Sweet home alabama

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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26748
    viz;648605" said:
    Absolutely 100% agree with you but I'm just saying that for me, that's not the primary reason it's in G - the reason is more in the phrasing - because it's still possible to have a piece played entirely with flat 7s, and in classical notation it would be written with 2 sharps in the key sig and every C would have a natural.
    I think you're overthinking it - it's only classic rock! :p
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • vizviz Frets: 10644
    Arghhhh damn I thought it was classicAL rock! D'oh
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • MatthewShredderyMatthewShreddery Frets: 861
    edited May 2015
    I cannot for the life of me work out why you would hear this song as being in G.
    Sure, the written notes suggest G major, but listen to how strong the beat is on the D chord. 
    To me, the whole phrase does not feel resolved on G. It always wants to go back to D.

    I'm not talking about solos, scale choices etc - this is irrelevant.
    I am talking about where the tonal centre is.

    The strength of the beat, and the phrasing is very important in defining the overall tonality of a piece.
    Try playing the chord progression the other way round:

    G C D

    Play the chords as per the original riff, but in the above order.
    Now it feels and sounds like G is the home chord, because you are accenting G in a strong place, and the chords pull to G with the ever strong IV V I (C D G).

    Now play it in the original manner and see how that sounds.

    Oh, by the way:  :-)

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  • matt1973matt1973 Frets: 385
    It's in the same vein as the coda of Hey Jude. Would you say that's in C? Of course not.

    You can solo in G major pent quite happily on this but it's country - chasing the chords with the respective major pentatonics is parr for the course in the genre.

    It's in D.


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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23919
    While you lot have been arguing over this completely inconsequential point I have learned another 3 songs.

    And I've played with some boobies.

    I win.
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23919
    Musicnotes websites says the original published key is G


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  • matt1973matt1973 Frets: 385
    edited May 2015
    Key signatures are really just a way of minising accidentals. It couldn't even tell you the difference between Am and C major; so there's no way it will let you know what mode you're in. You need to look at the music and make a decision.

    Look, House of the rising sun is in F major :D

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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10356

    Does the fact that Sweet home Alabama sits it's fat arse down on the G chord longer than any other mean anything ? I think it does .... all the other other chords are only 1 bar or less so I stand by my testimony sir it's indeed in G :) 
    www.2020studios.co.uk 
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  • matt1973matt1973 Frets: 385
    Ain't No Mountain High Enough is in D. IIRC it doesn't hit D chord in the whole song.
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  • vizviz Frets: 10644
    I cannot for the life of me work out why you would hear this song as being in G.
    Sure, the written notes suggest G major, but listen to how strong the beat is on the D chord. 
    To me, the whole phrase does not feel resolved on G. It always wants to go back to D.

    I'm not talking about solos, scale choices etc - this is irrelevant.
    I am talking about where the tonal centre is.

    The strength of the beat, and the phrasing is very important in defining the overall tonality of a piece.
    Try playing the chord progression the other way round:

    G C D

    Play the chords as per the original riff, but in the above order.
    Now it feels and sounds like G is the home chord, because you are accenting G in a strong place, and the chords pull to G with the ever strong IV V I (C D G).

    Now play it in the original manner and see how that sounds.

    Oh, by the way:  :-)


    Agreed, though that is a slightly special case because of the strong dominant.
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • It's not that special. It uses the same chords :)
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  • robinbowesrobinbowes Frets: 3021
    I cannot for the life of me work out why you would hear this song as being in G.

    Because it is *in* G. :)

    R.
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  • robinbowesrobinbowes Frets: 3021
    Actually, facetiousness aside, it's quite interesting that opinions are so polarised.

    Is this the audio version of the black/blue/gold dress saga?





    Naaaah, it's in G.

    :)

    R.
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  • BigMonkaBigMonka Frets: 1763
    Sure, but D mixolydian isn't a key, it's a scale. With the notes of G major in it....
    But where are you getting that definition from? Are you saying that Em isn't a key as its the same notes as Gmajor? Modes definitely have their own sounds, so in my book that makes them count as a key.
    So I'd say it was in Dmixolydian if I was speaking to someone who knew what that meant, otherwise I'd say G.
    Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman, in which case always be Batman.
    My boss told me "dress for the job you want, not the job you have"... now I'm sat in a disciplinary meeting dressed as Batman.
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26748
    BigMonka said:
    Sure, but D mixolydian isn't a key, it's a scale. With the notes of G major in it....
    But where are you getting that definition from? Are you saying that Em isn't a key as its the same notes as Gmajor? Modes definitely have their own sounds, so in my book that makes them count as a key.
    So I'd say it was in Dmixolydian if I was speaking to someone who knew what that meant, otherwise I'd say G.
    I'm saying a key is major or minor, based on it's sharps/flats and tonality. Guitarists are the only bunch in the world who care about what a mixolydian is, and even then it's only dull guitarists.
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • What key is Sweet Child o' Mine in?
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  • not_the_djnot_the_dj Frets: 7306
    Also what key is Werewolves of London in?
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  • robinbowesrobinbowes Frets: 3021
    SCOM is in D, but how is that relevant?
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  • not_the_djnot_the_dj Frets: 7306
    SCOM is in D, but how is that relevant?
    D, C , G
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  • robinbowesrobinbowes Frets: 3021
    SCOM is in D, but how is that relevant?
    D, C , G

    Hmm, maybe it's in G too :)

    R.


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