The Chair

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 14 Nov 2019 8:12 am

At rehearsal last night, we were working on "The Chair" by George Strait.

When playing the line "Oh I like you too and to tell you the truth...", I was taught that the chords played are D, C#m, Bm, F#. The guitar player was adamant that it is not an F# chord, but rather a Bbm. He says this because the bass player is playing a Bb note at the spot that the chord in questioned is played. The Bbm doesn't sound right to me.

What chord ig s correct?

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 14 Nov 2019 8:39 am

Well, listen to the where the song stops and that acoustic arpeggio is, definitely a F# major chord. I never heard it any other way.

Tom Spaulding · Post by **Tom Spaulding** » 14 Nov 2019 8:49 am

It's an F# chord.

The bass player is playing the 3rd of the F# chord to get a more chromatic line walking down from D.

D...C#..B..A#...

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 14 Nov 2019 8:50 am

It's an F# with the 3rd (A#) in the bass.

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 14 Nov 2019 9:39 am

It's an F#. Have your bass player learn to play guitar and he will see it. There is also a Bb in an F# chord.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 14 Nov 2019 9:44 am

Craig A Davidson wrote:It's an F#. Have your bass player learn to play guitar and he will see it. There is also a Bb in an F# chord.

It was the guitar player who thought it was a Bbm. The bass player (who also plays guitar) also thought it was an F# major.

Thanks

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 14 Nov 2019 10:09 am

My apologies to the bass player.

Stu Schulman · Post by **Stu Schulman** » 14 Nov 2019 1:10 pm

Bet Money.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 14 Nov 2019 1:27 pm

Considering how much time guitarists spend playing chords, they don't seem to understand them. There is a difference between "sub" and "wrong".
On the other hand, bass players (who generally don't play chords) understand them perfectly because they know their function.
And anyway, Bbm contains not a single note that's in the key of A. The chord in question is a 1st inversion of F# major. Of course with the chords either side being minors, the guitarist would rather just slide around than think or move any fingers.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 14 Nov 2019 3:26 pm

Well, there's that C#....

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 14 Nov 2019 3:41 pm

One time I heard a band, at the end of the song, play a Bb diminished chord at that spot. It sounded nice. It added a bit of tension.

Rick Bernauer · Post by **Rick Bernauer** » 14 Nov 2019 3:52 pm

Ask him to play a Bbm#5 and everyone will be happy.

John Sluszny · Post by **John Sluszny** » 14 Nov 2019 4:06 pm

F#
—
A#

Tom Wilson · Post by **Tom Wilson** » 14 Nov 2019 4:13 pm

I see what you did there and I’m a guitar player. Sneaky

Except no flats.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 14 Nov 2019 4:15 pm

Spelling police here. There are no flats anywhere in this song, as it's in three sharps. Yes, A#dim would work very nicely.
And yes, F#/A# is a common way to write that inversion.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 14 Nov 2019 4:19 pm

One time I heard a band, at the end of the song, play a Bb diminished chord at that spot. It sounded nice. It added a bit of tension.

Bbdim = Bb Db Fb equivalent to A# C# E is just the 3, 5, b7 of the F#7 chord, which works well here and lays/voices nicely on guitar running down from the 10th fret D6, 9th fret C#m7, 7th fret Bm7, and finally 6th fret A#dim = Bbdim (A# in the bass).

And btw, that descending line is basically the descending line at the end of Patsy Cline's Crazy (but in A instead B). [edited to correct typo]

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 14 Nov 2019 9:45 pm

One more affirmation here that it’s an F#7 chord with A# (not Bb) on bass.

I guess the next question is how do you break the news to your slightly misguided guitarist. “You’re WRONG, idiot!” probably won’t go over too well. Maybe just show him this thread, and keep in mind that many of us here, if not most, are also guitar players, so it’s not just a bunch of snooty steel players spouting off with their obviously superior knowledge of music theory that are making this claim.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 15 Nov 2019 2:36 am

I think it has to do with the nature of the instruments. I play steel and bass, and I am used to listening, analysing and copying (or deliberately varying) what I hear.

My impression of guitarists (without wishing to offend) is that they are more inclined to use trial and error rather than thinking from the bottom up.

John Hopkin · Post by **John Hopkin** » 15 Nov 2019 3:21 am

i suggest that the sequence is: D, Dbm, Bm, Bbdim7...

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 15 Nov 2019 4:49 am

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 15 Nov 2019 5:18 am

Nice comment, Fred.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 15 Nov 2019 5:37 am

John Hopkin, you're under arrest!
There are no flats in the key of A.
D, C#m, Bm, A#dim, will keep you out of further trouble.

Al Evans · Post by **Al Evans** » 15 Nov 2019 6:12 am

Rick Bernauer wrote:Ask him to play a Bbm#5 and everyone will be happy.

--Al Evans

Bill Terry · Post by **Bill Terry** » 15 Nov 2019 6:31 am

Dave wrote:And btw, that descending line is basically the descending line at the end of Patsy Cline's Crazy (but in A instead B).

LOL.. busted.. I play the exact same changes (in the correct key of course) for both. Too lazy to learn that chord sequence any other way I guess..

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 15 Nov 2019 7:59 am

One time I heard a band, at the end of the song, play a Bb diminished chord at that spot. It sounded nice. It added a bit of tension.

An excellent idea. I tried to get any band I was playing in to use this change even though it was not, technically, "correct." I thought it added a bit more sophistication.

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