Jamiroquai bassline/tonality question!

[seb]

Hi,

I m trying to learn and understand a couple of old jamiroquai songs, and at the moment I am playing Hooked up, the tonality of the first 20 bars is around E flat m7, and I was wondering how would I explain the first bar (picture attached)

thanks,

Seb

[Ceebass]

I'm not totally sure without listening to the track, but it looks like the first bar could be something like this:

Beats 1-2: starts on the 3rd of Ebm7 (Gb), with a chromatic passing note (G) connecting to the 4th degree (Ab). Classic funk move!

Beats 3-4: Fb - A - Eb outlines Fbmaj7. This could be called modal borrowing (taking a chord from another key)- Fbmaj7 isn't a chord that occurs 'naturally' in the key of Eb minor, but it is Eb Phrygian. 

The Db tied over the end of the barline is the 7th of Ebm7 (rising chromatically to the root note). 

Any help? 

 

[seb]

Yeah, thanks for the reply, the first 2 beats make perfect sense now, but why would you call Fb instead of E?

and again the Db as a 7th of Ebm7 makes sense.

Thanks,

Seb

[Ceebass]

I guess it's musical semantics! Generally speaking, chromatic chord alterations spelt in a way that causes the least disruption/confusion and that correspond most closely with the key signature. So if you compare Fbmaj7 to Emaj7 (enharmonically the same thing):

Fbmaj: Fb Ab Cb Eb (3 notes in the key sig, boom)

Emaj: E G# B D# (no notes in the chord sig, loads of accidentals)

I guess if you wanted to be a pedant about it, if you were playing the tune in D#minor (yack), then you would call the chord Emaj7 

Edited December 31, 2017 by Ceebass

[seb]

Makes so much sense! That's great I've learned something new today 😁. Looking at it from the perspective of the same notes makes it so much easier!

Now getting back to the rest of the song!

thanks again!

[ambient]

It could be that the original line was maybe played on a synth, so lots of sliding about which adds to the song. The 'feel' of the song becomes more important than the tonality.

 

Edited December 31, 2017 by ambient

[seb]

Hmmm you mean not playing the "right" notes but still sounding ok?

[Ceebass]

Jeeeeeez just listened to the track- what a vibe!!!

There's a lot of stuff going down in the keys part, but I reckon that the Fb is an important part of the tune: it's there in the horn lines as well.

[seb]

It sounds like there's something not quite right in there but somehow it gives a great unique sound.

[ambient]

1 hour ago, seb said:

Hmmm you mean not playing the "right" notes but still sounding ok?

It's also got a G natural in it, major 3rd. It's how you use the notes for effect. The Fb is a flat 9, used a lot in jazz.

[Joebass]

The transcription is wrong; Stu is outlining E7, not Fbmaj7.

It's a modal tune in Eb Dorian. If you listen to the verse, the electric piano is playing quartal voicings — Ebm7 moving up to Em7, and then back down.

Interestingly, Stu's bass line suggests E7, though I would imagine that he just chose notes that sounded good to him.

Here's my take on it:

Edited January 1, 2018 by Joebass