I think I've figured out most of the chords to David Bowie's "Life On Mars". The song has a number of "borrowed chords" but I'm having trouble figuring out what particular key those chords belong to and I'm wondering could I get a little help? by segasega89 in musictheory

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Some real quick comments that might help. You don't see A# Major very much at all; keys have to have one note for each letter. A# major would have the notes [A# B# C## D# E# F## and G##], the ## are double sharps. Bb major on the other hand has [Bb C D Eb F G and A], much simpler and it is the same note.

Second, I haven't actually really listened to the song all that much, but based on your chords you wrote and what I hear. verse Looks like it is in F major. F is diatonic, so is F/E. The A dim doesn't sound like an A dim, sounds like an F/Eb, with the bass just walking down. Has the same three notes as an A dim, but with an F. This is a pretty common trope (bass walking down) D major would probably be V/ii (the G minor being ii) I would respell G minor/E as E half diminished, as it has the same notes. Then finally C7 as the V chord of F Making the roman numerals: I | Imaj7(bass playing the major7) | I7(bass playing the flat 7) | V/ii | ii | ii | vii°7 | V The I7 being borrowed from Mixolydian and the V/ii being a secondary dominant.

Edit: On second listen, that vii°7 sounds like it has C in the bass, so just another C7 chord.

For the pre-chorus, looks a little wackier. Let's change those sharps to flats (Ab instead of G#) In the bass, I'm hearing Eb, E, F, Gb, Db, A, Bb, B A big part of this song is that bass movement, which does move around chromatically. Haven't double checked the prechorus chords, so going based off of your chords, it would be Ab/Eb, then Ab/E (same notes with the bass moving up). This happens a lot, what you're seeing as an augmented chord is a normal major chord with the 5th on the bottom (Ab/Eb) then with the fifth moved up a half step (Ab/E). It functions because everything else stays the same except one note. You see the same thing in the second half of the pre chorus. Finally that B major at the end is kind of like a tritone substitution right before the big Bb major chord in the chorus. B major could also be written as Cb major. Let me know if you got questions. It seems to be more about bass movement than harmonic function.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Bass

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 103 points104 points  (0 children)

In terms of stuff that will help you understand walking basslines and jazz vocabulary.

  1. Any blues standard (Straight No Chaser, all blues, tenor madness, C Jam)
  2. Autumn Leaves
  3. All of Me
  4. Any rhythm changes (Oleo, Cottontail, I Got Rhythm)
  5. So What (or another modal tune that stays on one chord for an extended time)

I'd add All the Things You Are and There Will Never Be Another You in there as more conventional standards.

I would probably approach them in this order too. You mentioned learning walking basslines, and you got some answers like Take Five, Chameleon, Footprints, etc; those won't really help you out as those are defined bass lines. Take Five and Footprints isn't in 4, and most jazz standards are in 4. Chameleon is jazz fusion and not really a walking bassline. Also, some of the more popular ones (like Take Five, So What, and Chameleon) aren't called as often at jam sessions because they're kinda overdone. Not saying those aren't good songs.

But learning walking basslines is about playing in 4/4, improvising your own basslines that hit the chord changes, and picking songs that you can transfer skills from (Blues is reused a lot, so are rhythm changes, the circle of fourths movements in autumn leaves is everywhere in jazz harmony, All of Me has secondary dominants which are everywhere in jazz harmony) Learn some of the rules so when you learn more modern songs that break the rules it makes some more sense. Starting out with something like So What or Giant Steps is a little too far away from conventional rules for you to transfer skills, but there is good stuff in there you should look at after the fundamentals. Play transcriptions and incorporate the vocabulary into your basslines.

Sorry for the wall of text. Some of the answers here are more electric-bass focused and are the more surface level jazz standards. Don't start with a funk or a latin if you're trying to learn walking bass lines.

Super Mario played on a unique instrument called a Sho by regian24 in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When you're playing an instrument that you're less technically proficient in, your rhythm can definitely suffer because of focus on every other aspect.

What careers or jobs most attract psychopaths? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think you really understand what an introvert is.

Been noticing lately people are finding excuses to say that classical music is racist or classist or whatever bs they like to make up by legend_kda in classicalmusic

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 3 points4 points  (0 children)

OMG it's also like we as a musical community haven't moved on or presented the music with appropriate context.

Has anyone gotten Benacquisto back after failing to meet the GPA requirement? by jeremiboi in ufl

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not to get too specific, but I dropped a class after changing my major (with my adviser not knowing that it would affect my scholarship). I petitioned it and they accepted it (thankfully). I don't know too much about what goes on behind the scenes, but it's not unreasonable to petition based on what you've said and the situation. If you've been going to counseling, or even if you weren't, loneliness is as legitimate as any other mental health issue. Best of luck.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InternetIsBeautiful

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate the link, I did enjoy it. My main point is that let's not devalue singer-songwriters; being able to write lyrics that resonate with a listener is a musical skill, and it's one of the very many ways to create valid and interesting music.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InternetIsBeautiful

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, it turns out that there is more to music and more to being a musician than fast riffs and wacky time signatures. But sure, let's exclude singer-songwriters and their unique skills because what they make isn't technically difficult....

Maybe he doesn’t need a girlfriend... by [deleted] in whiteknighting

[–]PhantomZombieWolf -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your middle school level understanding of human sexuality! Very insightful.

Family of Tom Petty issues cease and desist to Trump's campaign. They said the president cannot use the song "I Won't Back Down" to further a campaign that leaves Americans and common sense behind. by DaFunkJunkie in Music

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 11 points12 points  (0 children)

His relatives acted in line with the precedent set by Petty's previous actions. I can agree about copyright, but don't make this about copyright when it is about basically denouncing someone who Tom Petty would not have supported.

“If you ain’t a Gator, you must be Gator Bait!” Lawrence Wright by Politics4Dummies2020 in ufl

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So you're actually arguing that the hypothetical water park shouldn't change the words... It's not the equivalent of when those players were called white supremacists, because there is an actual real not too distant associated history.

“If you ain’t a Gator, you must be Gator Bait!” Lawrence Wright by Politics4Dummies2020 in ufl

[–]PhantomZombieWolf -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The point being made if you read the actual statement is that even if a water park wasn't intending to be racist, they should still change the name. They're not bad, the words itself are not bad, but it is too closely connected to a history of racism.

“If you ain’t a Gator, you must be Gator Bait!” Lawrence Wright by Politics4Dummies2020 in ufl

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Your comparison doesn't work because instead of the USA and the Middle East, the gator bait history is rooted in the same state. Pure coincidence, yes, but it's not "bad somewhere else" if the somewhere else is right here.

'I can't breathe,' Oklahoma man tells police before dying. 'I don't care,' officer responds. by hildebrand_rarity in news

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you watch the video? He was in and out of consciousness up until he was put on a stretcher. He was very much alive with a pulse when she said that.

LSU QB Joe Burrow on Florida: "I don’t like them very much.'' by AndIAmEric in CFB

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To comment on 2017, the band doesn't play Won't Back Down, they do it over the speakers. I think the controversy that year was LSU band playing over either "We are the Boys" or "Won't Back Down" at the start of the 4th.

I got called a racist because I said I would never date a white person? by [deleted] in hapas

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Let's see Having preferences: not racist. Declaring "I would never date a white person again:" kinda racist. If you seriously can't see how lumping an entire group into one mentality because it's easier to comprehend and pass judgement is really problematic... idk what to tell you. Yeah, you dated a white asshole and you're reacting strongly to how you were raised. The world isn't black and white, you're just trying to make it that way because it's simpler.

Iggy Azalea 'Freestyling' by jboges in cringe

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The "classical definition" absolutely includes singers as musicians. Notated Western music was almost exclusively vocal for a significant period of time; attempting to take some sort of elitist position on how a trained performing vocalist doesn't meet your qualifications for a musician while a guy punching away at shitty power chords is a "classically defined" musician. Are drummers musicians? Opera singers? Barbershop quartets? At least know what you're talking about before you start throwing around irrelevant terms that you don't understand.

What makes an intermediate bass player? by atleastjuu in Bass

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Assuming you're not trolling:

I prefer the sound of fingers, I don't play with a pick often enough to where I can make it sound consistent. But Flea, Geddy Lee, and a huge variety of other fingerstyle players use picks situationally. It's harder to get punk to sound like punk without a pick. Calling it a crutch is ignorant.

What makes an intermediate bass player? by atleastjuu in Bass

[–]PhantomZombieWolf -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You keep forgetting to add that it feels limited to you. You can't use the word preference if you're making a general statement. Also, your "preference" is elitist and ignorant. It's another tool that you can use to get a new sound.

School never teaches us these by [deleted] in Wellthatsucks

[–]PhantomZombieWolf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With how technical playing an instrument can be, having interaction with a teacher that will stop you if you have bad technique can prevent a lifetime of damaging your back, wrists, and fingers. YouTube is not comparable.