Having trouble figuring out chords in a section of Santana's Smooth

[DanS]

I downloaded a few tabs, but they just don't sound right.

So I turn to you, my sisters & brothers.

 

The part that's nibbling me is right before the build up, where Thomas sings " to better suit your mood, cuz you're so smooth"

 

I can hear an F# as the root, which eventually turns back to the E, but what chords are bouncing around in there?

 

Thanks much.

[Mike Davis]

The commercial sheet music has it as an F#sus, but it's a little ambiguous because of the way the bass moves:

 

all 8th notes --

 

F# F# F# B B D D# E

 

the D# makes it a little crunchy

[masone81]

It is technically an F#7sus, Bsus, E7#9 progression, but the sheet music one of my bands uses says it's first a Bsus/F#, then Bsus, then E7#9. You can see how that fits the bass line above.

 

Also, I just now sat down with the tune and the piano player is playing B, E, and F# in his right hand over the F# and B in the bass. That's the exact voicing. I don't know if he's thinking of it like Bsus or F#7sus, but the effect is the same. It is ambigous partly because of the bass line but also because the guitar is soloing over Am pentatonic regardless of the chord changes and that muds it up a bit.

 

I hope that helps.

 

Mason

[Dave Pierce]

Hmmm. I think I've been playing this wrong, I'll have to revisit that. Thanks!

 

--Dave

[DanS]

Thanks guys.

[musicalaccents]

Here's the way I transcribed it:

 

Starting from the turnaround- lyrics "better suit"

 

E7#9 | Dm - F/C | Bm7flat5 - G7 | F#7sus | E7 or E7#9 |

[DanS]

Thanks very much musicalaccents!