Songs Beginning with a Half-Diminshed 7th Chord on the Flatted 5th

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by ShockControl, Nov 10, 2019.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    Henry Mancini's "Two for the Road" is the only pop song I can think of which uses this device. Can you think of any others?
     
    ChristopherTeuma likes this.
  2. willy

    willy hooga hagga hooga

    Haven’t we done this thread dozens of times before??


    :winkgrin: Sorry, just kidding... I’ve always wanted to say that...
     
  3. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    "A Hard Day's Night"? Nah, I guess that's some other weird chord.
     
    Chrome_Head likes this.
  4. GoodKitty

    GoodKitty FloydM

    Location:
    Pacific
    why no example ?
     
    Veni Vidi Vici and Aftermath like this.
  5. AveryKG

    AveryKG Sultan of snacks

    Location:
    west London
    You lost me at "half-diminished".
     
    Chance, Galley, tug_of_war and 7 others like this.
  6. Billchi_11

    Billchi_11 What would DBoon do?

    Location:
    Chicago
    I'm half-diminished lol
     
    mr.dave, live evil, vinnie and 4 others like this.
  7. unclefred

    unclefred Coastie with the Moastie

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    Are you a half diminished or a half augmented type person?
     
  8. jwb1231970

    jwb1231970 Ordinary Guy

    Location:
    USA
    You just want to show off:p
     
  9. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker"?
     
  10. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Not sure what “half-diminished chord on the flattened fifth” means ... the seventh chord in a major key is always half-diminished and “half-diminished” implies flattened fifth. Do you mean a specific inversion that begins with the fifth in the bass?
     
  11. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    Here it is: The song proper starts at the 10-second mark; what proceeds it is an introduction.

    What is interesting about this song is that it starts in one key - in this arrangement, F - but ends up in C. So, you could interpret the first chord as either a half-diminished on the flatted fifth, or a half-diminished on the seventh. As I think about it, the latter is probably more accurate.

     
  12. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    No, I mean a half-diminshed on the flatted fifth note of the key in question, which in this instance should be a B half-dimished in the key of F. I can't think of any other pop song that begins with this chord on this degree of the scale.
     
  13. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    This should be a poll.
     
  14. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Give me a break.
     
    CatchAsCan, Umbari, Tingman and 35 others like this.
  15. Veni Vidi Vici

    Veni Vidi Vici Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    And this is why McLaren pretended the Pistols couldn’t play.
     
  16. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    I'm not asking whether anyone likes it. I'm asking if there are other examples. I'm sure there must be, but I can't think of any famous songs that use this device other than this one. :righton:
     
    Ryan Lux likes this.
  17. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    Thank you for your thoughtful contribution to the conversation. Can you think of another example? :righton:
     
    bizmopeen likes this.
  18. Veni Vidi Vici

    Veni Vidi Vici Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    How about threads ending on a bum note?
     
  19. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    Now that I think about it, a lot of jazz musicians start "Stella by Starlight" with this chord, but it is not how Victor Young wrote it, so I'm not sure it counts.
     
  20. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Half-diminished on the fifth scale degree would imply Phrygian mode but I think that for that fifth itself to be flattened makes the while thing more esoteric. You might find it in Jazz.
     
    Sneaky Pete and ShockControl like this.
  21. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    See my previous post re: "Stella."
     
  22. George Blair

    George Blair Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Some songs begin with a half-diminished guitarist who ends up flat on his back at the end. Does that count?
     
  23. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    That depends. What key are they in?
     
    carrick doone and Bluesman Mark like this.
  24. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    Just realized that Mancini uses this device in "Sally's Tomato!"

     
  25. George Blair

    George Blair Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Not sure, but they would often sleep with a flat minor.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine