Master Yoda I would appreciate a read of your article if you can? Olly@ollysguitar.com

good morning Satchland

JAYCEE - How cool is that to have both those guitars!! Do you have any others in your collection?

Austin - Even though I do really like VR they still aren't as amzing as GnR were IMO. I wonder what Izzy is doing these day, is he alive? I do like Scott's voice but sometimes I can just imagine Axl singing em and I think he could be better!

Anyone heard anything about John Deacon (Bassist from Queen) at all in the last 10 - 15 years or has he completely vanished off the face of the planet? It would be interesting to know what he is doing nowadays.

Can anyone help?

Clarky/Master Yoda/ Anyone - I am confusing myself with chord progressions and I need your help. I am trying to look deeper into my fav songs to see what makes them tick. But I get stuck - real stuck.

An example of one I am looking at is 'we are the champions' by Queen as I love their whole style of writing music.

The progression for the verse is written: Dm - C - Dm -C // F - Bb - F - Bb no i would think the first bit is in D minor. So would I call it i-VII? the next part is really the relative major. Now is this now a I-IV in F or would it be a continuation of the D minor as in III-VI?

Anyhow then it goes on to confuse me even more!

F - C - Dm - G7 - C - C7 - D

I can only interpret this as it is using the Dm as a pivot chord to change key to C using the ii-V7 of the key you are going into? but then im lost. C7 and D? what is going on here. how is it written? or is it not?

The chorus then goes on to G major by the looks of thigs. perhaps that last D was meant as a V chord to modualte into this?

G-Bm7- Em- C-D - G- Bm7-C-Am7- Am- D- C7- D7

I would label these I-iii-vi-IV-V--I-iii-IV-vi-vi-V but then the C7 ?

G-Am- Bb6- C7- D7 - Gm- C- Gm- D7sus /

this final part i am also stuck it looks like it is continuing in Gmaj but the Bb is confusing and the follwing dominants? unless again the D7 is used to cahnge key again to the finishing key of Gm.

Anyhow. if any of that made sense to anyone advise would be apprecaited!

Sorry to ramble

Olly

Clarky/yoda - Thanks!! i am going to start trying to work out chords of pieces of music by ear. My chord knowledge is limited and that probably reflects in my lead playing a lot!

My problem is going to come about when chords other than the standard minor/major or 7th chords come about as I don't know others like 6s 9s etc. what are the recomendation to those? Worki out the actual chords by ear or learn songs from written music with these chords in? Or maybe just study a chord book (i hope its not the final of those 3).

Also I don't get how these guys actaully even came up with this stuff. Was it just a sound they were looking at or was it because they knew the options? If i wanted to write a tune I would never dream of using a secondary dominant mainly because I am unsure of wtf they are and how to use them. This is why I find anything in music such a struggle as you open one door of soemthing to learn and all of a sudden you realise there is way way way more stuff than you even first thought of. Where to start where to start!!

Having said that I do know what the secondary dominant is but I guess there is some kind of theory as to where they work best. Like this tune is so powerful when it changes through those keys. it keeps the whole thing exciting even jsut listening to the chords. Thats what I want to create. exciting music. But how??

Anyhow thanks for both of your replies! You have both been extremely helpful in my quest for musical knowledge over the last couple of years!!!! I am very grateful.

PS Yoda whehn is your gig? I may be able to make Winchester. I don't believe its that far from me

Stu Clone Thanks for taking the time to answer my post. All input I have had I have found very useful. I guess I shouldn'y analyse it too much but I guess it helps breaking it up and identifying what is going on.

I am going to take clark'y advice and go through and try to work out the chords as at the moment I have really no idea of chord progressions other that shitty ones I have made only using the chords from one scale. Hopefully that will give me more of an insight!

I don't quite get what you mean when you say:

" i VII "("big seven" is major, and based on the sub-tonic, as opposed to the leading tone, in minor)

Can you explain what this means in more basic terms?

Neil - with reference to naming with numerals. Back to the Queen example. If i were naming the chords Dm - C = i-VII but then the shift to relative major occurs ( F-Bb) so what would you name that? would you still relate it to the original i chord or would you treat it as a key change and call it I-IV?

Master Yoda - Thanks. I think I will always refer it to the major scale as in your option 3. It makes much more sense and is clearer!! Thanks!! I didnt think of doing it that way!!

Sorry if my second question was unclear but you got exactly what i meant! I guess there is a difference in a dominant position and a dominant chord.

I have learnt so much this weekend! lol

Must be so cool being able to write music whilst walking or doing whatever!

Hello people. Haven't been on here in ages. got a promotion at work which means I can't just sit around on the internet all day! Unfortuantely this is meaning my guitar playing has taken a break as well due to getting in late!

One bonus is extra cash! i have recently bought a drum machine, mixer and more recently a keyboard which has excellent piano sounds!

Hope all is well!

Hello everyone. How's things going? Good I hope. Haven't been on here in ages due to lack of time at work!

Bought myself a Behringer V-Amp for recording. I'm very impressed with the sounds on it. Anyone else use one of these? How does it compare to the Line 6 POD?

Jazzzzy - sounds good mate! I'll have to get some off you when i see you on MSN sometime. Flamenco sounds hard though!

alexandrecaetano I'm good thanks, hows things going with you? You sill busy writing music?

Hello people

Just listening to a bit of Satch for the first time in ages and forgot how much i loved it.

Hope everyone here is doing good. I don't get much of a chance to pop in and say hello these days!

LUCY SORETS Ollysguitar.com is my site. If you know of or have any other backing tracks then let me know and i ill stick em up there

Hi all