Why does this chord progression work?

[Eggs]

Hey LGM,

I haven't been able to visit the site lately... just to busy, and I'm about to be layed up from an operation for about 3 weeks.  Please pray for me... and I'm praying for you all too.

Here's my question.  I was playing around in C# major, and stumbled onto this progression, which sounds very contemporary... and I'm sure I've heard it before on the radio or something.... the thing is, it's taxing my brain cuz I can't come up with the theory of why it works:

key C#

LH/RH

Gb,Gb/A,C#,Gb
B,B/B,Eb,Gb
C#,C#/C#,F,Ab

What is this progression?

I'm guessing it's borrowed from another scale, but what scale? ... and what's the theory?

I love the sound though.

Thanks for your responses.

God bless,
Eggs

[sjonathan02]

Hey LGM,

I haven't been able to visit the site lately... just to busy, and I'm about to be layed up from an operation for about 3 weeks.  Please pray for me... and I'm praying for you all too.

Here's my question.  I was playing around in C# major, and stumbled onto this progression, which sounds very contemporary... and I'm sure I've heard it before on the radio or something.... the thing is, it's taxing my brain cuz I can't come up with the theory of why it works:

key C#

LH/RH

Gb,Gb/A,C#,Gb
B,B/B,Eb,Gb
C#,C#/C#,F,Ab

What is this progression?

I'm guessing it's borrowed from another scale, but what scale? ... and what's the theory?

I love the sound though.

Thanks for your responses.

God bless,
Eggs

It's borrowed from the Key of E Major.

What you're playing is the start of a 2-5-1 progression in E, but at the last minute, you substitute the C# Major chord for the E Major chord.


I'd like to know how you arrived at the Gb min chord. 

[csedwards2]

Play
A/A C# E
B/B D# F#
C#/C# E# G#

Thats the worship progression of the 3 major triads. I mean you put an F# in there, but it doesnt fit any key for all those nots. Im not sure how to explain it, but alot of songs use that progression. I guess if I had to Id say it was a bVI-bVII-I or a flat six, flat-seven, one progression. I use that progression sometimes when we go in to worship at the end of a song. Its addictive though, when people here it, they dont want to let it die donw, without starting it back up again. And I do it backwards and forwards. Im telling you though you can start fading out, and seemingly be done with it, but you continue to play softly in the background, and somebody will always catch it, and strike it back up again.

[csedwards2]

Found it, here ya go

http://www.learngospelmusic.com/articles/view.php?lgmid=194

[Eggs]

Jonathan,

That's what I thought too, but it just doesn't sit right with me.
I've never heard anyone say, play the 2-5, and then at the last
minute.... PLAY SOMPN ELSE!!! 

If you did play the E major, it sounds terrible too.  Try it.

[T-Block]

It actually stems from the key of A major.  Here you are playing a 1-4-5 in Gb/F# minor.  Let me show you:

Gb,Gb/A,C#,Gb
B,B/B,Eb,Gb
C#,C#/C#,F,Ab

If I changed those notes, u would have this:

Key F# minor

F# / A-C#-F# (1)  *minor 1
B / B-D#-F# (4)  *major 4 (cuz 4 is usually minor)
C# / C#-E#-G# (5)  *major 5  (cuz 5 is usually minor)

If u wanted to relate this to A major, then you would have a 6-2-3, with the 2 and 3 being a secondary dominants, but the 3 leads back to the 6:

Key A

F# / A-C#-F# (6)  *minor 6
B / B-D#-F# (2)  *major 2 (cuz 2 is usually minor)
C# / C#-E#-G# (1)  *major 3  (cuz 3 is usually minor)

That's why it works man!!!

[Eggs]

T-Block and others,

Thanks for your responses.  You've blessed me!

I was thinking about the 1-4-5 in F# minor myself, but my brain wouldn't get around
the sub-dominant chords.

This is a tough progression to learn (remember) in all keys... and now I'm wondering if I can use
it on the dominant or the tonic of the root scale.

I can't wait to get back to the keyboard! 

Any more examples are appreciated!

Thanks again.

[henrythrower]

You could also make it into a variant of the IV V I of Db.  Instead it would be a iv v I

It would go:

lh/rh
Gb/E,A,Db
Ab/Gb,B,Eb
Db/Ab,Db,F

[sjonathan02]

Jonathan,

That's what I thought too, but it just doesn't sit right with me.
I've never heard anyone say, play the 2-5, and then at the last
minute.... PLAY SOMPN ELSE!!! 

If you did play the E major, it sounds terrible too.  Try it.

I did, that's how I got that it's the 2-5-1 (if you play the E major chord). And, a 2-5-1 within a key NEVER sounds bad. 

And, you've NEVER heard a cat play a substitute chord at the end of a progression? No way?

[henrythrower]

I did, that's how I got that it's the 2-5-1 (if you play the E major chord). And, a 2-5-1 within a key NEVER sounds bad. 

And, you've NEVER heard a cat play a substitute chord at the end of a progression? No way?

Here is a post I did a while back that does that very thing.  I think that it is a little different situation than what we are talking about, but it still works.  This is Lord I lift your name on high and you actually modulate to E from Db in the middle of the verse and back down to start the verse again.  It's written for organ, but you can see where it's going.

In the key of Db
BP/LH/RH

Db/F-Bb/Eb-Ab-Db  Lord, I
Gb/F-Ab-Bb/F-Ab-Db  lift Your name on
Ab/Gb-Ab-Db-Eb/Gb-Bb-Db  High
Ab/Gb-A-C/F-A-C

Db/F-Bb/Eb-Ab-Db  Lord, I
Gb/F-Ab-Bb/F-Ab-Db  love to sing Your
Ab/Gb-Ab-Db-Eb/Gb-Bb-Db  praises
Gb/Ab-A-Db/A-Db-E
B/A-B-Eb/Gb-B-Eb

E/G#-C#/F#-B-E  I'm so (yes, you just modulated to E)
A/G#-A-C#/G#-B-E  glad Your in my
B/A-C#-E-F#/A-C#-E  life
B/A-C-D#/G#-C-D#
E/G#-C#/F#-B-E  I'm so
A/G#-A-C#/G#-B-E  glad You came to
B/A-C#-E-F#/A-C#-E  save us
Ab/Gb-Ab-Bb/Db-F-Ab  (Back to Db we go)

repeat or go on to chorus

Db/F-Bb/Eb-Ab-Db  You came from
Db/F-Gb-Bb-Db/F-Ab-Db  Heaven to
Db/G-Ab-C-Eb/G-Bb-Eb  Earth to
Db/A-Db-Eb/Gb-Ab-Db  show the
Db/F-Bb/Eb-Ab-Db  way
Ab/Gb-A-C/F-A-C

Db/F-Bb/Eb-Ab-Db  From the
Db/F-Gb-Bb-Db/F-Ab-Db  Earth to the
Db/G-Ab-C-Eb/G-Bb-Eb  Cross my
C/E-Bb/D-Gb-A  debt
F/Eb-A/Db-F-Ab         to
Bb/D-F-A/C-F-A  pay

Eb/F-Gb-Bb-Db/F-Ab-Db  From the cross to the
Ab/Gb-Ab-Bb/Db-F-Ab  grave, from the
F/Eb-G-Bb-D/F-Bb-D-F  grave
F/A-Db-Eb-Gb/Ab-Db-F  to the
Bb/Ab-C-Db-F/Ab-C-Eb  sky.  Lord, I

Eb/F-Gb-Bb-Db/Gb-Bb-Db  lift Your
Ab/Gb-A-C/F-A-C  name on
Db/F-Bb/Eb-Ab-Db  high

[T-Block]

You could also make it into a variant of the IV V I of Db.  Instead it would be a iv v I

It would go:

lh/rh
Gb/E,A,Db
Ab/Gb,B,Eb
Db/Ab,Db,F

That completely changes the sound and feel of the original progression.  But, this is a progression that I use very regularly.  Heck, my dad been using this one to end songs as long as I been alive, and I can remember that as far back as the early 80's.

[Eggs]

Wow! 

Try alternating the two progressions together though.  Nice vamp! (or whatever you call it!  )

Thanks to all!