Key for Sympathy for the devil

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
My choice for the song in question is based on actually playing along trying E Major, E Mixolydian, E Major Pentatonic and E minor pentatonic over each of the 4 Major chords in this song.

Both by playing the same scale over the entire song and by switching scales over the "appropriate" chords.

My final choice(s) is not based on what I think should theoretically work.

Nor do I, or anyone else, know what I might decide works best in a different situation.o_O

I would start with the same approach for any other song in any other feel.

Theory will determine some options that "fit".

My ear will determine my choice of what actually sounds "good".

Which may be different from my choices for "Sympathy For The Devil".

The title alone might suggest a darker mode.:whistle:
 
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Paleo

Student Of The Blues
Single version

Verses 1,3, 4 (Solo), 5

E-D-A-E
E-D-A-E
E-D-A-E
E-D-A-E-E (an "extra" measure)
B-B-E-E
B-B-E-E

The 2nd verse only has 3 lines before the refrain, rather than 4.

Outro repeats E-D-A-E at least 12 x's, depending on how much of the fade out you can hear.

So how does knowing this help someone who is seeking advice on how to approach soloing over the progression?o_O
 
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PeterBaird

Blues Newbie
I feel like Sympathy is a near-perfect example of an ambiguous key center--one of those progressions guitar players come up with when just banging around chords they know without regard to key. Think about how it feels when the bass drops to the A chord--it's like we're home somehow, not surprising given the fact that the song should be in A because then it would be a V-IV-I progression, and that works for ears used to western harmony. But it stubbornly comes back to center on E--and that E always feels...well...unstable. Like it's about to fall over or break into a million pieces.

And that instability is kind of the point of the lyric, isn't it?

Fun discussion.

Peter
 
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BraylonJennings

It's all blues
I dont understand most of this at all ... if Paleo is confused it is rocket science!

Band yesterday worked on Cake I Will Survive the chord progression works apparently but makes little sense to me!


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I worked up a version of this. Great bass workout. I really like the way Cake build the parts to their songs. Comfort Eagle, Nugget, and Sick of You are some I've recorded.
 

JohnHurley

Rock and Roll
I worked up a version of this. Great bass workout. I really like the way Cake build the parts to their songs. Comfort Eagle, Nugget, and Sick of You are some I've recorded.

I don't want to hijack this thread with Cake ha ha but yeah there is a great groove in I Will Survive.

Comfort Eagle I just have figured out a play along pretty dang fast strumming going between full open E ( and at times E7 just pulling up finger ).
 

david moon

Attempting the Blues
I dont understand most of this at all ... if Paleo is confused it is rocket science!

Band yesterday worked on Cake I Will Survive the chord progression works apparently but makes little sense to me!


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It;s a "cycle of 5ths" very similar to "Still Got the Blues" but in a different key. Griff has posted about this before. I believe in this key the F is a Fdim or Fmin7b5.

I prefer the original from 1978.

A couple weeks ago I played the bass on this with "Groove Therapy". We usually close the night with I Will Survive followed by Last Dance
 
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