Many agree that they sound awesome. But, why?
Looking at the chords for comfortably numb, we have a song in the key of D. Chords of the chorus are slightly out of the ordinary, introducing a C that moves to an G (4th) that seems to mimics the interval between the 1st to the 5th. Why does this work as a progression?
Also, a thing I've noticed about the progression is that they abstain from resolving the progression (by moving to D). This is something else that is done very often by one of my favourite songwriters, Scott Matthews. Any thoughts on this or any other floyd tunes? Anyone notice any prevalent features of the progressions that make them so unique?
Comments
So if you take a step back and look at it in its entirety, it goes like this:
- Bm verse, very morose
- Bm verse, very morose
- D modulation section (relief from despair, caused by drugs, but only temporary; repeated and then repeated again for the solo)
- Bm verse, extremely morose especially after the relief of the modulation
- Another D modulation, cruelly optimistic because this time you know for sure it won't end here in happiness
- Revert inexorably to the Bm section for fade out.
Now, during this temporary modulation, the first 4 chords are D, A, D, A. Toggling from D to A is moving down a 4th. The next 2 chords are C, G, C, G. This is a repeat, or echo of the DADA bit, but 1 tone lower, because toggling from C to G is also going down a 4th, and in my view should be played as such, so as to reinforce the echo. It's very important to avoid thinking of either D-to-A or C-to-G as going up a 5th, but as going down a 4th, BECAUSE the CGCG has to be a mirror of the DADA. And as the phrase is repeated DOWN a tone, it is better to think of the phrase itself pointing downwards. (If the music were DADA, EBEB, then yes, D-to-A could be considered as going up a 5th but it's a mistake to think this in this song). You ask why that works so well as a progression, well that's the reason. And if you want to make that mirror really effective, it works really well to play D barred at the 5th fret, then A barred at the 5th. Then C barred at the 3rd and G barred at the 3rd, and don't think of any of the toggles as going up a 5th, but as going down a 4th, otherwise the repeat effect is lost, if not to your audience, to you. I don't know how Gilmour plays those toggles, but that's the best way to reinforce the repeat effect, and also in my mind foretells the come-down of the drugs in the story.
Then in the first chorus, it actually echos the complete modulated section once more (DADA, CGCG) - in the 2nd chorus the complete phrase only happens once iirc - before entering an upwards climb which ultimately concludes with the revert back to the Bm root of the song (though in the first chorus there is another round of it, with that awesome solo, before landing back to the Bm).
That climb from major to minor works like this:
Firstly it modulates to the A, then it temporarily progresses back to the D, before landing on the Bm. That progression from A to D has a passing resemblance to the chorus we've just heard, at double the speed and without the first D, because it goes: A, (then a passing chord of G 1st inversion), C, G, D..... Bm.
So during the entire chorus, it's DADA, CGCG (a double couplet repeated a tone down) - then this is either repeated or it isn't - then there's an upwards climb consisting of A, C, D (interspersed with G chords). And after the first chorus, the whole modulated section is repeated with a solo.
As you can see, when you think of the 2 modulated sections in their entirety, they do indeed start and end on D, but you're right, the ultimate resolution isn't to D, it's back to Bm, and one of the great things about the song is that the Bm never really leaves your head, because you know the effect of the drug is only temporary, and that the reality of the painful world is waiting for you after those sections of temporary relief.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay
@viz good dissection fella.
I'd say going up a fifth from D-A and C-G rather than down a fourth. But I guess that just a different way of learning things.
I can see why you said down a fourth though.
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
As per CN, just I view it as going up a scale by a fifth, not down a scale by a fourth.
Same as I see Hey Joe as each chord a fifth up in scale terms rather than fourth down, fifth up etc.
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
I view it that way from scales as you go up A-B etc
I can see exactly why you are saying down.
as for the final A-E yep, the usual voicings are A at the fifh fret to an open E so you're (literally) going down the fretboard. But you know how I like to mess with the E chords in HJ
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
And to add to today's spookiness, just put my Ipod on, first song?
Comfortably numb.
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
Close, I don't have Hey Joe on it..... =(( =((
More spookyness, yesterday I changed my avatar to Bigjon and me playing C.N.
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
Band Stuff: https://navigationofficial.bandcamp.com/album/silhouette-ep
B major and D minor are the same. In D major the chords will point back to a D major chord, whereas B minor they'll point towards a Bminor chord.
Think of Major as happy, trimphant etc and minor as sad, downbeat etc
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
Band Stuff: https://navigationofficial.bandcamp.com/album/silhouette-ep
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
@Branshen
I'd definitely go with Bm for the intro/verse progression as it both starts and finishes on a Bm chord, the other chords point back towards Bm (Maybe I've heard the song too many times)
As for the solo (main not first) it starts with a big slightly sustained D5 chord, so I'd interpret that as the drugs going in (D major - happy) then it's Bm (the come down - sad) all the way.
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
Band Stuff: https://navigationofficial.bandcamp.com/album/silhouette-ep
It's famously about heroin addiction.
The solo is mostly in Bm pentatonic. Actually most of Mr Gilmours solo's are taken from pentatonic scales.
Boring side fact, one of our master techs was taught by Roger Waters' mum......
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
Band Stuff: https://navigationofficial.bandcamp.com/album/silhouette-ep