Perfect 4th as a starting note of a phrase. What does it do?
I was listening to Eric Clapton's guitar playing on All Along the Watchtower. The chord progression is very simple, which is I-VII-VI-VII in a key of C minor. Most of the time, he played based on root note and 5th. But some occasions, he chose perfect 4th for the starting note or the ending note of the phrase. For example, he played perfect 4th as the opening of his 2nd solo. I find this very unusual because I always thought I should start with root, 5th, or 3rd. Can someone explain this to me? How does it work? What does it do?
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Perfect 4th as a starting note of a phrase. What does it do?
I assume this means a P4 above the chord root.
Almost always you need at least two events to understand what is happening with a music device. In this case the obvious question is where does the note forming the P4 move? As a non-chord tone it creates a dissonant tension. Does it resolve? Does it move without resolution? Only after you know what happens next can you say what that tone is doing.
If it does resolve, you might say the note was an appoggiatura or suspension etc. providing tension and it resolved into a chord tone.
If it did not resolve, you might say some kind of extended chord harmony is being used where the P4 above a root isn't considered a dissonance but is a bona fide chord tone (like quartal harmony, but this isn't likely in this case.)
I always thought I should start with root, 5th, or 3rd
You can think of this as a 'rule' or 'convention', but then you need exceptions and justifications for breaking so-called rules. That approach to music feels tedious. I think it's better to know the underlying musical principles.
Starting on the root, 5th, or 3rd is another way of saying start on a chord tone. But, why start on a chord tone? Because, that will provide harmonic clarity and stability. Is there a reason to not start on a chord tone? Yes, if all notes are chord tones, a melody can become bland. Using non-chord tones adds tension and interest to a melody.
Instead of a rule about permissible starting points we now have an understanding of the musical principles about tension and stability and how to make music expressive and interesting. It doesn't really matter whether a starting note is this or that. It matters how tension is handled for expressive purposes.
At the heart of every so-called "rule" is some musical principle to explore and understand. When you encounter a "rule" try to understand the underlying principles.
The chord progression is as you say I - VII - VI - VI (C - Bb - Ab - Bb)
The 4th is an up-beat and actually the 5th of the previous chord (F in Bb)
(In the first solo Clapton plays even a chromatic approach (F# ->G) and the solo starts with the 5th.)
'I always thought I should start...' Who told you that? Of course chord tones are more usual than any other notes to match to the chord, but since there are no rules, anything goes. (What a great title for a song...).
If a phrase starts on 4 (or 2) it could be conceived that it's a suspension, which generally resolves to - a chord tone! Clapton also used b7 as a start note to a phrase, bending up to the root note as he went. It's a common blues trick, just as playing b5 and bending up to P5, or even b5 and letting down to - that P4 again!
There are no rules.
What the fourth degree of the scale "does" as the starting note of a phrase is too general a question. It depends on what happens next, on style, and whether the idea of function is even relevant. I had a listen to one of the solos you mentioned starting on the fourth degree. There, it is eventually bent down to the third. In common practice, functional, terms, this would be an appoggiatura. Applying the term to what Clapton is doing feels out of place. Other members more familiar with this style will have more to offer.
As for finishing a phrase with this degree, note that this is happening against the chord you have labeled VII, in which context it is the fifth degree.
The notes of the chord are a framework, not a restriction.
I expect you're familiar with the idea of there being a scale that corresponds to a chord? (That's another framework rather than a restriction by the way!) If you want permission for the 4th, think of it as being part of that scale. Probably the phrase will eventually settle on one of the chord notes.
Trouble is, he could have just as well have started on a note that wasn't even in the 'scale of the chord'. Then we'd have had to find another bit of 'theory' to justify it! Sorry, 'rules' aren't all that useful. I'd stick to descriptions if I were you. You've discovered another 'thing that sounds good' for your musical kit-bag. Good!
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