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#
â€”
A#

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

I see what you did there and Iâ€™m a guitar player. Sneaky ðŸ˜„
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 itâ€™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. â€œYouâ€™re WRONG, idiot!â€ probably wonâ€™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 itâ€™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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The Chair - G. Strait chord question

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