Amarillo By Morning Modulation Chords

[Richard Sinkler]

In George Straits "Amarillo By Morning", what do you use for the modulation from D to E. I keep drawing a blank and different people have different ways of doing it. I've actually grown to hate this song.

[Jerry Overstreet]

The intro/turnaround section:

D/F#m/G/F#m/B/E

It's the timing 2 beats ea. on the last F#m/B split then E.
You're not the only one to have struggled with this modulation.

[Ron Hogan]

I use a B suspended

[George Duncan Sypert]

Richard I think the part that is confusing to most folks is that it moves from the 5 chord of D to the 1 key of E. Most modulations move from the 5 seven of original key to the 5 seven of the key moving too. At least that is the way I hear it.

[Lee Baucum]

The intro/turnaround section:

D/F#m/G/F#m/B/E

It's the timing 2 beats ea. on the last F#m/B split then E.
You're not the only one to have struggled with this modulation.

I've got a little bit different possibility.

To me, the last three bass notes are F# B E.

However, after playing the F#m chord on the 5th fret, I release the "A pedal" which effectively makes it an A chord over the B note, a 4/5 chord of the new key, then on to the E chord on the 7th fret.

~Lee

[Dave Hopping]

I think Ron hears somebody on the track playing what amounts to a B suspended, which kinda-sorta makes that F# minor a minor 7th with a taste of an 11th chord. Since my band doesn't have a fiddle player I get to do those licks on steel.

[Richard Sinkler]

I think Ron hears somebody on the track playing what amounts to a B suspended, which kinda-sorta makes that F# minor a minor 7th with a taste of an 11th chord. Since my band doesn't have a fiddle player I get to do those licks on steel.

I also have to do the fiddle parts.

[Jerry Overstreet]

My guitar is 40 miles away from me and I haven't played the tune in years, so I defer to Lee. I think I do hear another quick note in there somewhere.

[Richard Sinkler]

Since I play the single note fiddle parts, I used to just play the part, and during the homogination, I mean modulation, I used to just run up the notes of the B chord, pedaling into the E chord. My last band leader wanted full chords played, chopping each chord off, creating kind of a power modulation. I thought it sounded like crap.

[Paul Wade]

I think Ron hears somebody on the track playing what amounts to a B suspended, which kinda-sorta makes that F# minor a minor 7th with a taste of an 11th chord. Since my band doesn't have a fiddle player I get to do those licks on steel.

I am with dave in a 4 piece band i had to
Do the fiddle parts also
Pw

[Michael Sawyer]

Lol we do the chopped A to B to E thing you dont like.I pump the A pedal twice at the 5th fret and slide up to the E pedals down,while they choppin'

[Duane Becker]

It is simply F#m/B. Two beats each chord. Don't over think it.

[Andrew Frost]

I hear it as just a 2-5-1 into E major. But the 5 is the "LA 5" chord, 4 over 5, A over B or 'B11'...

[Fred Treece]

Everybody’s got it more or less. The basic chords are F#m/B/E, a II/V/I in E. The B is an implied 11 (7th + sus4) because it’s a V7 and the fiddle melody hangs on the E note. So don’t let your guitar player mess it up with a straight B chord. You can play a straight A triad over the B11 on steel with the E on top.

I sympathize, Richard. But I try not to hate a song just because so many bands play it badly, or as in this case, because we’ve all been playing it for 45 years. Amarillo By Morning is a f’ing great song. A true classic, and George at his best.

[Richard Sinkler]

Fred... It's not that the last band played it badly, they are (were..one passed away last November, ending the band) some great musicians, they just wanted to do some dramatic stuff at times.

The chopping of the chords with space in between is what I didn't like. I played it in bands where they "emphasized the chord, but didn't have silence in between them. I thing have that modulation "flow" sounds better than chopping the chords.

[Fred Treece]

You are lucky to be in the company of great musicians, Richard, and I am sure they are lucky to have you. Sorry for the loss of your band mate. I know for a fact that is a blow to the heart and soul akin to losing a family member.

There’s only one place in ABM where the chords are chopped - the short IV-V-I before the tag of the last verse. If you do it more than once, it loses half of its Cool Drama each successive time.

In the modulation from key of D to E, it would be better to hold the chords, rather than chop them, and let the drum fill shine on that moment.

[Richard Sinkler]

Fred, you are right about the chopping before the last verse, and that is necessary to be true to the song. But they wanted to chop up the modulation, and put in a couple of solos.

While the music scene here in Missoula sucks compared to California, there is no shortage of just as great musicians, and I am fortunate enough to know and play with several of them. One guy I play for (next show this coming Saturday) is also a steel guitar player, but he sings and plays rhythm guitar, and is a great yodeler and entertainer. Sometimes the bass player has another gig. And the lead guitar player moves onto the bass. Twice the guitar player he hired were also steel guitar players. Three steel players on stage at the same time, but I play the steel on these gigs.

[Erv Niehaus]

On the 2 verse where it modulates from D to E, It goes from G, to an F#m, to an A and then finally to E. That's how the sheet music is written.
Erv

[Fred Treece]

A/B maybe. The bass line is definitely G-F#-B-E.

[Erv Niehaus]

The way I explained it, is how the sheet music is written.
Erv

[Jerry Overstreet]

https://youtu.be/lhA9HAC2Lvs?si=c5BvXdbxeyy7cVmA&t=84

Listen here:

[Fred Treece]

Irv, sheet music and tab are great for stuff that can’t be figured out by ear. What you have in the sheet music is quite possibly based on a different version than what I hear in the original George Strait studio recording.

Jerry, that’s closer to the original, but on the recording the bass goes to F# (not A) after the G. Reggie Young’s *brilliant* guitar part begins with the little B-C#-E lick leading into the E chord. This karaoke version has it on bass.

There are obviously a few different ways of making it sound similar - such as playing the fiddle part on steel!

There’s no law against doing things differently here n there, as long as everyone in the band can settle on it and agree that it sounds good.

[Erv Niehaus]

Why do you have to figure it out by ear when the chords are given to you?
Erv

[Jerry Overstreet]

I don't whose sheet music you have Erv. Does it have a signature? I think what Fred's getting at is that anybody can write sheet music same as they post tab on the internet. It needs to be a transcription from the actual recording to be authentic.

Besides, there were several versions by different singers including Terry Stafford's who wrote the song. Then there was Chris LeDoux's version so there is probably sheet music from those too.

The main thing is that everybody in the band goes the same direction. I hear it the way I first wrote about it, but I have get in sync with the rest of the band. Hopefully, someone will have a chart to go by to avoid trainwrecks.

The sample I posted sounds like the one in the recording I used to have. The only other actual recording, not live, I find is the official video which doesn't sound the same to me. George's library is extensive and I wouldn't be surprised if he reocorded this song more than once.

[Erv Niehaus]

Jerry,
You've got it backwards.
The sheet music isn't written after the recording, the recording is done after the sheet music is written.
My sheet music for "Amarillo By Morning" is as written by Terry Stafford and Paul Frasier.