Key for Pinball Wizard

Pinball Wizard is one of those 'key of the moment' songs (to borrow a useful phrase from Kingpatzer). The intro is in B minor. The verse chords follow a descending sequence that also point to B minor, except that the '1' chord is from the parallel major key - B major, and B minor makes no further appearance.
The key change at the end is to D major but with a similar descending chord sequence that suggests the minor, rather than the major.

But how will knowing the key help your friend with the melody? Vic's sheet has all the chords - and it looks pretty complete and accurate (except for a typo in the D section at "never seen him fall" which should be Bb not B). Do you just need the starting melody notes - like BBF#F#F# (Ev-er since I was...)? I don't quite understand your problem.

Thanx for your reply Fretsource. I guess my "problem"is that we are both fairly new players. I can usually get the rhythm part of a song by going to tabs, fingering suggestions,backing tracks and mp3's while he can pick out most melodies etc. by ear. When I suggest a tune one of the first questions he usually asks is what key do I play that in? Maybe I didn't need the answer for this particular song but was trying to be one step ahead. Knowing that the starting notes are BBF#F#F# should get him on his way. I can see what you mean by "key of the moment song" and I guess that is why I couldn't come up with the key using charts. The Bsu4 to F#sus4 run didn't seem to help me at all. Once again thanx.
Robbie

Robbie,

With the Who, and this particular song, it may be more fun for him to play the bass line on his guitar. Cool bass as always with The Who, and it can be done on guitar. Shouldn't be hard to find online.

Another idea is that there are really two guitar parts to this song, a clean guitar and an overdriven guitar. You know when the first starts after the intro, you have one guitar playing the fast rhythm with the B whatever chord, and then another playing a lead part, sliding into the 7th fret of low E and the 9th fret of D, I believe. And then as the chord goes down two frets, the sliding changes as well....It's the bad-ass part of the song :lol:

I can clarify what I mean if needed.

Thanx Taso; I know what you mean and will mention it to him. We actually have three guitars playing so it will be an idea. We have two rhythm and one sort of quasi lead guitar ie. the guy who picks out melodies. I actually have the slides built into the rhythm and hate to give up that part because like you say that is the COOL part of the tune but may have to being the unselfish dude that I am. Or maybe we can both play the slides after some timing practice(g) I also have a bass guitar here that is a dust collector, maybe it is time that I got off my butt and learned a tune!! (just got David's new book in the mail) Later
Robbie

Fretsource, thanks for pointing out the typo.....I've corrected it in the original post. That song took so long to tab out, and I must have checked it a dozen times....somehow that one slipped through.

:D :D :D

Vic