unconventional chord progressions/melodies?

[smashingjj]

Originally posted by cap'n jazz

I don't get depressed by you, sweetie.

[THRILLHO]

Originally posted by DeviousJ


Oh yeah, I get what you mean - and sometimes I really am in a set key, it just needs to be worked out to identify it. But other times, I'm sure it's not following 'the rules', yet it still sounds right. Like one time, I decided to make a song with a progression which went E-B-G-D-A-E. And it sounded right, yet I don't know how you'd express that in terms of melodic structure. It's even worse when I'm playing arpeggiated stuff. Although there's probably a defining area, where things sound 'ok' but still scattered and unfocused to people with a better ear for these things.

Oh John, have you heard 'Ana' by the Pixies? I love that progression

first of all, ana by the pixies is dead on! especially when for half the song they switch the entire weird and long chord progression up a semitone, and then bring it back. you can't even hear it until you try and play it and sounds so slightly off in the same key it bugs you like hell.

but as for people without trained ears only going by whether it sounds right or wrong - that's every bit as valid. i can tell you exactly why E-B-G-D-A-E works, but if you can still play it and come up with it then you've still done it, you know? i doubt most of the musicians mentioned in this thread go by anything besides whether it sounds good or bad (unless it's ripping off other people like paul mccartney who really did know music theory)

i just listened to all of california by mr. bungle.... these guys win the chord progression contest by far. at least someone in that band has to be obseessed with fitting 258 chords into every song, sometimes without much repitition. it's a pretty hard album to listen to.

[cap'n jazz]

Originally posted by smashingjj
I don't get depressed by you, sweetie.

[wangcomputers]

Originally posted by DeviousJ
I never could get into the whole I-IV-V crap - whenever I played songs like this I just thought 'this is horrible, they all sound the same, no color to them...'

good god, they sound so god damn like the same.

[bonsor]

Originally posted by wangcomputers


good god, they sound so god damn like the same.

i say to dem, 'you want ice cream cone?' bof a dem say yes

how in the hell?

they are twins, that's why.

I can't believe I didn't think of this before. Foo Fighters. Their chord changes are brilliant. They put these great jazz chords into a great deal of their material and it sounds awesome.

[sawdust restaurants]

I just thought of another cool one--"You and Whose Army." The way the chords slide down the fourths is really neat, and the change from the C# minor chord to just plain old C# is fun. That has to be one of the most underrated Radiohead songs.

[smashingjj]

Originally posted by cap'n jazz

Let's make babies.

[smashingjj]

Originally posted by sawdust restaurants
I just thought of another cool one--"You and Whose Army." The way the chords slide down the fourths is really neat, and the change from the C# minor chord to just plain old C# is fun. That has to be one of the most underrated Radiohead songs.

When it comes to unconventional chord progressions, that is definitely a good choice.