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Angie .. is it in key of Am or C ?


EuroAussie

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Posted

I has having a bit of debate with a fellow muso over a pint whether Angie is in the key of A minor or C major ?

 

The general rule of thumb is you look at the first and last chord, with most will tell you that the final chord is the key of the song.

 

With Angie its a bit more interesting, as it starts in Am but ends in C, hence does that make the song in the key of C ?

 

What makes it even more fuzzy is that Am is the minor relative to C.

 

My view ..... I feel its in Am, because even though it ends on a strong C chord it has a melancholy, minor tone 'feel' to it, and i think 'feel' is just as important as the functional first or last chord.

 

Same thing with Sweet Home Alabama, is it in D major or G major. Starts in D but overall feels like in a rockier G.

 

What are you views ?

 

 

EA

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Posted

"Angie": Depends on point of view. Both is correct so to say [biggrin]

 

The song starts in Am and ends in the Major parallel C. The latter can be seen as the key chord, or as an open conclusion in Am on the third degree. Both scales comprise of the same notes, so it's the easiest way of a key change. Some don't consider it a key change at all.

 

"Sweet Home Alabama" clearly is in G. It begins on the fifth degree, i. e. with the dominant chord.

Posted

Without being professorish, I'd say it's in C. It obviously starts in Am, but the whole progression answers what normally is considered key-of-C-chords.

 

Someone correct if wrong.

 

Btw. I was serious when asking you to get the intro together in right time (4 forth) a few weeks ago. Any progress ? [wink]

 

 

 

Posted

Without being professorish, I'd say it's in C. It obviously starts in Am, but the whole progression answers what normally is considered key-of-C-chords.

 

Someone correct if wrong.

 

Btw. I was serious when asking you to get the intro together in right time (4 forth) a few weeks ago. Any progress ? [wink]

Correct, if this is about the intro of "Angie" [biggrin]

 

C and Am have all the chords in common except possibly - not always! - in classical music those including an upward motion from 6th to 7th degree in Am. They may use G# instead of G as an alterated leading note. However, "Angie" uses E-Major7 instead of E-minor7 in a downward motion from E-sus. This definitely is a chromatic alteration in C and Am as well, not introduction of a leading note.

 

Sometimes theory is a bit funny ;)

Posted

Without being professorish, I'd say it's in C. It obviously starts in Am, but the whole progression answers what normally is considered key-of-C-chords.

 

Someone correct if wrong.

 

Btw. I was serious when asking you to get the intro together in right time (4 forth) a few weeks ago. Any progress ? [wink]

 

Yes Sir. Ill be playing it tomorrow nite at the Annual Czech Australian NZ Ball in Prague infront of a couple hundred people. Playing together with a very well know muso and also ... Mrs EA. So need to get the timing spot on or Im gonna get my head kicked.

 

Struggling to pick which guitar to take with me, full PA set up. Probably J-150, but might sneak in HB TV for Angie ...

 

Video will follow.

Posted

I think music theory is a pile of poo. I think I could play 7 random notes and someone would come up with a name for the scale. Lay three fingers somewhere on the fingerboard and sure enough, I just made a G#msus4+13 chord. If I moved it up a fret, that should be a Amsus4+13 but it's not a leap year so....

 

I'm being a smart alec of course. I don't understand it so I have to poke fun of it.

 

This guy starts talking gibberish about 0:25 and by 1:30 I'm pretty sure it's not even English. And I'm sure he's on the more casual end of the spectrum of learned music people.

 

Posted

e-Chords displays their primary interpretation of the song Angie as it being in the key of Am.

 

http://www.e-chords.com/chords/the-rolling-stones/angie

 

 

My bandmates and I (none of us properly school-trained, or able to read a note of sheet music) generally call a song 'in the key of' whatever cord the song starts out in.

 

For instance, we could play JJ Cale's Call Me The Breeze in either the key of A or the key of E, depending upon which one of us in the band felt like singing the lead.

If we kicked into that song then, one of us would call out, "Call Me The Breeze in A," and then we would play in the three chord progression of A, D, and E.

 

If our girl singer says, "Call Me The Breeze in E," we would proceed with the performance in E, A, and B.

Key of C, in that same blues progression, would be C, F, and G.

 

It may not be proper, but that's how we do it.

 

 

And trust me, whatever the girl singer wants, she gets.

She's a regular diva, that one.

:(

 

916_DSC_0203.JPG

Posted

Funny pic ... she looks like a Diva, while the bass player is giving you that WTF are you playin' look .. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

 

And trust me, whatever the girl singer wants, she gets.

She's a regular diva, that one.

:(

 

916_DSC_0203.JPG

Posted

First, theory and rules are afterthoughts developed in an attempt to explain what rock-n-rollers just played ... [flapper]

 

There are several clues in the main chord progression. You could chart this in either key, but the changes appear more traditional when viewed as 'C Major'.

 

The E chord is a major clue to me (pun). It is far more common to sub in the major version of a iii chord in a major key than it is to sub in a major version of a v chord in a minor key.

 

I'm going with 'C Major' as the key

Posted

I suppose which key it is would depend on the musicians point of view.

 

I say it's in Am, because of the use of the E chords, and also, the 7th chords, which are more related to blues than classical or folk music.

 

In blues, it's common to substitute MAJ and min chords...and that goes in the face of traditional music theory. In fact, the blues scale is based on a minor scale, but yet played over a MAJ progression.

 

Stones are blues players. Final answer: Am.

Posted

C Major :

Degree : I II III IV V VI VII

Key of C : C Dm Em F G Am Bdim

 

A minor :

Degree : I II bIII IV V bVI bVII

Key of Am : Am Bdim C Dm Em F G

 

Looks same to me

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