[Dorian2]

I wrote a tune in 1990, based on a lick that the Bass player gave me, for an Original band I played in and over the last while have been working it out just for guitar. I want to expand it in a meaningful and musical way, so I thought I'd research the main progression being used as the basis for the song. Here's what I found:

The Chromatic Subtonic (1)
The Subtonic (i.e. the chord Bb in the key of C major) has many roots.
Norwegian Wood has a folk/modal source. Got To Get You Into My
Life fits into the Swing tradition. Love You To shows its Indian
heritaGe. There are other sources, not to mention some songs that bear
the indelible stamp of John Lennon's own style.
This article concerns the use of the Subtonic in a chromatic sequence.
Although we can find various examples of the usage, there is no clear
style tradition such as folk or swing for this particular use of
the chord.
I apologize for the heavy use of technical language in this article.
While I prefer a Jargon Free Zone, it's simply unavoidable in this
kind of reference material. The summary, at the end of the article,
discusses the expressive role of the chord and sequence in more
reasonable language.
The Subtonic Sequence
In fact, this article concentrates on a specific sequence of four
chords:
C G Bb F Chord
I V bVII IV

Funnily enough, I just happened to learn Norwegian Wood like 2 weeks ago. But my tune sound nothing at all like it, which is why I was really surprised to see it on the list this person in the article provided.

Have you guys analyzed your own work to some extend and found similar writing techniques that "just felt
right" at the time without knowing WTF you were doing...except for using your ears and ability at the time?

Beathoven Studying the Beatles

 

[zontar]

I have looked back at songs I have come up with--but not in that much detail--more to describe how to play them to others...

 

[Wardo]

I write words and such but analysing it ain’t my cross to bear.

 

[Dorian2]

Yeah...I get you guys. I've actually reeled back the theoretical process that I have taken for a while. But I do like learning the nuts and bolts, which can be both a blessing and a friggin curse. I'm one of those guys who can't listen to music while I work, unless it's teaching. I go into a different space all together. Some may call it zoning out...I'm weird that way.

EDIT: See....I even capitalized music for no good reason.

 

[Wardo]

Yeah, I can’t listen to music while I work either; I have to stop what I’m doing and listen if it’s any good or smash something if I’m being forced to listen to crap.

 

[Dorian2]

lol

 

[mawmow]

Never took a course and came to study scales a few years ago to understand chord construction vs scales as I tried to study musical composition. I even analyzed turnarounds as where they came from according to scales (I even found a book on this subject). Funny silly ?! Time consuming, but waste of time ? Well, I certainly got something ot of it.
A reference book :
"How to Write Songs on Guitar" by Rikky Rooksby...
Gives chords progressions with songs examples and much more. Blowed my mind !

 

[Guncho]

I've had to figure out my own improvised solos.

Here's me doing exactly that. I think I flubbed one note.

 

[KapnKrunch]

I have analyzed my work and here's what I found:

1) can't sing
2) can't play
3) otherwise fairly talented

Oh you mean -- theoretically!

I often use theory to experiment. It helps me find what I am looking for, or find what I need but didn't know it. If I continue to improvise with the song the theory remains in my head, but if I play the song too many times the same way and return to experimenting much later I can't remember how I got to that point. (This is for more convoluted material of course not my stock Folk & Pop stuff.)

One the other hand, in two of my Latin style songs, I change keys in the last bar -- but only because that's what I heard in my head, and not because of some clever theoretical analysis. (I can't really figure out why it works, but I am kinda proud of it, like I am some sort of "idiot-savant".)

 

[Dorian2]

Never took a course and came to study scales a few years ago to understand chord construction vs scales as I tried to study musical composition. I even analyzed turnarounds as where they came from according to scales (I even found a book on this subject). Funny silly ?! Time consuming, but waste of time ? Well, I certainly got something ot of it.
A reference book :
"How to Write Songs on Guitar" by Rikky Rooksby...
Gives chords progressions with songs examples and much more. Blowed my mind !

Time consuming yes. Funny, silly, waste of time. HELL NO. Not at all. It opens up a number of doors musicically and IMO allows you to more fully understand how to project what you feel when you play.

 

[Dorian2]

I have analyzed my work and here's what I found:

1) can't sing
2) can't play
3) otherwise fairly talented

Oh you mean -- theoretically!

I often use theory to experiment. It helps me find what I am looking for, or find what I need but didn't know it. If I continue to improvise with the song the theory remains in my head, but if I play the song too many times the same way and return to experimenting much later I can't remember how I got to that point. (This is for more convoluted material of course not my stock Folk & Pop stuff.)

One the other hand, in two of my Latin style songs, I change keys in the last bar -- but only because that's what I heard in my head, and not because of some clever theoretical analysis. (I can't really figure out why it works, but I am kinda proud of it, like I am some sort of "idiot-savant".)

The bolded is the whole point in a nutshell for my way of thinking. Even though I've forgotten more theory than I remember because I just don't use it in my playing genre(s), I like to go back to it to see where it came from, why it works, and where I can go with it. That allows for expansion on a theme/motif/idear or part of a tune that I'd like to make a bit more interesting. I did enough clever theoretical analysis for music when I took contemporary music (jazz) for 2 years in the 90's. As a Rocker, I hated it but appreciated it at the same time.