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Topic: "He plays 7ths against himself" - Can someone explain this t |
Bob Bestor
From:
Ashland, OR
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Posted 15 Feb 2019 2:33 pm |
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https://tinyurl.com/yy56j2ez
In this video, at around the 2:20 mark, Billy Phelps mentions Buddy Emmons and says "he mostly plays 7ths against himself, and that's the best thing you can do."
Can anyone explain this concept to me?
Thanks
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 15 Feb 2019 4:52 pm
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It is an odd choice of wording. I’ll give it a shot.
He’s talking about phrasing from starting points other than the tonic of the chord, such as the 3rd or the 5th or the 6th. Then he inexplicably rips off some pretty cool licks over a one chord backing track that seem to all start on the tonic...Anyway, when he makes the comment in question and starts playing phrases using the 7th, it seems to be all harmonized licks. So he’s playing melodies using the 7th (flat 7th, not major 7th) of the chord as a common harmony note for all other notes in the lick. The way he resolves the licks implies a V7-I or I7-IV type of chord change.
Clear as mud, right? |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 15 Feb 2019 5:17 pm
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| Kinda like when Tom Brumley held that 9th of the V7 chord forever in the Together Again solo, while slipping in other melodic notes against it. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 16 Feb 2019 5:46 am
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I've always understood this to mean that if we hang around the 7th or 9th on a break, solo, pad etc..it always leads to the right place , be it the root, 4th or 5th.
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Bob Bestor
From:
Ashland, OR
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Posted 17 Feb 2019 8:28 am Thanks
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Clear as mud indeed. I am still in the dark. I'll try "hanging around the 7th or 9th" though and see how that goes. Thanks again.
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Keep on truckin' |
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Andy Henriksen
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2019 5:54 am
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| Fred Treece wrote: |
| Kinda like when Tom Brumley held that 9th of the V7 chord forever in the Together Again solo, while slipping in other melodic notes against it. |
I'm a newbie PSG player, and I've been working on this song, mostly just working on the rote muscle memory. I haven't yet spent much time analyzing the music from a theory standpoint. I just wanted to say that this little fact nugget was very cool and interesting and helps me understand why the song sounds the way it does. Thanks! |
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Steve Knight
From:
NC
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Posted 20 Feb 2019 7:09 am
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I think he means adding a 7th chord that leads into the chord you are about to play. In other words, instead of just playing notes from a C chord (CEG), play a G7 before the C chord. This is all over jazz, classical, western swing, and just about every type of music. It adds movement, interest, tension & release to your playing.
I think he also talks about not necessarily playing the C note or root position when you're playing a solo over the C chord, too. So, if you're going to take a solo over C, maybe start on the 3rd of the chord, the E note, or G, the 5th note of C chord.
If you combine these two ideas, instead of starting on the note "C" on the downbeat, you could target (or play) the E note on beat one. Before playing that E, you could play the D and/or F notes from the G7 chord going into the E note. Of course this can all be harmonized, too. Buddy C and Leon did this sort of thing often with the Troubadours, among many other players. |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Bob Bestor
From:
Ashland, OR
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Posted 20 Feb 2019 1:15 pm
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Thank you Jim. I feel better about this now. 
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Keep on truckin' |
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