Just started jammingbon this yesterday, had the album for years but never tackled it. I pretty much had this number down but youve def cleared up a few things. Thx!
I recently stumbled across the live version of this song and ironically just got a gold top DGT SE. This guitar is PERFECT for this song. The clean and crunch sounds (also using coil split) is so acheivable. Like you I use the neck pickup and the treble bleed means when I dial the vol back it's lovely and clean then for the melody wind back up for for added attack and crunch 👍👍👍
Thanks for this great lesson on Freedom, my favorite Robben Ford song! He voices the Em11 from the intro in the Ohne Filter performance exactly the way you do. But he simplified the way he voices that chord in recent performances which you can see on RUclips. There's a great video of him playing it live at a concert in France last year. Small detail, of course. It's a song I've studied and love to play. I ran into him once at Norm's Rare Guitars and actually asked him about that very detail.
Respectfully, the Tonal Centre of this song is Em (Em pentatonic or G major). Great breakdown of the Chord inversions. Even the chords direct the tonal Centre as Em/G
It's in Eminor. The first chord in the progression doesn't necessarily establish key. The easiest way to hear this is the only chord that makes the first progression sound finished if ended on is the Eminor, the rest all sound like unresolved questions. Secondly the melody is completely based around E minor pentatonic not Aminor. If it was it would be A dorian which is not the tonality going on here. Wouldn't usually do this but I'm an educator and it's really important to get these details correct when many people will take this as written. The song is in Eminor it resolves on the second chord of the sequence.
We're just talking the melody section here right? I agree you can look at this like a iv - i chord progression in E minor, it does have the sound of resolution. Even so, the "interest" to me is starting on the A minor but playing the iv minor pentatonic on it with the B.
From a strict key perspective yes you’re absolutely right. But G is clearly not the tonal centre of this song as it’s only played once to finish the chorus. The concept certainly isn’t new, it’s playing different. Minor Pentatonic scales from the key over the chords in question. In this case either A or E minor pentatonic both work, but because A minor is the primary chord under the verse the interesting thing was outlining the B note instead of the C.
This is Robben's best song in my opinion. That live Ohne Filter performance is so good. Great lesson - really nailed it!
Thank you!
Just started jammingbon this yesterday, had the album for years but never tackled it. I pretty much had this number down but youve def cleared up a few things. Thx!
Really well done. Thank you. You’ve just made Freedom so accessible. Picked it up in 8 minutes and it will provide hours of joy. Well done
Wow thank you!
I recently stumbled across the live version of this song and ironically just got a gold top DGT SE. This guitar is PERFECT for this song. The clean and crunch sounds (also using coil split) is so acheivable. Like you I use the neck pickup and the treble bleed means when I dial the vol back it's lovely and clean then for the melody wind back up for for added attack and crunch 👍👍👍
Thanks for this great lesson on Freedom, my favorite Robben Ford song! He voices the Em11 from the intro in the Ohne Filter performance exactly the way you do. But he simplified the way he voices that chord in recent performances which you can see on RUclips. There's a great video of him playing it live at a concert in France last year. Small detail, of course. It's a song I've studied and love to play. I ran into him once at Norm's Rare Guitars and actually asked him about that very detail.
Thanks a lot for sharing this brother. Very well explained and what a great sound you have got. Love from India!
Great lesson mate, thanks so much for making the video 🙏🏼
Sounds fantastic! I want to learn the song.
Thanks a lot. Great lesson!
Deep analysis thanks
Great stuff. Would love to see a lesson on Lifetime Thing off Keep on Running.
Great video!!
Respectfully, the Tonal Centre of this song is Em (Em pentatonic or G major).
Great breakdown of the Chord inversions. Even the chords direct the tonal Centre as Em/G
Great video. Love the sound of that guitar! Were you using the coil splits?
Thanks Mark! No that was just the neck humbucker.
It's in Eminor. The first chord in the progression doesn't necessarily establish key. The easiest way to hear this is the only chord that makes the first progression sound finished if ended on is the Eminor, the rest all sound like unresolved questions. Secondly the melody is completely based around E minor pentatonic not Aminor. If it was it would be A dorian which is not the tonality going on here. Wouldn't usually do this but I'm an educator and it's really important to get these details correct when many people will take this as written. The song is in Eminor it resolves on the second chord of the sequence.
We're just talking the melody section here right? I agree you can look at this like a iv - i chord progression in E minor, it does have the sound of resolution.
Even so, the "interest" to me is starting on the A minor but playing the iv minor pentatonic on it with the B.
Em pent = G maj pent. The chords all fit in the ke of G.
From a strict key perspective yes you’re absolutely right. But G is clearly not the tonal centre of this song as it’s only played once to finish the chorus.
The concept certainly isn’t new, it’s playing different. Minor Pentatonic scales from the key over the chords in question. In this case either A or E minor pentatonic both work, but because A minor is the primary chord under the verse the interesting thing was outlining the B note instead of the C.