This is a two part question.
I have a piece of music written in the key of C called "Tranquility" (written by Jazz guitarist, Frank Vignola).
My two questions are:
- how do I identify the chord progression?
- how would I correctly identify a specific chord that looks like a different chord?
question 1
So the music itself is broken down like so:
- bar 1: Cmaj7, C6/9
- bar 2: Cmaj9, Cmaj7
- bar 3: Dm7, Dm9, G9
- bar 4: Cmaj7, Am7
- bar 5: Dm7, G7
- bar 6: Cmaj7, C6/9, Cmaj7, C6
- bar 7: Dm9, G7b9
- bar 8: Dbmaj7, C/G
Now from what I can tell this isn't a single chord progression, like a ii, V, I
let's say, because it looks like it changes between bars.
If I translate the chords into their roman numerals:
- bar 1: I, I
- bar 2: I, I
- bar 3: ii, ii, V
- bar 4: I, vi
- bar 5: ii, V
- bar 6: I, I, I, I
- bar 7: ii, V
- bar 8: I, I
It looks to go: I, ii, V
(first three bars) then I, vi, ii, V
(bars 4 to 5) then I, ii, V
again (bars 6 to 8).
What chord progression would this be (is it multiple)?
I'm led to believe that I vi ii V
is a standard Jazz progression and as each of those numerals are used here in this song (in different variations), do we just refer to this progression as a I vi ii V
?
question 2
In bar 3 there is a Dm9
played (D(1), F(m3), A(P5), C(m7), E(M2)
). But if I look at the notes played, they are:
C
(D
string, 10th fret)F
(G
string, 10th fret)A
(B
string, 10th fret)E
(E
string, 12th fret)
Now if I didn't have the lead sheet music, how would I know this was a rootless Dm9 chord?
Ps, could this be referred to as a 3rd inversion of a Dm9, even though there is no D played?
Looking at just the notes played it would suggest it's an Fmaj7
(drop 2 voicing if the order of notes was played as C, F, A, E
).
No other combination of those notes would match a Dm9.
What would your process/steps be to figuring out that chord?
I'm guessing I would need to look at the lead sheet and take guidance by the potential chord progression and so it would be unlikely for a piece of music in the key of C with a strong leaning towards a Jazz chord progression to use an F (IV) and so I should consider looking at dropped notes.
There I would have two potential options (dropped notes in square brackets):
[D], F, A, C, E
F, A, C, E, [G]
If I started looking at G
(which is the V in the key of C) I'd find the notes of a G7
to be G, B, D, F
so nothing like the notes actually being played, where as the D (ii, so Dm7
) match exactly.
But that just feels like a long winded process. Maybe over time that's something that just comes more naturally and with speed?