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Help with progression!


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Posted

Hello, I'm trying to find that elusive chord to transition the chorus back to the verse. The chorus is as such:

 

F F/F# Gm7

Don't set yourself free now

Gm7/D Gm7

You know you can't back out

Dm G Dm G7

Admission was free, so why should we

*what chord?*

Pay with our hearts when you leave?

 

Then the verse goes back to F minor. For the "Pay when . . . . " part I am looking for a darker more dissonant chord that I can hang on for a minute before going back to the Fm verse. I tried G#dim, which sounds ok, but it doesn't really resolve back to Fm. Two chords would be cool, too. Like another chord on the word "leave" that would push back to the Fm.

 

Also, I would like to substitute some of the repetitive chords in the chorus like the Gm7 in the second line and the G in the third line.

 

Suggestions?

Amateur Hack
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Posted

Kinda tough not knowing the melody or cadence/rhythm but I'll get back to ya'...

 

Also I wonder about that F/F#---I see the transition to the G chord but is that really holding the F while the bass moves up?

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Sorry to take so long getting back but you know...

 

As before, I think it's a bit tricky to guess how your melody & cadences for the tune might go but here's what I did.

 

First I tried variations on the diminished chord idea, shifting it to different roots, etc. While they had varied harmonic implications, to me none sounded all that different in ultimate effect than your original G#dim.

Next I tried other primary chord forms (I didn't want to get too far into altered or extended chords since I didn't really know how your tune goes.

I sort of liked Bb. I have a tendency to like stark, abrupt modulations, plus this has a scalar connection to what I intuit is happening with the earlier stuff (F;Gm;Dm:etc.)

 

Then it occured to me to try augmented chords so I subbed F#aug. Bingo!

 

I tried moving it around (Faug. sounded OK) but as an F# chord it (1)not only related to the scale I think goes with the earlier section but (2)it reverses the F-F#-G shirt you start with & (3) while having many the same notes as the Bb chord sounds, to me at least, more surprising than the Faug.

 

What do you think?

Posted

Man, that's deep . . . I'll try it when I get home later! Thanks!

 

I have been playing it (starting on the "pay with our hearts . . . ") G#dim | Bb7 | C9 |

 

But i wanna try out your recommendation, too.

 

I have a problem just letting a song finish. I'll probably rehash this one for another year or so. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. ;)

 

:D

Amateur Hack
Posted
Interesting, since the F#aug. is, very nearly, an inversion of Bb that you've been using.
  • 4 weeks later...
Posted

Try the following; all will work depending upon the effect you're after and the Voice-Leading/Inversions that you are using:

 

1.) C/Bb

2.) G half-dim.7 (Voicing- G-Bb-Db-F)

3.) Bbm7 resolve to Fm

4.) Bbm resolve to Fm/Ab (Fm-1st Inversion)

 

Since you are looking for a transitory chord between a Dom.7 and your Tonic, we need to find something to both resolve the G7 & pull the progression towards the Tonic...which is a function of a Dom.7. In this case your G7 is a Secondary Dominant, being V7 of V of Fm. So since, in ex. #1. above, C7 is the V7 of Fm it can follow the G7 (V7 of C) in a logical fashion and all chords are related in a Dominant/Secondary Dom. way so your voice-leading is intact. I.e. G7 (V7 of V7) - C7 (V7 of i) - Fm (i).

 

Other chords will surely work in a less stable fashion. The more Common Tones you have with C7 (C-E-G-Bb) the better (C7 is the strongest becuse it contains not only the Dom.7th -Bb- resolving to Ab of Fm, but also the LeadingTone -E- which resolves to F in Fm. At the same time, the C of C7 sustains (v) which complements the up/downward motion of both i and iii of Fm.)

 

Common Tones in Progression>G7 - 1.2.3&4. > Fm:

G-B-D-F

1)C-E-G-Bb, 2)G-Bb-Db-F, 3&4)Bb-Db-F-Ab

F-Ab-C

 

Hope that's helpful.

 

Brendon :freak:

Posted

Try the following; all will work depending upon the effect you're after and the Voice-Leading/Inversions that you are using:

 

1.) C/Bb

2.) G half-dim.7 (Voicing- G-Bb-Db-F)

3.) Bbm7 resolve to Fm

4.) Bbm resolve to Fm/Ab (Fm-1st Inversion)

 

Since you are looking for a transitory chord between a Dom.7 and your Tonic, we need to find something to both resolve the G7 & pull the progression towards the Tonic...which is a function of a Dom.7. In this case your G7 is a Secondary Dominant, being V7 of V of Fm. So since, in ex. #1. above, C7 is the V7 of Fm it can follow the G7 (V7 of C) in a logical fashion and all chords are related in a Dominant/Secondary Dom. way so your voice-leading is intact. I.e. G7 (V7 of V7) - C7 (V7 of i) - Fm (i).

 

Other chords will surely work in a less stable fashion. The more Common Tones you have with C7 (C-E-G-Bb) the better (C7 is the strongest becuse it contains not only the Dom.7th -Bb- resolving to Ab of Fm, but also the LeadingTone -E- which resolves to F in Fm. At the same time, the C of C7 sustains (v) which complements the up/downward motion of both i and iii of Fm.)

 

Common Tones in Progression>G7 - 1.2.3&4. > Fm:

G-B-D-F

1)C-E-G-Bb, 2)G-Bb-Db-F, 3&4)Bb-Db-F-Ab

F-Ab-C

 

Hope that's helpful.

 

Brendon :freak:

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
It's been awhile since I've been in here, but thanks alot Brendon! I will try that out. Always appreciate a theory lesson. :cool:
Amateur Hack

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