Analyzing Hisaishi Joe's "Path of the wind" 1

Question

(The Song. The A part starts at 0:16 )

The Song is Eb Major key. But it starts the part with the Ab Major. What I can't understand is at the bar 4 it ends with the G7sus4 then goes back to Ab.

how does this work ?

Answer 1

I agree with Dom's answer and would add that the A section is best thought of as being in Cmin rather than EbMaj (just as Dom suggests). Before making a case that the A section is in Cmin, I want to say that the introduction definitely makes the song sound like it's in EbMaj. The melodic pattern very clearly resolves to an Eb tonal center.

But once the A section starts, everything else that happens suggests Cmin as the tonal center. For starters, the A section never resolves to EbMaj, and the EbMaj/G chord sounds more like a passing chord to me because of how the melody builds tension during measures 2 and 6. The ultimate resolution in the last measure of the A section is to Cmin, not to EbMaj. Moreover, the progression features a G7 chord (albeit in suspended form), which is the V to Cmin. By contrast, the song doesn't contain a Bb7 chord, which is the V to EbMaj.

In fact, in measure 2, the only instrument that I hear playing an Eb is the mid-range synth guitar voice. The bass is playing a G and the melody is outlining a Gmin7 chord. Hence, if we ignore the mid-range synth guitar sound (the one featured in the intro), then the progression looks and sounds like AbMaj-Gmin-Fmin-G7sus or bVI-v-iv-V7sus. The V7sus chord leads back to a bVI, which is an extremely common deceptive cadence:

deceptive cadence: a chord progression where the dominant chord is followed by a chord other than the tonic chord, usually the sixth chord

^{http://dictionary.onmusic.org/terms/1034-deceptive_cadence}

The fact that the V7 chord is suspended adds to the tension, to the unresolved feeling, and to the amorphousness of the key signature created by the mid-range snyth line. If the song had used a G7alt chord, it would be much easier to identify Cmin is the tonal center, but the G7sus keeps us waiting for confirmation of the true tonal center.

So I would suggest thinking about this G7sus chord as part of a deceptive cadence.

Answer 2

There's nothing really to explain beyond the basics keeping notes common.

Before we get to the analysis, just so we're clear a G7sus4 has the notes G, C, D, and F and due to the sus is neither major nor minor. It is not a functioning dominant 7th because it.

Between the 3 chords Fm7, G7sus4, and A♭Maj7, They all have the C note in common which is introduced by suspending the 3rd in the G7. You can even see the bass clef has the same part in measure 4 and 5 further showing that the progression takes advantage of common tones.

It could be argued that this phrase is actually in C minor which would make the 4th measure a very weak half cadence since the dominant function is suspended, but the next cadence is also a very weak authentic cadence since the leading tone is not used. If the piece is in C minor I would not be supplied if you eventually saw G7 in its full form.