Chord sequences with titles.

Chord sequences with titles.

Three new sequences added 9th July 07.

Before you start, there is a little trick we all use from time to time. It is this: if the chord is too complicated we only play some of it (or we may only play some of it for reasons of effect). And in particular if you are unsure about an extended chord (one with 6th 7th 9th etc added) just play the basic chord and it might sound a bit thin but it will be harmonically correct in most cases. If you play a 6th when it should be a seventh or vice verse the chances are it will not sound good. So....

Here are some sequences to some of the tunes on this site.You can also hear them played, but beware that on some systems music files can take a while to download. Therefore, see if you can make sense of them first - even though I would like you to hear them.

If you are looking for We've Been A-rockin' and We Want Some More it is in the section called 'playing from chords'

There are also some fake sheets (dots and chords) for some of these pieces in the sheetmusic section.

Sinclair Rag.

To hear LETSwing playing the first 24 bar section of this riotous piece click the link:

Sinclair rag snippet


         Sinclair Rag chords:


        II   C      I    C      I    D7     I   D7     I

         I   G7     I    G7     I  F   Fmin  I   C      II

                              repeat, then:-


	II   E7     I    E7     I    A7      I     A7    I

         I   D7     I     D7    I(break)G7   I    G7     II

Then


        II   C      I    C      I    D7     I   D7     I

         I   G7     I    G7     I  F   Fmin  I   C      II


African Bounce.

The rhythm for this piece is usually 12/8, although almost invariably people write it down as though it is 4/4 with a triplet on each beat.To get the idea of what I mean, try counting 4 to the bar but sounding dadada in each beat.


          African Bounce chords:

         II   G       I    C      I     D7    I    G     I

          I    E7     I    Am     I     D7    I G  D7 / / II


That's the whole sequence, and you go on playing every variant you can think of until you are completely fed up with it. A great practice piece.


Marrow Calypso.

The bulk of Marrow Calypso is the same sequence as African Bounce, except that it is usually in C, (instructions for transposing yourself in the Blues Chord Sequences section) with no 'turnaround chord' at the end, and a chorus added:



          II   C     I    F   I    G7     I     C      I

           I   A7     I   Dmin   I     G7    I     C    II   

    Chorus:

           I    C      I     G7   I     G7    I    C     I

           I    C      I     G7   I    G7     I    C     I


It is a song about a man meeting a lady whilst shopping, and she starts to deride his shopping - and then she sees his marrow!...........


Pavanne

Appears in the article on playing from chords as well as here. It requires playing with peculiar delicacy - and very slowly - about 60 crotchets per minute. There is also a fake sheet (dots and chords) for this in the sheetmusic section.

To hear Hugo Brunelli playing this sequence click the link below. (This is a very dramatic piece, but it lasts 128 seconds and is quite a big file to run):

Pavanne click here

Bruce Richmond has dismantled Pavanne, used the sections in different ways, added a new rhythm, and then added words to make it into a piece of rock which you can download for 75p (0.75 gbp). As he needs money I hope you will consider downloading a copy. It is to be found on the now working downloads page.

Pavanne

		II	Gm	I	A7	I	D7	I	Gm	I

		I	Gm	I	Cm6	I	A7	I	D7	I

		I	Gm	I	A7	I	D7	I	Gm	I

		I	Gm	I	Cm6	I	D7	I    Gm   F7    II (end of section)
(last bar has two chords played one after the other)
 

(middle 8)	II	Bb	I	Eb	I	F7	I	Bb	I

		I	Bb	I	Eb	I	F7	I	D7	II

		
		II	Gm	I	A7	I	D7	I	Gm	I

		I	Gm	I	Cm6	I	D7	I	Gm	II
									      fin (finish)

(Or repeat.)

A separate Reality

This extraordinarily beautiful and eccentric old-fashioned jazz tune was written by Gabriele Gad in the 1960's. It is quite amazing how well it all hangs together, given the often eccentric chord sequence. A classic equal to the best written in the thirties.

To hear a snippet of a very old recording of A Separate Reality played by Gabriele Gad and Hugh Harris click here.

There is a fake sheet (dots and chords) for this piece in the sheetmusic section.

    CHORDS FOR 'A SEPARATE REALITY'.(the bar with GFE7. has one beat on
                                          G and F and two on E7)   

              II   C  D7   I   G  Em   I   C  D7   I  G  F  E7. I

               
               I   Am  B7  I  G   Em   I     C     I    B7      II

                     -------------------------------------



               II   C  D7   I   G  Em   I   C  D7   I   G  F  E7. I


                I   Am  B7  I   G  Em   I   C  B7   I    Em       II


                     --------------------------------------

               II    E7     I     Am    I     D7      I     G      I


                I   Em      I     Em    I     C       I     B7     II

 
                     ---------------------------------------


                II  C   D7  I   G  Em   I   C    D7   I G  F  E7 . I


                 I Am  D7   I   G  Em   I   C   B7    I   Em       II

Oh My God It's Christmas

To hear one chorus of LETSwing playing this sequence click the link below:

Oh My Go It's Christmas

         I     D    I    F#7   I    Bm    I    D7     I

         I  G G#dim I   D B7   I    E7    I  Bb7  A7  II

         Repeat, ending last time with last two bars like this:

                                I   E7  A7  I    D    II

                                                Fin. 
Another Pavanne.

To hear this sequence in use by LETSwing click the link:

Another Pavanne (a bit of leaky woodowind there!)


        II  Cm   Fm  I   G7   Cm  I  Fm  D7  I   G7   I

         I  Cm   Fm  I   G7   Cm  I  Fm  G7  I  Cm Cm9* I

*CEbGBbD

         I   Fm      I    Eb      I    Bb7   I  Eb Cm9 I

         I   Fm      I    Eb      I    D7    I   G7    II


         II  Cm   Fm  I   G7  Cm  I    Fm  D7 I   G7   I

          I  Cm   Fm  I   G7  Cm  I   Fm  G7  I   Cm   II

                                                    Fin

I Did it On The LETS.

(This song seems a bit meaningless now, but at one time the LETS was a significant part of British economic life)

There is a fake sheet (dots and chords) for this in the sheetmusic section.

This is what LETSwing did with this song:

I Did It On The LETS snippet

    Intro:

          I    G     I    D7    II, then:

I G I G I D7 I D7 I I D7 I D7 I G I G I I G I G7 I C I A7 I I D7 I D7 I G I D7 II (but last time: I G I G II) fin.
Italian Waltz

. Here it might be worth listening to the recording first.Hugo Brunelli says: "well, it may be full of mistakes, but it does at least sound like the right tune played with the right feel"!

Italian Waltz snippet


     (3/4)II    F    I  Fmaj7aug5  I    Bb   I   Bb6   I

	   I   C     I   Caug5     I    F    I   F     I

	   I   D7    I    D7       I    Gm   I   Gm    I

	   I   G7    I    G7       I    C    I   C+5   II


	
           II   F    I  Fmaj7aug5  I    Bb   I   Bb6   I

	   I   C     I   Caug5     I    F    I   F     I

	   I   D7    I    D7       I    Gm   I   Gm    I

	   I   G7    I    C7       I   F.Bb  I   F     II



      (m8)II   D7    I    D7       I    Gm   I    Gm   I

	   I  C7     I    C7       I   F     I    F    I

	   I  E7     I    E7       I   Am    I    Am   I

	   I  G7     I    G7       I   C     I    C+5  II



          II    F    I  Fmaj7aug5  I    Bb   I   Bb6   I

	   I   C     I   Caug5     I    F    I   F     I

	   I   D7    I    D7       I    Gm   I   Gm    I

	   I   G7    I    C7       I   F. Bb  I   F    II

Italian Waltz has a few tricks in it that you might not have heard in other music.