Was thinking about a song I wrote from an old band I started called Abacus. The name of the band was a nod to the fact that all of the original compositions, as well as most of the covers we did, all featured some kind of odd time signature, some form of metric modulation, or heavily polyrhythmic and syncopated rhythms. Or in many cases all of the above. My original compositions also placed a heavy emphasis on key changes and modality in the harmonic structure and melodic choices as well. Basically it was math rock/prog rock, but done in a way that wasn’t as aggressive or abrasive to listen to. It was math rock with a jam band vibe that was meant to be musical, and even danceable. The idea was to make music that pushed boundaries but still ‘grooved’, kind of like take 5 by the Dave Brubeck quartet, but more jam bandy than jazzy.
All this to say, I wanted to post a shorthand transcription of a passage that was at the end of one of my most elaborate and complex pieces for discussion. This passage is meant to give a satisfying and soothing resolution to a piece that went a lot of different directions and covered a lot of musical territory for the first 4-5 minutes(think like paranoid android by Radiohead or terrapin station by the dead).
So first I’ll give a quick explanation of the architecture and intention of the passage, and then I’ll present the topics I’d like to discuss. The tonal center of the passage is G major, with a Lydian modality. It has a repeating rhythmic motif a 16th note septuplet on the II chord, followed by a 6 beat vamp on the I chord. This gives the passage the feeling of a quick sharp breath inhaling over the 6/16 measure, followed by a long exhale over the 6/4 measure. It then cycles through some different chords that are harmonically related to the A9 and G add 9 chords to shift the tonal ‘color’ or ‘aesthetic’ of the vamp while mirroring the structure and overall feel. First everything essentially shifts to the relative minor of the original chords, exchanging the A9 and G add 9 for an F#-7 and an Esus2 7 chord. Then it drops another 4th to a C#-7 add 11(no 5) and a b-7, which are both natural extensions of the A9 and Gadd9 chords, since the root notes of those chords are the 3rds of the original chords, and are therefore more or less enharmonic as far as how they function in the harmonic structure of the passage.
So the primary thing I’m interested in discussing is in how I have it transcribed, and whether there might be a clearer or cleaner way to do so. I’m using fakebook style shorthand, similar to what you’d see in the real book or other chord chart style transcriptions. The reason being is both that the specific chord voicings used are not important to me, and if anything I’d actually rather the performers explore the soundscape and use a variety of voicings or even impose further chord substitutions a song as it maintains the same overall feel and theme. More specifically, I’m interested in how I could possibly notate the chords more clearly. And as an extension of that, if there’s a better way to transcribe the repeated measures of the vamp than how I’ve done it here, I’d like to know. Personally I feel like the way I’ve done it here is efficient and easy to understand, but I’m open to alternative methods and suggestions. I’d also like to know if there’s alternative ways to notate the meter/rhythm of the passage that I haven’t considered.
Outside of the notation and transcription aspect, I’m also interested to hear takes on the harmonic and chordal theory at play here. For example, are there maybe some other chords that could function in a similar harmonic role that I could use to branch out further in this passage. Possibly using stuff like tritone substitution, more modal borrowing. Maybe instead of A9 and G add 9, Eb9 and Db add 9 could work as a substitute and add an additional dimension to the passage.
I’m interested to hear people’s takes on the passage, since I’ve never really ‘workshopped’ it with other musicians since that project disbanded. And now that I’m looking to revisit it a bit, some fresh perspective might open up some new dimensions or musical avenues I haven’t explored with it.