E Minor is B ?

[Grandturk]

So I was jamming out a riff last night - you know, making a backing track to solo along to - and its Bm, Cm, F#, Bm, Cm, Em - nothing too complex and not pumping the E or anything.

So anyway - I was noodling around, and obviously B minor doesn't work too well there because you've got C# instead of C. Anyway, so what I found is that Em worked real well over it. Now, since I'm in the key of B, what "mode" am I using?

[micha]

wouldn't B-minor have a F#m instead of a F# in it?

anyway, if e minor is your aeolian mode, going from B would mean you're in phrygian mode.
but eerrmmm... I'm not good at that...

[Grandturk]

wouldn't B-minor have a F#m instead of a F# in it?

Yeah - technically I'm just playing root-fifth power chords anyway - so I guess its not really minor.

So E Minor = B Phrygian?

[micha]

yep, it's neither minor nor major without a third in it.


I think it should be B phrygian.
if you follow the phrygian scale diagram



you'll get B C D E F# G A B
which has the same tonal content as G-major or E-minor.

[Grandturk]

Cool - thanks!

[RacerX]

I'll have to try this when I get home!

[Trussrod]

Modes don't easily apply to this "chord progression" because none of the modes have two minor chords a half step apart.

[Shawn Lutz]

Em is the realive minor of the key of G. Bm is the 3rd of G, i your putting emphasis on the B note yout are playing the B phrygian mode.

In the mdes thread I mention finding a methode of thinkingthat makes themost sense to you. There are 12 notes in music, there are going to be common sharded notes from various scalse and modes. I tend to not compare modes to other scales than why they are dirived from, the major scale regardless if its just falling on note o a different key.

[Trussrod]

Turk, for some reason people on this forum are willing to patronize you. The combination of chords you posted makes no sense and sounds like crap. It's as if a 10 year old just learned bar chords a week ago and randomly moved them around the fret board. Theory has more to do with ear training than anything else. Dimebag, Marty Freedman, SRV, Reb Beach as well as others do a great job of applying theory without having studied it, but they have an aptitude for it. If what these guys are capable of doing doesn't come naturally then learning music theory can make a big difference toward developing your ear.

[Grandturk]

They sounded good to me, dude. Don't get you panties in a bunch.

[Grandturk]

AND.... Now that I remember where the inspiration came from, Trussy, I think Marty Friedman liked those chords as well.

[Trussrod]

So you have a song title/band name for a tune in which MF used this sequence of chords?

[Grandturk]

So you have a song title/band name for a tune in which MF used this sequence of chords?

Exact sequence, no - but most of the riffs in Rust in Peace... Polaris involve B, C and F#.

[Trussrod]

Exact sequence, no - but most of the riffs in Rust in Peace... Polaris involve B, C and F#.

I don't think Bm followed by Cm is a likely choice. On Polaris I could only heard chords that had a root, fifth and octave so this isn't really the same as what you posted.

[Grandturk]

I don't think Bm followed by Cm is a likely choice. On Polaris I could only heard chords that had a root, fifth and octave so this isn't really the same as what you posted.

Yeah - I know - and if you read my post I corrected that when I said I was only playing root fifth power chords - you know, like a ten year old.