Why Does this Work???

[John Flynn]

I'm playing with a church group and we are doing a tune by Matt Maher called "40 Days," shown below. It is in E, four sharps. The main chords are in line with the key of E major: A, B, C#m, (no D's), E, F#m. There are no accidentals in the sheet music anywhere.

But when I try to improvise on it, the E major scale sounds terrible, even if I just use the pentatonic. What sounds good on it is the G major/E minor scale, but I can't figure out why. I have worked out what I want to play on it by ear, but I can't figure out the theory as to why it works. I remember when I used to play rock on the guitar, the G pentatonic worked on rock songs in E.

What's going on here in terms of theory? Why don't the G, C and D naturals clash with the tune?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8OVCC9K5UE

[DavidKOS]

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Perhaps what you are hearing is that although the piece is written as if it was in E, (4 sharps), and indeed could be looked at it that way, since there is a IV chord, V chord, etc., that may not be the way it really lays out when analyzed.

The way tune sounds it may be more of a modal piece - like much rock-based music - so it really revolves around the F#m chord and A cadence at the 1st ending, and ends with a series of A - B - C#m chords. That last pattern seems to be an important musical element.

So I would say it's not really in E major. The end seems to cadence on C#m vocally.

So think F#m/A major and C#m.

Mostly C#m, like natural minor.

[Tom Wright]

The recording is not in the same key as the sheet music David shows. The recording is in Em so of course G major/E minor is the scale for improv. The sheet music is in C#m. If the choir is using this sheet music you should improvise in E major/C# minor.

You could try a pitch-shift audio edit to lower the key of the recording to C# minor for play-along, or just work out a few go-to ideas in E minor and then play them in C# minor. As always, try playing the melody to start.

[John Flynn]

The recording is not in the same key as the sheet music David shows. The recording is in Em so of course G major/E minor is the scale for improv. The sheet music is in C#m. If the choir is using this sheet music you should improvise in E major/C# minor.

You could try a pitch-shift audio edit to lower the key of the recording to C# minor for play-along, or just work out a few go-to ideas in E minor and then play them in C# minor. As always, try playing the melody to start.
Thanks, I should have realized that. I pitch-sifted it with Transcribe! and all is well.

[DavidKOS]

OK, so here's the other key:

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So now it's modal C- D - Em in the key sig of G/Em

same concepts.

"G major/E minor scale, but I can't figure out why"

Of course it needs to be in the key your group plays it in! Sorry if I misunderstood.

It even says "higher key as recorded"