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Request The Letter by Joe Cocker

jchrisk1

jchrisk1

Nov 15, 2009
1,593
3,264
Northern MI
#1
My new band has started playing the letter, the Joe cocker version, and I'm having a heck of a time with the last chord. We have dropped it a half step for the singer, but I can't figure out what's going on with the horns and keys part. Not that it's my problem, but I'm kind of tired of the keys guy telling me I'm wrong. I know that I play an A on the last chord, he keeps telling me it's an F. He's wrong and I would like to figure it out without a confrontation. I've been looking at the horn section score and I'm so confused. I ain't real good with the readin and what not.
It sounds like every note available is being played.
Can anyone please help me with the ending? We have tenor sax, keys and guitar to get through the chord.
 
#2
jchrisk1 said:
My new band has started playing the letter, the Joe cocker version, and I'm having a heck of a time with the last chord. We have dropped it a half step for the singer, but I can't figure out what's going on with the horns and keys part. Not that it's my problem, but I'm kind of tired of the keys guy telling me I'm wrong. I know that I play an A on the last chord, he keeps telling me it's an F. He's wrong and I would like to figure it out without a confrontation. I've been looking at the horn section score and I'm so confused. I ain't real good with the readin and what not.
It sounds like every note available is being played.
Can anyone please help me with the ending? We have tenor sax, keys and guitar to get through the chord.
Click to expand...

Any specifics?
At what time?

 
#5
If you're playing the song in A then the bass plays an A on the last chord...and respectively the bass plays the Key root in whichever key you're playing it in.
Key of F - Play an F
Key of G - Play a G
etc
the ending resolves on the root of the key.
No brainer.
 
#6
Right. I'm playing an A, which is correct. The problem is somewhere within the keys, guitar, and mostly the horns. I'm only trying to find out what the chord is at the end. It's something crazy.
Biggbass said:
If you're playing the song in A then the bass plays an A on the last chord...and respectively the bass plays the Key root in whichever key you're playing it in.
Key of F - Play an F
Key of G - Play a G
etc
the ending resolves on the root of the key.
No brainer.
Click to expand...
 
#15
It just sounds like a tonic minor 6 chord to me, so if in Am it will be Am6, the keys or Gtr could well just be playing Am which wouldn't clash with any horn voicing that would accommodate the 6th(f#) but the option is there to use voicings that complement the flavour but then it might sound a bit over coloured
 
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#16
oldrocker said:
Does that make it a diminished chord? Bbdim?
Click to expand...

Yes, a diminished chord has a flat five. But if you tell someone who studied music to play a diminished chord, they are gonna also play a minor third, every time. Music educators made up this random rule that "diminished" means- minor third AND flat five.

The last chord in "The Letter" has a D natural, which a major third above the root.

I was incorrect in my first guess to identify the chord as a Bb minor flat 5. I have played the tune with a horn band for a couple of years. I think of the song as having key signature of Db/ key of Bb minor. The last chord has root of Bb which would suggest the vi minor. But it's not a Bb minor chord, it has a D natural which is a major third.

I am fortunate to have horn players who know what they are supposed to play, even when I don't know what they are playing.

edit: the sax player who scored the tune for the entire band agrees that the last chord is Bb 13 (b5).

I defer taking the bait about whether #11 and b5 are the same note.
 
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#18
EarnestTBass said:
I was incorrect in my first guess to identify the chord as a Bb minor flat 5. I have played the tune with a horn band for a couple of years. I think of the song as having key signature of Db/ key of Bb minor. The last chord has root of Bb which would suggest the vi minor. But it's not a Bb minor chord, it has a D natural which is a major third.
Click to expand...

Don't punish yourself. :roflmao:
It's not that simple.
The horns are not staying on the same note, and, plus, their note/s articulation (on purpose!) is to create a "terrible" dissonance!

https://www.talkbass.com/attachment...6/?temp_hash=8399bb9f4593da1e4359b5053d55e285
 

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#20
Thanks for all of your help guys. We were able to get it sorted out with our less than adequate amount of horns.
The keyboard player still insists it ends with an F chord because, " I've played this song hundreds of times and looked at the chart today". Well, I guess your chart is wrong, and you've played it wrong hundreds of times. He may have to go if his hearing is so bad he can't hear that what he's playing is wrong.
Anyway, I did find this video that clearly shows the chord the guitarist is playing at the end.
 
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