key" saga.

I've played/recorded these four chords on a loop, but what's the key?

Answers on a postcard please.


"Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • steamabacussteamabacus Frets: 1239
    edited June 2015
    "Who's got the key?"

    "Key, what key? Gus got the key"  (3'25")

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M_sHiOQMVY
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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 724
    GuyBoden said:
    Continuing the "What key" saga.

    I've played/recorded these four chords on a loop, but what's the key?

    Answers on a postcard please.



    steamabacus said:
    "Who's got the key?"

    Any idea, what's the key to the four chords?  :)
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • steamabacussteamabacus Frets: 1239
    GuyBoden said:
    GuyBoden said:
    Continuing the "What key" saga.

    I've played/recorded these four chords on a loop, but what's the key?

    Answers on a postcard please.



    steamabacus said:
    "Who's got the key?"

    Any idea, what's the key to the four chords?  :)
    Ask Gus Johnson.
    ;)


    More helpfully, I'd say the key changes with the chords. How you play those changes is open to interpretation.


    Man.
    :)
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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 724
    edited June 2015
    steamabacus said:
    GuyBoden said:
    GuyBoden said:
    Continuing the "What key" saga.

    I've played/recorded these four chords on a loop, but what's the key?

    Answers on a postcard please.



    steamabacus said:
    "Who's got the key?"

    Any idea, what's the key to the four chords?  :)
    Ask Gus Johnson.
    ;)


    More helpfully, I'd say the key changes with the chords. How you play those changes is open to interpretation.

    Man.
    :)
    So, what you're saying is that each chord could be a key, I like it. By the way, MMW are a great band, yeah, Combustication is one of their best albums in my opinion.  :)
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9793
    so what chords did you play? Name them
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • bingefellerbingefeller Frets: 5723
    I'm guessing the chords are....

    G
    D
    Esus4
    Fmaj7#11 or something.

    I'll say key of C.  
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 24852
    I think it's the key of "that cat picture Lix used to post"...
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • bingefellerbingefeller Frets: 5723
    stickyfiddle said:
    I think it's the key of "that cat picture Lix used to post"...
    Minor pentatonic is the right scale.
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  • mike_lmike_l Frets: 5698
    bingefeller said:
    stickyfiddle said:
    I think it's the key of "that cat picture Lix used to post"...
    Minor pentatonic is the right scale.
    Minor pentatonic is always the right scale.

    Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21) 

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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 724
    edited June 2015

    bingefeller said:
    I'm guessing the chords are....

    G
    D
    Esus4
    Fmaj7#11 or something.

    I'll say key of C.  
    Yeah, it definitely, maybe, could possibly be the key of C.

    edit: But it's in fourths..
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9793
    edited June 2015

    I'd guess G into C

    tried strumming those chords on an acoustic. No reason to impose "they must be all in the same key", especially as the D requires F# and the last chords requires F natural































    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 724

    Phil_aka_Pip said:

    I'd guess G into C

    tried strumming those chords on an acoustic. No reason to impose "they must be all in the same key", especially as the D requires F# and the last chords requires F natural
    There's no F# in any of the chords, they are all stacked fourths and inversions of stacked fourths, but the movement of the voice leading (One note moving to another note) is in thirds.
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9793
    If there's no F# the D chord isn't a D chord. Or at least not a chord containing a Dmaj triad, which is what we imply when we say a D chord.
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • bingefellerbingefeller Frets: 5723
    I had the G and D chords as G5 and D5.  Not entirely sure but that was my initial guess.  
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  • BradBrad Frets: 590
    edited June 2015
    I get C major, chords something like (highest voice at the top)...   

    F     D     B     B
    C     A     A     F
    G     G    E     C   

    First pair of chords on the D, G and B strings, second pair on the A, D and G.
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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3260
    I'd play D Dorian over all that..
    play every note as if it were your first
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  • Handsome_ChrisHandsome_Chris Frets: 4759
    edited June 2015
    @Clarky said:
    I'd play D Dorian over all that..
    I prefer Rotosounds. :P
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  • frankusfrankus Frets: 4719

    What's this?? I wanted Fork Hordes, ya know hordes of forks...

    A sig-nat-eur? What am I meant to use this for ffs?! Is this thing recording?
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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3260
    Handsome_Chris said:
    @Clarky said:
    I'd play D Dorian over all that..
    I prefer Rotosounds. :P

    wis'd for managing to avoid falling down a modes rat-hole..

    and you don't want to be doing that unless you're happy to come out of it a jazzer.. lmao

    play every note as if it were your first
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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 724
    edited June 2015


    The chords are all diatonic fourths and inversions of diatonic fourths using the C Ionian (Major) scale.

    Chord 1: G C F
    Chord 2: G A D
    Chord 3: E A B
    Chord 4: C F B

    Here are the rearrange chord inversions in diatonic Fourths

    Chord 1: G C F
    Chord 2: A D G
    Chord 3: B E A
    Chord 4: C F B

    But yes, these chords highlight the fact that Fourths (Quartal harmony) have a very ambiguous tonal centre.
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • mellowsunmellowsun Frets: 2422
    Would this be an example of theory-based music creation?
    Trading feedback
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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 724

    mellowsun said:
    Would this be an example of theory-based music creation?
    Well, it's just an example to show Key ambiguity, but personally I'd say that all music has a percentage of "theory-based" ideas. Even, in Rock/Pop. Music Harmony is theory based.
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • MatthewShredderyMatthewShreddery Frets: 861
    It certainly is ambiguous.
    Chords built from fourths always sound slightly unstable, unresolved, ethereal, ambiguous etc. 
    When you start inverting the voices you get more ambiguity with the interval of a 2nd being added to the mix.

    All the notes are from C major, though to say it's in C major is purely academic as you wouldn't necessarily think that when hearing the chords/playing over them as nothing is really pulling to a resolution on C.

    I'd definitely notate that in C major though, if I could be arsed. Which I couldn't (be arsed) ;)
    My Trading Feedback:
    http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/60017/
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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 724

    MatthewShreddery said:
    It certainly is ambiguous.
    Chords built from fourths always sound slightly unstable, unresolved, ethereal, ambiguous etc. 
    When you start inverting the voices you get more ambiguity with the interval of a 2nd being added to the mix.

    All the notes are from C major, though to say it's in C major is purely academic as you wouldn't necessarily think that when hearing the chords/playing over them as nothing is really pulling to a resolution on C.

    I'd definitely notate that in C major though, if I could be arsed. Which I couldn't (be arsed) ;)
    Yes, I think 'ambiguity' is the beauty of fourth chords, to make it a bit more complex you could say that the progression uses diatonic fourth chords from the modes of the C Ionian scale.

    Chord 1: G C F (Fourths in G Mixolydian)
    Chord 2: G A D (Inverted Fourths in A Aeolian)
    Chord 3: E A B (Inverted Fourths in B Locrian)
    Chord 4: C F B (Inverted Fourths in C Ionian)


    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • MatthewShredderyMatthewShreddery Frets: 861
    You could, but it'd be a waste of time :)
    My Trading Feedback:
    http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/60017/
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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 724
    MatthewShreddery said:
    You could, but it'd be a waste of time :)
    Yes.
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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