What is the "spy/james bond" chord?

[Coolaid]

I read some where about a famous "spy" chord... also refered to as the "James Bond" chord.

Do any of you guys know something about this? I recon it`s a E minor -something ? How to play it ?

And as we are talking about James Bond - Anyone have tabs for the theme instrumental song - not like jazz, but like the original version?

[nomelite]

Originally Posted by Coolaid

I read some where about a famous "spy" chord... also refered to as the "James Bond" chord.

Do any of you guys know something about this? I recon it`s a E minor -something ? How to play it ?

And as we are talking about James Bond - Anyone have tabs for the theme instrumental song - not like jazz, but like the original version?

The chord John Barry used extensively in the James Bond scores was the major/minor chord which is quite sinister.

[mr. beaumont]

try 0 10 9 8 7 x (you can also play the high E open, if you choose....)

it's an Em/maj9

[ohlcv]

0 2 1 0 0 2

which I analyse as Em(maj9) is often the last chord in the Pink Panther theme too.

[fep]

I don't have any tab for the theme... I just wrote a bit out... if my memory serves me right there's this one:



and this one:



Fun stuff (not sure if these are even from the same theme though)

[RyanM]

I always thought it was a maj7#5.. actually, I guess it's the exact same thing though (as a min-maj9)

[Joe Dalton]

RThe james bond thing is more of a groove
Play this Am Am#5 Am6 Am#5 Am

[Claudi]

Originally Posted by nomelite

The chord John Barry used extensively in the James Bond scores was the major/minor chord which is quite sinister.

I can play the intro for A view to a kill in my synthesizer and the chords are simply major and minor.
Also you can play the sinister melody heard in every Bond movie with the notes B, C, C# and C...repeatedly. The thing is to play chromatically.

[Coolaid]

Thanks a lot guys!

[Bluezdog999]

Hi, new here to this forum, the guitarist for the bond films is a guy named Vic Flick, he came up with that chord. He also scored music for the pink Panther films and the Beatles. Check his website out Vic Flick Guitarman.

[IAMMRBONGO]

It's E maj Min 9

[ohlcv]

E min maj 9
i.e. it has a min 3 & maj 7 & 9 - no?

[FatJeff]

Originally Posted by IAMMRBONGO

It's E maj Min 9

Technically, it's not. You've got your major and minor designations backwards. The first one describes the third, the second one the 7th.

Also, take care with capitalization. Capitals are typically used when describing major tonalities, lowercase for minor. Not so important in jazz, but those trained in the classical world would make a big deal about it.

Maj/min would refer to a dominant seventh chord (major 3rd triad with minor seventh superimposed). min/Maj would refer to the "James Bond" chord (also used in a lot of other tunes, e.g. Solar by Miles Davis).


BTW welcome to the forum. :-)

[zappafan99]

Minor major seventh chord - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[mr. beaumont]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

try 0 10 9 8 7 x (you can also play the high E open, if you choose....)

it's an Em/maj9

I know we've been going on this for almost a year, but really, y'all, you can trust me...this time.

you can also play it like this: 0 x 5 4 4 2

[musicjunkie]

It's also the Dr evil chord...

[Anthony Wakefield]

Someone [edit: Joe - hi Joe] gave the correct counter for this theme, as:
Am Am+5 Am6 Am+5 Am.

The James Bond theme is of course not composed by John Barry, but by Monty (Norman, I think - getting far too old ).

I used to work with an English Pianist/MD/composer/arranger who arr this music for the soundtrack. So the chord sequence you see above was his arrangement for the counter.
Bert Rhodes is now playing piano with the angels, and he tells me that he wasn`t given any credit in any of the end titles for these movies.
I did some cabaret scores when Bert was MD at the `Talk of the Town` restaurant and night spot in London`s West End. It closed down near the end of the `70s.

The Em/maj79 is of course what JB used for all his original Bond music.
I did a small bit of taking down AHA`s tracks for JB for The Living Daylight (Daylights?). JB was too lazy to do it himself.

Best,
A

[billkath]

Welcome, Anthony.
As for the last chord in the James Bond theme-I always thought it was Em9#6


8Notes think it is as well
norman & barry - James Bond - Final Guitar Chord - Free Sheet Music Riff

[Anthony Wakefield]

Hi Billkath,
You could well be right. I haven`t researched in any depth, and can only remember what I may have seen on printed music. I haven`t had any opportunity to speak to anyone close enough to it to ask.
My main contribution was the Bond theme counter info.
A

[billkath]

I'm not sure of it, Anthony. For one thing-i don't see a sharp 6th in that chord that 8notes printed-wouldn't a #6 be D?

[mr. beaumont]

#6?

really, y'all. I promise....I'm not kidding. It's an Em/maj9

#6 is enharmonic to maj7

m/maj7 (or in this case, 9) is the standard way of writing a chord that has both a minor third and a maj7.

[Anthony Wakefield]

I`m getting a little confused Billkath. Your chord is a straight minor with 6th and 9th added. This chord could be correct - I think it may be indeed correct.
I don`t think a sharp 6th (D) is correct. There`s just not enough crunch. The D (minor 7th to be correct, I think) gives a much softer sound, and does it not demand resolution to somewhere else (A9/13? perhaps) which is just not what happens in Bond`s music.
Have to rush out.
A

[billkath]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

#6?

really, y'all. I promise....I'm not kidding. It's an Em/maj9

#6 is enharmonic to maj7

m/maj7 (or in this case, 9) is the standard way of writing a chord that has both a minor third and a maj7.

I'm sure it must be a typo on the 8Notes picture. Th chord on that link is the chord-it's just named incorrectly. How about Em69? i don't see a 7 or a b7.

[mr. beaumont]

nah, bill, sorry, i'm just being a sarcastic ass!

This thread is old, and I always felt I answered the question in post #2! That's what I hear as the "spy chord," the ending of that james bond theme...but people went on to discuss afterwards...

I don't hear a sixth, and definitely hear a m/maj7 sound there. I hear root, minor third, major seventh, and ninth...I just don't think the chord in the graphic is correct.

on the guitar, it could be voiced 0 10 9 8 7 x or 0 x 5 4 4 2

Being that it's a year later, I should probably grab a DVD and take a listen!

[jazzbow]

||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|-7-|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|-8-|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|-9-|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|-10|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|H-7|---|---|---|---|



This is the chord I learned for the last chord in the bond theme in the key of E, I hit the 7th fret harmonic on the bottom E with my thumb, if I can I'll try for the harmonic on the top E with the side of my fretting index finger on the 7th. I don't know the name of this chord, B flat 6 somethng? I call it the 'Bond chord!'
Ignoring the harmonics what is this chord shape called??

[mr. beaumont]

AARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!

It's still an Em/maj9! I promise!

[jazzbow]

You seem a little tense...Thanks for the m/maj9 tho'

[mr. beaumont]

I'm better now, thank you...read the whole thread, my "tension" is a longstanding joke in this one...

[jazzbow]

So you're feeling somewhat 'flat' with this topic, due to it's 'diminished' returns
I checked the thread at the very begining but gave up the will to live very quickly so I cut to the end and threw in my 'twa penny!
Sorry if I antagonised, generally fret blind sometimes......

[Coolaid]

Wow. look what I startet...you guys are crazy and of course saying that in a friendly way....

Thanks for all answers, even if I don´t understand half of it.... he he he.. thanks for helping me with this chord.