Help on jazzy progression please

[felken]

I am working on a melody and improvisation over this progression at 111bpm. It is from a music collaboration website and not my progression.


I am not sure why he wrote the chords the way he did, I see most of it in the Key E so the Abmin7sus would be G#min7sus or the Amaj7b5 as Amaj7+11 etc.



Could there be a reason he annotated the way it is below?


Also, I could use ideas on how so solo over this progression beyond using the notes of the key of E major.


There are some chords that don't fit in E. I am trying to advance my playing into the jazzier side of things so outlining key centers and other ways of approaching this are welcome. Any ideas are appreciated.


Thanks





// A SECTION//
||: Amaj7b5 / | Abmin7sus / |Amaj7b5 / |Abmin7sus / | Amaj7b5 / | Abmin7sus / |Bbsus / |A /| Amaj7b5 / | Abmin7sus / | Amaj7b5 / | Abmin7sus / | Amaj7b5 / | Abmin7sus / |B /| A / :|| 4x
// B SECTION//
|| C#min7 / / / | Amaj7b5 / / / | Abm7 / / / | / / / / | E maj7 / / / |
Amaj7b5 / / / | Abmaj7 / / / | F# maj7 / / / | E maj7 / / / |
Amaj7b5 / / / | Abmin7 / / / | F# maj7 / / / |E maj7 / / / |Amaj7 / / / |
C# maj7 / / / | B maj7 / / / ||

//FORM// A , B , A ,B , A(1/2), B , Fade

[TRawker]

Here's how you should approach this. What would you sing over the chord progression if you had a microphone? :-)

[JonR]

I am working on a melody and improvisation over this progression at 111bpm. It is from a music collaboration website and not my progression.

I am not sure why he wrote the chords the way he did, I see most of it in the Key E so the Abmin7sus would be G#min7sus or the Amaj7b5 as Amaj7+11 etc.

Could there be a reason he annotated the way it is below?

Also, I could use ideas on how so solo over this progression beyond using the notes of the key of E major.

There are some chords that don't fit in E. I am trying to advance my playing into the jazzier side of things so outlining key centers and other ways of approaching this are welcome. Any ideas are appreciated.

Thanks

// A SECTION//
||: Amaj7b5 / | Abmin7sus / |Amaj7b5 / |Abmin7sus / | Amaj7b5 / | Abmin7sus / |Bbsus / |A /| Amaj7b5 / | Abmin7sus / | Amaj7b5 / | Abmin7sus / | Amaj7b5 / | Abmin7sus / |B /| A / :|| 4x
// B SECTION//
|| C#min7 / / / | Amaj7b5 / / / | Abm7 / / / | / / / / | E maj7 / / / |
Amaj7b5 / / / | Abmaj7 / / / | F# maj7 / / / | E maj7 / / / |
Amaj7b5 / / / | Abmin7 / / / | F# maj7 / / / |E maj7 / / / |Amaj7 / / / |
C# maj7 / / / | B maj7 / / / ||

//FORM// A , B , A ,B , A(1/2), B , Fade
I think you're right there's a few enharmonic errors there - I can't see a good reason for calling G# Ab anyway. (Except possibly in the B section.)
(And IMO there's no such thing as a "min7sus" - if the 3rd is present it's an m11 chord. If not it can just be called a 7sus. I can see an argument that "7sus" might be interpreted as mixolydian, because in a piece like this the diatonic clues to the 3rd are not strong enough. But I think "G#m11" deals with what the likely chord is well enough - you wouldn't have to include the 3rd.)

Here's how I'd write it (dividing it into 4-bar lines too):

// A SECTION//
||: Amaj7#11 / | G#m11 / |Amaj7#11 / | G#m11 / |
| Amaj7#11 / | G#m11 / |Bbsus / |A /|
| Amaj7#11 / | G#m11 / |Amaj7#11 / | G#m11 / |
| Amaj7#11 / | G#m11 / |Bbsus / |A /|
:|| 4x
// B SECTION//
|| C#min7 / / / | Amaj7#11 / / / | G#m7 / / / | / / / / |
| E maj7 / / / | Amaj7#11 / / / | G#maj7 / / / | F#maj7 / / / |
| Emaj7 / / / | Amaj7#11 / / / | G#maj7 / / / | F#maj7 / / / |
| Emaj7 / / / | Amaj7 / / / | C#maj7 / / / | Bmaj7 / / / ||

The "Bbsus" is an odd one (are you sure about that?), and I don't quite know how to interpret it. (A bII resolving to A is not unusual, but would normally be a 7#11, not a sus chord.)
Apart from that everything is pretty much E major as you say, although I guess you can say the A section is A lydian - or maybe G# phrygian, depending on which you think sounds like the tonal centre. I'm guessing A as it starts and ends on that.

The B section is perhaps more interesting - not based in any one key. It does start off with more E major material - seeming to resolve to G# minor at first (G# phrygian).
But then it becomes an exercise in maj7s. Only the A is marked as a lydian one, but they could all be treated that way.

This is a modal exercise, IOW, each chord can be treated in isolation.

In fact, the whole thing can seen (just about) as a modal exercise: the A section concentrates on A lydian, with a few other chords thrown in (harmonised from the same scale). The B section deals with several different lydian modes: in contrast to the A section (same key, different chord types), this is the same chord type, but moved through different keys.
IOW, "outlining key centres" is irrelevant in this section. Go for chord tones, and any other notes that sound right: this should mean lydian or ionian mode of each chord root (on the maj7s that is).

Can you confirm that Bbsus?

[felken]

Jon, thanks for the detailed reply. I think the Bbsus is right and it goes by quickly so maybe it is just a passing chord in function. I can PM you the link to the track if you have the time and want to hear it. I have not listened really carefully to analyze it yet compared to the chart. It is a keyboard part also so the voicings may not be as guitar friendly either.

So far I am hearing it more G# phry in the A section.