What’s this progression?

rsvmark

Help required here please…. I have written a nice little progression using triads on the top 3 strings but no idea what the last (4th) chord is and what key I am in.

Tab is

E: 5-5-5-5
B: 7-6-5-4
G: 6-6-6-6

By my reckoning triad 1 is F#m (5 1 3 inversion)
Triad 2 I think is F#m over F as a passing note
Triad 3 I think is A (3 5 1 inversion)
Triad 4 consists of C# D# A 

I suspect the tonal centre is F#min for the verse which is where it starts and A major fits the overall key.

Other chords in the song include Bmin and E which fit with my working theory of A major but it’s just that 4th triad that’s stumping me. Chords fitting the diatonic progression are:

A Bmin C#min D E F#min G#dim but it’s got me stumped.

viz

It’s a IV chord, so a B7, with the 2 (or 9 if you prefer) on the bottom. Its root is absent. As is its 5th. 

Actually, functionally, the progression is a i-V-i-IV

i: F#m (2nd inv)
V(alt): C#b6
i: F#m7 (2nd inv)
IV: B7(no root)/C#

rsvmark

Thanks @viz ….. I wasn’t expecting that! My brain just melted and going to have to have a lie down!

jdgm

If I read it correctly.....

F#min

F#min/maj7

F#min7

F#min6

Cranky

I’m confused.  I would have thought that 5-5-5-5 was Am7 (Am/G) or Fmaj7/G.  

7-6-5-4 I’d have as a Amaj7.  

What am I missing?  Do I have my strings upside down?

PetGerbil

tilt your head left..

digitalkettle

Congratulations...you've just written 'Stairway' in F#m

As @jdgm said: looks like F#m, F#m(maj7), F#m7, F#m6

This kind of movement is known as a 'line cliche'.

viz

Ah yes, the F#min - F#min/maj7 - F#min7 - F#min6 guys are also correct, but I’m interested in what the chords are actually functioning as. 

rsvmark

viz said:

Ah yes, thd F#min - F#min/maj7 - F#min7 - F#min6 guys are also correct, but I’m interested in what the chords are actually functioning as. 

Not sure what you mean by that @viz ? The progression is the verse but after that it goes to simple Bmin A E. I kinda liked the minor to major switch feel so that why I was thinking the 3rd triad was an A. But I can see it can also be an F#m. And I am off to Google line cliche! Thanks for all the help

viz

rsvmark said:

viz said:

Ah yes, the F#min - F#min/maj7 - F#min7 - F#min6 guys are also correct, but I’m interested in what the chords are actually functioning as. 

Not sure what you mean by that @viz ? The progression is the verse but after that it goes to simple Bmin A E. I kinda liked the minor to major switch feel so that why I was thinking the 3rd triad was an A. But I can see it can also be an F#m. And I am off to Google line cliche! Thanks for all the help

Well, some folks above have (correctly) stated that one way of looking at the four chords is that they’re all F#m chords, with the top note descending from an 8 to a M7 to a m7 to a M6. (The top note meaning the one on the B string, not the even higher m3 on the E string)

I’m also stating that, functionally speaking, the four chords are acting as F#m, C#, F#m, B. 

digitalkettle

viz said:

rsvmark said:

viz said:

Ah yes, the F#min - F#min/maj7 - F#min7 - F#min6 guys are also correct, but I’m interested in what the chords are actually functioning as. 

Not sure what you mean by that @viz ? The progression is the verse but after that it goes to simple Bmin A E. I kinda liked the minor to major switch feel so that why I was thinking the 3rd triad was an A. But I can see it can also be an F#m. And I am off to Google line cliche! Thanks for all the help

Well, some folks above have (correctly) stated that one way of looking at the four chords is that they’re all F#m chords, with the top note descending from an 8 to a M7 to a m7 to a M6. (The top note meaning the one on the B string, not the even higher m3 on the E string)

I’m also stating that, functionally speaking, the four chords are acting as F#m, C#, F#m, B. 

I like that...it's more interesting...and the A note on top is making the C# and B chords feel 'dominant' ('augmented' in the case of the C# chord): F#m C#+ F#m B7

viz

^ yup, I mean the beauty of these progressions, as well as the descending chromatic tune, is that wonderful C# pedal, which sounds really profound and awesome, but the implied harmony does weave around it, hence the inversions. 

And yes, the B is a B7 as above, and definitely yes, that augmented chord, also known as V(alt), has that #5 in it, which I prefer hearing as a minor 6th rather than an augmented 5th as per my original post, because melodically-speaking I mentally hear it in tunes that would include the perfect 5th rather than replacing it (and even in the altered scale every note is lowered) but most people call it a #5, so yes, C#+

Awesome theory banter

jdgm

digitalkettle said:

viz said:

rsvmark said:

viz said:

Ah yes, the F#min - F#min/maj7 - F#min7 - F#min6 guys are also correct, but I’m interested in what the chords are actually functioning as. 

Not sure what you mean by that @viz ? The progression is the verse but after that it goes to simple Bmin A E. I kinda liked the minor to major switch feel so that why I was thinking the 3rd triad was an A. But I can see it can also be an F#m. And I am off to Google line cliche! Thanks for all the help

Well, some folks above have (correctly) stated that one way of looking at the four chords is that they’re all F#m chords, with the top note descending from an 8 to a M7 to a m7 to a M6. (The top note meaning the one on the B string, not the even higher m3 on the E string)

I’m also stating that, functionally speaking, the four chords are acting as F#m, C#, F#m, B. 

I like that...it's more interesting...and the A note on top is making the C# and B chords feel 'dominant' ('augmented' in the case of the C# chord): F#m C#+ F#m B7

How about (nice and simple) F#min>C#7>Amaj>B(7 or 9)?  

Depends on your ear really!

viz

If you like, though chord three is normally still a tonic (an F minor) in this progression. It can be an A, but it normally isn't. 

Cranky

I thought I was getting ok at this stuff.  But I cannot follow this thread.  How is 5-5-5-5 an F#min?

digitalkettle

Cranky said:

I thought I was getting ok at this stuff.  But I cannot follow this thread.  How is 5-5-5-5 an F#min?

It’s not…it’s four 3-note chords on the G, B, and E strings!

viz

It’s 

5               5               5               5
7               6               5               4
6               6               6               6


not 

5555

7654

6666

Cranky

viz said:

It’s 

5               5               5               5
7               6               5               4
6               6               6               6


not 

5555

7654

6666

Ah. Well now I know what @PetGerbil meant by tilting my head left.  I thought I was supposed to just tilt my head to the side just so, like a confused dog.  Too funny.

guitarjack66

Cranky said:

viz said:

It’s 

5               5               5               5
7               6               5               4
6               6               6               6


not 

5555

7654

6666

Ah. Well now I know what @PetGerbil meant by tilting my head left.  I thought I was supposed to just tilt my head to the side just so, like a confused dog.  Too funny.

You are not alone in your thinking re the charting.

PetGerbil

Cranky said:

viz said:

It’s 

5               5               5               5
7               6               5               4
6               6               6               6


not 

5555

7654

6666

Ah. Well now I know what @PetGerbil meant by tilting my head left.  I thought I was supposed to just tilt my head to the side just so, like a confused dog.  Too funny.

The weird thing is that if i look at viz's explanation, I would read that as being the same thing...

"It's not 5555, It's actually 5555. "

digitalkettle

The
E: 
B:
G:
in the OP was the giveaway!