Does this seem odd to anyone else?

[funkybass]

The band I'm in is doing a hymn in a blues style, and the singer/acoustic guitarist chose this progression:

C C maj7 C7 F Dm C. C C maj7 C7 D7 D maj7 G. C Cmaj7 C7 F Dmaj7 E7.

A7 D7 Dm7 G C.

I find it odd to play a maj7 followed by a 7, then changing to dm7 and then making it major the next time around, and having a dmaj7 followed by a d7. To me it sounds weird when we play, but no one else has complained.

[Bainbridge]

C C∆ C7 F Dm C - I think this is all fine except for the C at the end, but that might not be an issue depending on how it's played. C C∆ C7 has chromatic movement, to get to that C7, and C7 is of course V7/IV. F Dm is IV ii, that's all cool, but going from there to I? Lame.

C C∆ C7 D7 D∆ G - I don't like this one. D7 to D∆ doesn't work, because D7 is dominant function. If you're going to have that G at the end, D∆ D7 G works better, or Dm D7 G even moreso.

C C∆ C7 F D∆ E7 - This works, though the first three chords are becoming stale at this point.

A7 D7 Dm7 G C - I see where this is coming from, functionally, but that D7 doesn't sit well for me so soon after the D∆ from the last phrase. Also, that D7 is not resolving there when it really wants to. Intervening with that Dm7 makes it sound weird, seeing at dominant seventh chords are such a powerful dissonance. I'm not convinced by the attempt to re-tonicize C.

Once again, feel has a lot to do with how a chord progression sounds. I'm playing these straight with a bunch of different voicings, and some sound better than others.

[MalcolmAmos]

Remember roots works. You do not have to do what the guitar guy does all the time. A basic root or R-5-8-5 groove may sound fine. Some time less is more, I think this may be one of those times.

[funkybass]

Originally Posted by MalcolmAmos

Remember roots works. You do not have to do what the guitar guy does all the time. A basic root or R-5-8-5 groove may sound fine. Some time less is more, I think this may be one of those times.

I'm doing walking blues bass lines(r-3-5-6-5 on majors r-3-5-6-b7-6-5-3 on 7 etc. that wasn't the concern. The concern was that some of these chords sound funny to me.

[Febs]

Originally Posted by Bainbridge

C C∆ C7 F Dm C - I think this is all fine except for the C at the end, but that might not be an issue depending on how it's played. C C∆ C7 has chromatic movement, to get to that C7, and C7 is of course V7/IV.

A good example of this is "Something," by the Beatles.

[JTE]

Originally Posted by funkybass

The band I'm in is doing a hymn in a blues style, and the singer/acoustic guitarist chose this progression:

C C maj7 C7 F Dm C. C C maj7 C7 D7 D maj7 G. C Cmaj7 C7 F Dmaj7 E7.

A7 D7 Dm7 G C.

I find it odd to play a maj7 followed by a 7, then changing to dm7 and then making it major the next time around, and having a dmaj7
followed by a d7. To me it sounds weird when we play, but no one else has complained.

CEG to CEGB to CEGBb. Look at that C to B to Bb.

It's about the voice leading within the chords.

John

[ACalbass]

Originally Posted by funkybass

The band I'm in is doing a hymn in a blues style, and the singer/acoustic guitarist chose this progression:

C C maj7 C7 F Dm C. C C maj7 C7 D7 D maj7 G. C Cmaj7 C7 F Dmaj7 E7.

A7 D7 Dm7 G C.

I find it odd to play a maj7 followed by a 7, then changing to dm7 and then making it major the next time around, and having a dmaj7 followed by a d7. To me it sounds weird when we play, but no one else has complained.

You think is working or not??
Chord progressions doesn;t have to "make sense",just have to sound good.
Some of those weird type of progressions can be found in so many songs ("all the young dudes" comes to mind)

[funkybass]

It sounds ok until the D7 to Dm. That part sounds aweful. And switching the Dm to Dmaj the next time around doesn't sound good IMO.

[Nev375]

It will sound better once you get used to it.

[MarkMgibson]

You're right, it sounds bloody awful (sorry, but you did ask LOL). Except for the "Something" chords, the rest of it just doesn't work at all.

I've played in dozens of bands, and there's no point wasting time on something that's not working; just tell them what you think.

Regards,
MarkM

[jefkritz]

i dunno, i've had guitarists show me chord progressions that i thought sounded terrible. but as soon as i found the right bassline, it sounded great, as if nothing could be more natural. ymmv.

edit: though it could just be a bad progression... how does the melody fit? a melody can make the wonkiest of progressions work