The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Can you think of a song written in a major key (maybe even at a fast tempo) which manages to sound sad or wistful?
    Here are two I can think of:
    David Gray: Please Forgive Me


    Letters to Cleo: I Could Sleep

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  3. #2

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    Here's that Rainy Day (and yes I know some people make the I chord minor)

  4. #3

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    Just off the top of my head:

    It Never Entered My Mind
    My Old Flame
    Mean To Me
    A Foggy Day (ends happily, but still...)
    Ghost Of A Chance
    Tons of songs about lost love

  5. #4

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    My favorite wistful af song right now.



    You want some seriously sad songs that are in major? Elliott Smith tunes are heartbreaking and he usually wrote in major. Although he was really good with chromaticism, so I chose this one because the major tonality is really prevalent. Really sad and wistful. I don't think it's uncommon for major to have sad tunes. Minor is more dark and obvious, but major works great too.



    Don't cut urself:

    Last edited by Bobby Timmons; 10-17-2023 at 02:23 AM.

  6. #5

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    Elliot Smith was one of the best songwriters of all time.

  7. #6

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    Misty.

  8. #7

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    I Wish You Love
    Just Friends

  9. #8

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    The saddest song I know. Actually there are quite a few Smiths songs that are in major keys but sad.


  10. #9

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    ^ Love The Smiths. Good song and example.

    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    Elliott Smith was one of the best songwriters of all time.
    Yes he was!

  11. #10

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    Days of Wine and Roses
    Girl from Ipanema (wistful, if not exactly sad)
    A billion blues tunes
    Gone with the Wind
    God Bless the Child

  12. #11

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    A House Is Not A Home by Bacharach & David.

  13. #12

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    It doesn't necessarily work that way by any means: A Horse With No Name (Eagles) is in a minor key, for instance, and I can't think of any Blind Lemon Jefferson song that isn't in a major key. (John A already cited the blues).

  14. #13

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    Always With Me, Always With You by Joe Satriani. Ok, I know, not jazz....

  15. #14

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    I'll go all day mofos.






  16. #15

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    Unrequited love is sad.


  17. #16

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    Without unrequited and lost love, music would be almost impossible. And I agree that minor does not necessarily mean sad, nor major necessarily happy. There's much more to it than that.

  18. #17

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    Does anybody differentiate sad by lyrics or by music itself? Without a lyrics Ipanema is not sad to me at all.

  19. #18

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    Blue Christmas :-)

  20. #19

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  21. #20

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    Trad. blues like "Trouble in Mind"

  22. #21

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  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Peter C
    It doesn't necessarily work that way by any means: A Horse With No Name (Eagles) is in a minor key, for instance
    America, not Eagles.

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by John A.
    America, not Eagles.
    LOL, It's all the same to me bro ! Shows how much attention I paid to that song when it came out, just when Brit prog rock was taking off.

    Here's another "happy" minor key song: Oye Como Va (Santana)

    I was also thinking that the 1 major chord in blues is misleading in terms of "Western" harmony.
    Last edited by Peter C; 10-20-2023 at 12:30 PM.

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by teeps
    Trad. blues like "Trouble in Mind"
    Thinking it over that song has sufficient amount of optimism to motivate being major.
    It is not indefinitely sad, just momentarily sad

  26. #25

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    Most people think the song "Wildfire" is a happy song about a girl and her horse. In actuality, it's about a farmer starving to death. Major key.
    Same thing with Rhinestone Cowboy. It's about a musician on the skids. Major key.