Em9 to Bm7: why does E to A 'work'?

[Phlipper]

Can someone explain, as if to a total neewb ...

I'm playing to a slow progression of Em9 to Bm7. Why do the roots E to A sound correct? Why does it sound more correct/more musical than roots E to B?

 

[Phlipper]

For the record I just started the chapter on chord construction in my text. Lots to learn. Finally got intervals down and they stuck this time.

 

[JRA]

I'm playing to a slow progression of Em9 to Bm7. Why do the roots E to A sound correct? Why does it sound more correct/more musical than roots E to B?

it sounds more "musical" to you (as an arranger!) --- you've reharmonized the music. you apparently prefer the brighter, major-chord sound that you're creating by playing the A as a root: it's now a different chord --- one that you like better than the m7 sound. bass players can do that like nobody's business. have fun, be careful ( ), good luck!

 

[Phlipper]

Thanks!

A little music theory for a 40-year bar band hack is a dangerous thing.

 

[Phlipper]

Now I'm playing an Fmaj9 - Abmaj9 - Ebmaj9 - C7 progression ...

For some reason F - Ab - Eb - D sounds better. Sanity checked it with my wife (also sorta a musician) and she agrees.

Music theory and jazz play-alongs are opening up a whole new world for me.

 

[SteveCS]

With all of the extended chords it is worth looking at possible alternative names. For example, Bm7/A, if there is no other B note in your voicing (which is likely with a typical guitar voicing), is really D major in second inversion...
Bm7 = B, D, F#, A
D = D, F#, A
Even with the A in the bass it is still D major. Even if you put a B back in higher up it really is more like D6/A than Bm7. Sometimes chord extensions just cause confusion and ambiguity. If you are in the key of D and want the relative minor vi chord you might find just the straightforward Bm triad in root position to be more satisfactory.

 

[Phlipper]

@SteveCS ... Thank you!

Learning has occurred.

This stuff is slowly coming together.

(After playing 'blind' for like ... 50 years lol)

 

[micguy]

Whenever you play a "wrong" note, and it sounds good, that means there is theory to learn - if you want to. But make no mistake, theory isn't what makes a note sound good - theory is just a way to explain what sounds good. People were playing music and figuring out what sounds good long before folks came up with ways to explain it.

 

[Troy Eggen]

My two cents. I was taking Bass and guitar lessons from a guy with a Jazz background. He had me learn theory. He didn’t buy the myth that theory hurts creativity. That said , he said music (should) sound pleasing to the ear. So if I’m playing something and it sounds good, even if I can’t explain it, or theoretically it is “wrong”, it’s still right. Never to late to learn!

 

[ole Jason]

I think "music should sound pleasing" is maybe a good turn of phrase for total beginners but I hope no one carries that advice through their entire career.

 

[jamro217]

E is the root of the first chord (Em9) and A is the seventh of the second chord (Bm7). The A accentuates the tension of the seventh chord and may give it more of a punch than playing the B (root). E, F# would work, too. There are many possibilities.

 

[JDA04OSU]

I’m not a theory expert but sounds like you’re digging on the m7 chord tone (the A)... no reason to think it’s any more or less correct than the root itself. Play around with the 3rd and the 5th over the same chord, as well as the root. Opens the door to keeping your lines interesting with variations throughout the tune. In my own learning (mainly on Scott’s Bass Lessons these days), I’ve found it super helpful to experiment over drone tracks of a given chord to appreciate the different flavors each can supply. Same approach can help you feel out the different vibes you can achieve through the use of different modes or pentatonic substitutions (ex: start a maj pentatonic from the 5th and resolve it to the root of the chord). Fun stuff!

 

[brianrost]

The more interesting question is what chord comes after the Bm7! That could make a real difference in what sounds good to you.

Using the roots E and A makes it sound more like i to IV, using E and B makes it sound like i to v...very diffferent feeling.

Now I'm playing an Fmaj9 - Abmaj9 - Ebmaj9 - C7 progression ...
For some reason F - Ab - Eb - D sounds better. Sanity checked it with my wife (also sorta a musician) and she agrees.

Now my ears are hurting The C7 is the dominant chord in the key of F major. It should sound pretty darn wonderful in that progression with a C in the bass. You might like the D because of the descent from the Eb, but you have turned that C7 into a C7/D chord and it's more dissonant.

 

[Troy Eggen]

I think "music should sound pleasing" is maybe a good turn of phrase for total beginners but I hope no one carries that advice through their entire career.

I guess your right. From now on I’ll make sure all my bass lines grate on peoples ears and make them cringe

 

[jamro217]

This may seem unrelated, but it's pertinent nonetheless. Playing the notes convincingly is as important as what notes you play. A wimpy, hesitant execution of the "right" note is worse than a boldly stated dissonant one. Things crumble even faster when you're playing a fretless. You can sound like an underwater, low register Amos Garrett if you ain't careful.

 

[Real Soon]

I played it through, and found that the inverted B min7/A made the most "sense" to my ear if I played a B minor triad in the right hand (on piano), with no 7ths, and kept it separated by an extra octave above the bass (playing that A aka the m7). That helped my brain process it as a B minor chord with a "moving" root, as opposed to a colorful D major chord.

Technically the same chord, but such different feels. Funny how that works!

 

[Real Soon]

I guess you're right. From now on I’ll make sure all my bass lines grate on peoples ears and make them cringe

They still call me onstage at my local masked open mic, so we might be on to something with this

 

[jza57]

Shut it down and study the Diatonic scale all weekend. Once you now it in any key most music will make more sense. It will help you if you decide to start to write music. This is only the begining . Good Luck and Happy New Year to you and all of TALKBASSers.

 

[Phlipper]

One of the things I love about fretless is now I have unlimited wrong notes.

 

[Eli Brockway]

Now my ears are hurting The C7 is the dominant chord in the key of F major. It should sound pretty darn wonderful in that progression with a C in the bass. You might like the D because of the descent from the Eb, but you have turned that C7 into a C7/D chord and it's more dissonant.

Yeah, this is important right here. Always keep in mind the difference between what sounds nice on the bass alone, and what sounds nice within the context of the song, with all the other parts included.