America the beautiful arrangement

[Soundhound]

Anybody familiar with the arrangement of Ray Charles' great America The Beautiful on the Genius and Friends album? There are a couple of chord subs I can't get a handle on. Well, I haven't been playing much recently, so my ear is rusty... But anyway...

It's in the first part, that Alicia Keys is singing, at 'crown thy good' and 'brotherhood'. The first one sounds like some kind of E7 alt maybe? Sus or maybe #9?

I love that track, have a weakness for that big r&b soulful stuff. The Straussian ending with the tympani's a bit much, but I love those subs and am wondering if anybody can hear what they are?

Also does anyone know who wrote that chart?

[Soundhound]

Maybe I should post the track somehow. While I'm learning how to do that, heres what i got so far. I played with it today. I was hearing these changes, or somthing like this:

crowned thy good:

Em/C# Cmaj

With:
Gsus?

Brotherhood:

Dsus4/B C,D,G/Bb (spelling that second chord out)

I know much of it's not right, but closer than I was before... Will try to post the tune...

[page]

Here it is on youtube, Soundhound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxF5Vhx15Fw
Under the video it says the key is G at first and later Eb. I'm sorry can't help you with your question about the chords under those phrases.

[Soundhound]

Thank you for posting that. Exactly, what makes your skin crawl has nothing to do with this thread. Try some lotion. Im not a fan of her either, i was asking about the arrangement. The G and Eb just refer to the keys that she and ray sing their sections in.



she

Originally Posted by page

Here it is on youtube, Soundhound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxF5Vhx15Fw
Under the video it says the key is G at first and later Eb. I'm sorry can't help you with your question about the chords under those phrases.
Alicia Keys doesn't do anything for me in this song I'm afraid. Eventhough I can hear she is skilled, she makes my skin crawl with the ad libs. Fortunately we don't have to agree on what we like. Hope you'll be able to figure out the song. Good luck.

[page]

I'm sorry when I've offended you, that was not my intention. I apologise. I'll take my comment away. Sorry that I can't be of more help.
Good luck.

[michaelsorg]

Originally Posted by Soundhound

Anybody familiar with the arrangement of Ray Charles' great America The Beautiful on the Genius and Friends album? There are a couple of chord subs I can't get a handle on. Well, I haven't been playing much recently, so my ear is rusty... But anyway...

It's in the first part, that Alicia Keys is singing, at 'crown thy good' and 'brotherhood'. The first one sounds like some kind of E7 alt maybe? Sus or maybe #9?

I love that track, have a weakness for that big r&b soulful stuff. The Straussian ending with the tympani's a bit much, but I love those subs and am wondering if anybody can hear what they are?

Also does anyone know who wrote that chart?

And crown thy good with / brother ------hood
C#m7b5 .........C13...... / B7(#9#5) E7 (#9#5)

from sea....to.....shin-------ing
....... Am7... G Cmaj7 D9sus
-------------B

...not sure about the C13, I'm just listening on my laptop with 1 centimeter speakers!

[Soundhound]

Very cool! Thanks so much, looking forward to trying this out. Were you able to hear that without a keyboard to try the changes as you listened? Impressive!

I need to work on my ear training!

thanks again.

Originally Posted by michaelsorg

And crown thy good with / brother ------hood
C#m7b5 .........C13...... / B7(#9#5) E7 (#9#5)

from sea....to.....shin-------ing
....... Am7... G Cmaj7 D9sus
-------------B

...not sure about the C13, I'm just listening on my laptop with 1 centimeter speakers!

[Soundhound]

No worries. Sorry if I was touchy. Too much coffee perhaps! Thank you for posting the video.

Originally Posted by page

I'm sorry when I've offended you, that was not my intention. I apologise. I'll take my comment away. Sorry that I can't be of more help.
Good luck.

[Mike A]

Originally Posted by michaelsorg

And crown thy good with / brother ------hood
C#m7b5 .........C13...... / B7(#9#5) E7 (#9#5)

from sea....to.....shin-------ing
....... Am7... G Cmaj7 D9sus
-------------B

...not sure about the C13, I'm just listening on my laptop with 1 centimeter speakers!

There's also a Bb13 tucked in there ....

C#m7b5 .........C13...... / B7(#9#5) Bb13 E7 (#9#5)

[michaelsorg]

Originally Posted by Mike A

There's also a Bb13 tucked in there ....

C#m7b5 .........C13...... / B7(#9#5) Bb13 E7 (#9#5)

Thanks, Mike, I missed that. I can only hear the overtones of the bass on my laptop...should have pulled out some headphones.

[michaelsorg]

Originally Posted by Soundhound

Very cool! Thanks so much, looking forward to trying this out. Were you able to hear that without a keyboard to try the changes as you listened? Impressive!

I need to work on my ear training!

thanks again.

If the harmony remains more or less in the key, I can usually hear it without instrumental help. The fact that you had already given the key was good - then I knew what chords I was hearing already - I don't have perfect pitch. If it goes wide afield with chromatics, I'll be looking for some kind of instrument to start checking things. Practice first with diatonic chords, and practice some chord qualities, maybe with a friend laying down some random chords.

[Soundhound]

Yup! And between the C13 and the B7(#9#5), at 'with', there's another change there. Sounds like a G in the bass. Does it sound like a Gdim?

Originally Posted by michaelsorg

And crown thy good with / brother ------hood
C#m7b5 .........C13...... / B7(#9#5) E7 (#9#5)

from sea....to.....shin-------ing
....... Am7... G Cmaj7 D9sus
-------------B

...not sure about the C13, I'm just listening on my laptop with 1 centimeter speakers!

[michaelsorg]

Originally Posted by Soundhound

Yup! And between the C13 and the B7(#9#5), at 'with', there's another change there. Sounds like a G in the bass. Does it sound like a Gdim?

Well, you all finally got me to pull out my headphones (and I apologize for not doing it earlier)! The chord before B7 alt. is an F#7(b9#5), of which the preceding C13 is really a tritone sub. Alicia sings an inflection going up to an A (the #9) which makes it even tastier. You can really look at the C#m7b5 - C13 - F#7 alt as a minor iim7b5 - V7 going to the B chord, which turns out not to be minor, but that's pretty typical (Stella By Starlight, etc.). Really hot arrangement and vocal, glad I finally heard it in (relatively) hi-fi!

[michaelsorg]

Originally Posted by Soundhound

Yup! And between the C13 and the B7(#9#5), at 'with', there's another change there. Sounds like a G in the bass. Does it sound like a Gdim?

By the way, you weren't far off with G dim7... Same notes as F#7b9, bass note just off a half step.