Pet Shop Boys Community

Release is a lesser 'X&Y-The B'sides'.

Zeus On The Loose wrote:Neil and Chris wrote Being Boring copying SAW's writting style i.e going from one thing to another from the verse to the chorus, without the verse/chorus theoritically being a logical progression of each other, by changing the key for the chorus -lifting it one semi-tone higher than the verse- and using the classic SAW chord change, usually refered to as The Chord Change for the chorus. That's the standard SAW writing style.

Indeed, and what a fantastic chord seqeunce it is. S/A/W used the same basic chord sequence in a variety of variations on tonnes of songs.

The most basic version of it is: C, D, Bm, Em. Usually S/A/W would color it in one way or another.

My favourite version of the sequence is: C, D/C, Bm7, Em, which I used on our track "I Hate R'n'B", just transposed to the kay of B.

Chord changes sound the same regardless of the key they're played in. Transposition's only role is fitting with the singer's vocal range, it has no effect on the music at all.

Zeus On The Loose wrote:Chord changes sound the same regardless of the key they're played in. Transposition's only role is fitting with the singer's vocal range, it has no effect on the music at all.

That's not fully true. When you perform live music, with a bass or guitar player, it could have a certain influence. The lowest string of a bass guitar produces an E tone. If you want to transpose a song from E to D, the bass player could not only have problems to play the song properly, you could also lose some of the 'powering force' of the bass sound.

As I wrote in the song comments section for Miserablism (on the official website), Behaviour would have been even more perfect than it is, if Miserablism had been a regular album track.

On my PSB mp3-cd I placed Miserablism as track 8, right behind So Hard and before Nervously. I works fine there...

dVTB wrote:

Zeus On The Loose wrote:Chord changes sound the same regardless of the key they're played in. Transposition's only role is fitting with the singer's vocal range, it has no effect on the music at all.

That's not fully true. When you perform live music, with a bass or guitar player, it could have a certain influence. The lowest string of a bass guitar produces an E tone. If you want to transpose a song from E to D, the bass player could not only have problems to play the song properly, you could also lose some of the 'powering force' of the bass sound.

Who cares about live music and bass guitar? Point of the matter is, a chord change sounds the same regardless of the key so I can't see how Blueswan can prefer the same chord change in one key rather than another.

Zeus On The Loose wrote:Who cares about live music and bass guitar?

Approximately 80% of all music listeners? Even Pet Shop Boys, since they performed live with a band on stage.

(Apart from that I agree with your comments)

Yes, however when a band's in the studio, the least of their worries when harmonising a song is if the bass player will be able to hit the note live. However, the vocal range of the singer is what they use as a guide.

Zeus On The Loose wrote:Who cares about live music and bass guitar? Point of the matter is, a chord change sounds the same regardless of the key so I can't see how Blueswan can prefer the same chord change in one key rather than another.

If you are used to hearing music in only one or two keys (C or F for example), then if you suddenly hear a song in another key it will sound pretty different.

In this way, the key of a song can be used to good effect when sequencing tracks on an album.

Also, when you are composing and building a track up, the key is not always something you can just change. You might have started to write a song with a bass patch that only sounds good in a limited range, and if you change the key, you will find the bass patch just doesn't work anymore - and you end up changing the bass patch to sound good in the new key. Same thing goes for other instruments, but its especially true for bass. dVTB mentioned it earlier in a slgihtly different context.

This kind of thing has bitten me in arse a few times.

So basically, The Chord Change sounds different in different keys?

Zeus On The Loose wrote:So basically, The Chord Change sounds different in different keys?

Have you turned into Dave/glenn?

Have you turned into cheap aimoo muso talking bollocks?

Zeus On The Loose wrote:Have you turned into cheap aimoo muso talking bollocks?

I am metamorphic. Currently I am a pair of talking testicles.

Actually, you're ectomorphic and you really, really ought to put on some beef.

Zeus On The Loose wrote:Actually, you're ectomorphic and you really, really ought to put on some beef.

Look at my pecs you freak!