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What key is Touch of Grey in?
PostPosted:Tue Jul 13, 2004 7:10 am
by Guest
This is a great site?I?m just getting into the Dead big time lately, and Touch of Grey is a great song. I?ve having a problem w/ figuring out what key it?s in though. The verse has E A B and F#. That doesn?t look like any major key?is it in a minor key?
I guess I?d like to know what key it?s in and what scales I could use to solo on it.
Thanks!
PostPosted:Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:24 pm
by Bobbieshaftoe
I'm pretty sure its B mixolydian or E major if you prefer just accent the B.
PostPosted:Mon Feb 06, 2006 8:06 am
by strumminsix
An F# Mixo works nicely as well!
PostPosted:Tue Feb 07, 2006 3:50 am
by spilly
B7.
E being the 4th
F# being the 5th
and A being the 7th
PostPosted:Tue Feb 07, 2006 9:32 am
by strumminsix
whoops, meant F#m
PostPosted:Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:33 am
by tigerstrat
strumminsix wrote:whoops, meant F#m
It's F# maj, not minor.
Song is in B.
Re: What key is Touch of Grey in?
PostPosted:Wed May 22, 2013 3:45 pm
by tatittle
Like may Dead songs, there are spots where the key essentially changes...at least from a lead guitar perspective. In these cases, to sound like Jerry you cannot merely play the same scale melodies throughout the song. Depending on the chord and its role in the progression, Jerry changes the scales/notes he plays to accompany. He will switch from E major on an E chord, to the minor colored B Dorian over a B minor, etc... Often the scales are related in that they share the same notes (like A major and E miloxydian)...but often they do not.
The only way I have been able to develop this ability is through repetition and ear training: listening and picking out the changes in scales. It just gets too complicated and laborious to consciously keep track of the various patterns of changing scales for every chord for me at this point. Garcia seems to favor 4 or 5 scales though:
Miloxydian, Major, Dorian, Pentatonic, Minor, come to mind immediately. His versatility is like a pro jazzman, yet his phrasing and melodies are reminiscent more popular mediums. He is a true American treasure like Gershwin and Whitman...too bad he left us so soon. I was quite accomplished at the whole pentatic/major rock thing but just got bored and quit playing guitar until I put in the effort to actually learn some theory. Folks claim it isnt nec'y but it opens up my ability to create melody---just like correct grammer helps me to articulate my thoughts through sentences.