Chord theory help??

[narrator]

Okay so i was messing around with some chords today, i really like the sound and flow but cant figure out what the actual chords are.

here's a pic of the piano roll



my only guess is that the root notes are D,C#,B,B of the chord themselves and are maybe inverted??

here's a clip of the sounds.

http://www66.zippyshare.com/v/86143138/file.html


thanks in advance

[KoenDercksen]

When I play it, to me it sounds like:

Fmb6 -> Fm -> Esus4 -> Emaj and repeat!

[KoenDercksen]

edit

goddamnit sorry DP

[narrator]

Ah right.. i thought seeing as i initially had the upper octave notes down on lower octaves with D being the lowest on the first chord that it was still in the same key.

[joshisrad]

D major, F# minor, E sus -> resolve to E major

You are likely in the key of A major.

Please learn music theory before continuing.

[joshisrad]

Ah right.. i thought seeing as i initially had the upper octave notes down on lower octaves with D being the lowest on the first chord that it was still in the same key.

No no, you are definitely playing a D chord on that first one, first inversion. Notice the two D's you are playing above do not sound like grace notes or color tones -- there are two of them, you are doubling the root to compensate for the fact that you have the third of the chord in the bass.

If you were to actually orchestrate this you would have another instrument playing a low D. In dubstep this would be your sub.

[joshisrad]

The real challenge for you will be understanding where to go from there

[narrator]

D major, F# minor, E sus -> resolve to E major

You are likely in the key of A major.

Please learn music theory before continuing.

i'm trying to learn a bit as i go along and usually play by ear its a pretty big minefield.
i just couldnt distinguish between the first chord being either D or F because of the root note. Are the upper octave notes correct if thats the case?

[joshisrad]

It would be F#, not F. And yes, all the notes are correct, if they are written as you intended.

[KoenDercksen]

D major, F# minor, E sus -> resolve to E major

You are likely in the key of A major.

Please learn music theory before continuing.

Dear joshirad,

Please learn context before continuing, that first chord is definitely meant as F#min if there's a F# bass under there. We have not heard anything about the bass notes OP is using under those chords, have we?

[joshisrad]

D major, F# minor, E sus -> resolve to E major

You are likely in the key of A major.

Please learn music theory before continuing.

Dear joshirad,

Please learn context before continuing, that first chord is definitely meant as F#min if there's a F# bass under there. We have not heard anything about the bass notes OP is using under those chords, have we?

lmao no, you said the first two chords were "Fmb6" and "Fm," get out

[KoenDercksen]

Ha, meant F#, you're right on that... Still though, the first two chords don't work as Dmajor and F#minor in those voicings.
They work as F#mb6 and F#m

[joshisrad]

Ha, meant F#, you're right on that... Still though, the first two chords don't work as Dmajor and F#minor in those voicings.
They work as F#mb6 and F#m

Yes they certainly do! You need to learn theory from a music school. Chords in first inversion is a pretty basic concept.

Helpful reading:

http://smu.edu/totw/invert.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion_(music)

[narrator]

here's a quick version with a bassline (its an 80's type thing i'm working on)

http://www38.zippyshare.com/v/4013307/file.html

and here's the notes that i put in by ear i'm not sure if this changes anything with the chords. i left the bass loud enough.




how come the first chord is inverted with Dmaj but the second chord is regular F#m with the root note starting at the bottom instead of it being an inverted C# like the previous chord??
sorry about the confusion. my ears know more than i do as it seems.

[joshisrad]

how come the first chord is inverted with Dmaj but the second chord is regular F#m with the root note starting at the bottom instead of it being an inverted C# like the previous chord??

Because A is not a tone in the C# triad; it's the 6th, and would be added for color. Which is not the case here. What you are doing is doubling the fifth of F# minor, which is not a holy practice but it isn't a big deal in dance music, especially considering you haven't written the entire instrumentation yet. In F# minor, A is the third. C# is the fifth. If the chord were C# we would more commonly read it as Db, and consists of Db as root, F as third, and Ab as fifth. But in this context it would be minor, so it would be C#, E, and G#. You can have a C# minor chord in this song. Probably not Db major, unless you know how to lead into it properly and lead out of it properly.

We can tell the first chord is inverted not only because of the doubling of the root, but because of the harmonic progression. D to F# minor is not at all uncommon in the key of A. IV - vi sounds good.

You really need to learn this stuff.

[AxeD]

Does it sound good?

If it sounds real good just call it all U majors.

[Sharmaji]

joshisrad is right-- Dmaj, F#minor, E sus6, E maj.

you're playing around w/ inversions, so there's some fun leading tones up in the top of the register that are looking for different resolves, compared to if you were just playing triads-- ie, continuing the B in the E suspended section.

i'm gonna toss up Cm to Dmaj as your next move

[KoenDercksen]

Why don't you guys play those exact voicings on your keyboard without any other bass notes added yourself, and see what it sounds like.

If you listened to the clip you have to notice that the first chord doesn't have to work as a Dmaj in this progression! It just depends on the bass note that mister OP is eventually going to put under it.

Sure, it has all the notes of a Dmaj in first inversion, but if the sub note is going to be an F#, I would just not call it a Dmaj in first inversion because it sounds like a F#mb6 that way.

I'm sure I won't be the only one.

[hutyluty]

Why don't you guys play those exact voicings on your keyboard without any other bass notes added yourself, and see what it sounds like.

If you listened to the clip you have to notice that the first chord doesn't have to work as a Dmaj in this progression! It just depends on the bass note that mister OP is eventually going to put under it.

Sure, it has all the notes of a Dmaj in first inversion, but if the sub note is going to be an F#, I would just not call it a Dmaj in first inversion because it sounds like a F#mb6 that way.

I'm sure I won't be the only one.

nah its d major mate

[KoenDercksen]

*sigh* alright I give up.
BUT I'M NOT AGREEING!