Interesting note choice..

bloodandtears

Ever listen to a guitar solo and think.. "ooh I like that note choice and phrasing"...??

I was listening to some old stuff on my mp3 drive recently and had this moment... but now I feel inclined to dig deeper and ask why does it work... then perhaps I can introduce it into my own musical palette when the occasion arises.

I'm going to stick my neck out here and take a wild guess but hopefully someone more educated can correct me..

The track in question is the '89 rework of The Outfield's Somewhere In America... tonality suggest D minor... chords possibly D minor to G major? The lead break reeks of Gilmour, but played tastefully by John Spinks.

The note choice in question.. well take a listen, I'm sure it will stand out... but I think technically it's a major sixth note played over the V chord in the progression. Being in a minor key this jumps out and catches my ear at least.. 

As I said, hopefully someone can correct my theory here cos I'm a novice..  here's the track...

viz

Yup, a sudden Dorian note in a sea of Aeolian. He repeats it right at the end of the solo for a millisecond.

bloodandtears

viz said:

Yup, a sudden Dorian note in a sea of Aeolian. He repeats it right at the end of the solo for a millisecond.

yes I noticed that too,  the note is used again fleetingly, albeit in a lower octave... the original usage though.. that bend.. awesome..

Thanks for that explanation.. it really is as simple as that isn't it, the use of the "dorian" note.

So why does it work? It sounds like a vamp of 2 chords..  D minor and maybe G major?  the latter would allow for such use of the dorian note of course..

Cranky

When you say “major 6th note played over the V chord”, do you mean the major 6th note of the tonic or of the V chord?  

Either way, without an instrument at hand, I’m trying to square this major 6th note with the “Dorian note in a sea of Aeolian”.

bloodandtears

Cranky said:

When you say “major 6th note played over the V chord”, do you mean the major 6th note of the tonic or of the V chord?  

Either way, without an instrument at hand, I’m trying to square this major 6th note with the “Dorian note in a sea of Aeolian”.

well firstly you do well to take my technical musings with a pinch of salt.. they may not be accurate...  but essentially its raising the 6th note of the minor scale...  whilst over the V(v) chord of the i-V progression...

or at least that's how I see it..  hopefully wiser folks can correct this where applicable...

viz

bloodandtears said:

viz said:

Yup, a sudden Dorian note in a sea of Aeolian. He repeats it right at the end of the solo for a millisecond.

yes I noticed that too,  the note is used again fleetingly, albeit in a lower octave... the original usage though.. that bend.. awesome..

Thanks for that explanation.. it really is as simple as that isn't it, the use of the "dorian" note.

So why does it work? It sounds like a vamp of 2 chords..  D minor and maybe G major?  the latter would allow for such use of the dorian note of course..

Exactly - just the introduction of that major 6th in a minor key suddenly puts you in mind of a major IV chord, which is the hallmark chord of Dorian. Dorian has a minor i and a major IV.

So yes, it does suddenly sound as though there's a fragment of G major there, even if there isn't - it's just that note. 

Of course, you don't have to go "all modal" - you could also just call it an accidental, just the fleeting use of a B natural instead of the expected Bb (the following harmony includes the Bb chord, which is Aeolian through and through).

(not sure what you're referring to with your mention of the V chord, btw)

bloodandtears

viz said:

(not sure what you're referring to with your mention of the V chord, btw)

me neither, I can only assume I had started from C by mistake, not D..  I meant IV chord... 

I see the backing behind this solo as a vamp from D minor to G major (possibly minor) so yeah...  i - IV  (not V)
Like I said, I knew I would need correcting along the way...

But more importantly I can now look at stuff I currently play with this progression and see if I can try it out...

Danny1969

I hear a  Dm Bb and G progression .... there's a blues note at the end of the solo, as in half sharp 4th 

bloodandtears

Danny1969 said:

I hear a  Dm Bb and G progression .... there's a blues note at the end of the solo, as in half sharp 4th 

Yeah, with headphones on I can definitely hear that clearer.. 2x Dm, Bb, G