A note over A# chord

jonnygreentrees

Was doing some writing with the band last night and the idea was in Dm which contains both A and A#. At one point I was playing an arpeggio containing an A (13th fret B string) whilst the bass player was playing an A# and it sounded fine. Surely this shouldn't have worked?!

Cirrus

No reason why not - as long as they're at not at the same octave (ie within a semitone of each other) that's a perfectly musical interval, and a key component in a major 7th chord.

Although... wouldn't the 13th fret on a string tuned to B be a C?

jonnygreentrees

Cirrus said:

No reason why not - as long as they're at not at the same octave (ie within a semitone of each other) that's a perfectly musical interval, and a key component in a major 7th chord.

very interesting thanks! my music theory is limited and I always assumed that playing notes a semitone apart was a no no!

jonnygreentrees

Ah sorry complete brain fart, of course it is! 

Cirrus

Well, two notes a genuine semitone apart does sound quite clashy, although it can be a very powerful musical tool - try arpeggiating this chord slowly on the thinnest four strings;

E-0

B-6

G-5

D-3

Generally, the lower the semitone clash is the more muddy it'll sound. But in a chord like that, the F at the 6th fret of the B string and the E on the open string can be used to create tension and a sense that something needs to resolve.

What you're both playing is way more than a semitone though. If the bass is playing an A# on a lower octave, say the 6th fret of the E string, it's three full octaves below an A higher up on your guitar's B string. Obviously it depends on the musical context but there's no reason that couldn't sound very musical - because the notes are so far apart they won't have many clashing overtones.

Phil_aka_Pip

The bass player was playing a Bb. Your A, combined with other instruments' D & F would have made Bbmaj7. Lovely chord in the key of Dm

bingefeller

It's not so much the journey but the destination.  If you resolve to a strong chord tone you can play anything.  

moz91

If you're in Dm then it's a Bb not an A#. Your C would give you a 9th on a Bb major chord, where as an A would have given you a major 7th. Try play a 2 octave Bbmaj7 arp over your bassists Bb but finish on the A. Will sound unresolved but will work and still sound musical!

Clarky

moz91 said:

If you're in Dm then it's a Bb not an A#.

this... and of course in the key of Dm, Bb is note VI so it's perfectly within key.. and you most likely have a Bb maj7 going on