music
Minor dominants
Typical pop and folk songs in the major mode use major chords for the tonic (T), subdominant (S), and dominant (D). Hence, Loui Loui: TTT-SS-DDD-SS-… etc. Minor chords are used for the relative minors. Nevertheless, some pop songs employ a minor dominant, with dramatic effects. Someone’s gonna break your heart, by Fountains of Wayne. Dramatic [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Las peores letras
Una colección de letras de canciones de llorar. Escuela de Muñecos, Cantajuego 5. Hay una escuela en algún lugar para muñecos Es una escuela muy especial, es de muñecos No me preguntes dónde está Pues nadie nunca la pudo hallar Porque esta escuela es solamente para muñecos No Hay Marcha En Nueva York, Mecano No [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Nihilismo – canciones
Algunas canciones populares sobre el nihilismo: Nihilismo, de Siniestro Total (Usted no nada nada, es que yo no traje traje.) Nihilism, de Rancid. Travels In Nihilon, de XTC. (¿Qué escala usan? ¿Aumentada? ¿Y el ritmo? Creo que es 4×4, aunque suene raro.) We Don’t Exist, de Meat Puppets. (Qué radical. El álbum se llama Too [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Redundant chords
To play a powerful guitar chord one can choose to include as many notes as possible… or double the ones that are played. An example of the former would be (in tablature): C: 3-3-2-0-1-0 (an unorthodox thumb may be used for the low G An example of the later: C: x-3-5-0-5-0 (x means muted) Notice [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )Nuevo Rock Americano
A quick look back to some groups that got bunched into the “Nuevo Rock Americano”, at least in Spain. They had some things in common, at least the ones at the top of the list… but others were clearly misplaced (The Cramps). A highlight of this period: a song that was a great success back [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Substitute dominant – an explanation
This is a summary of what I understood about the substitute dominant from a conversation with my colleague Rafael Delgado Buscalioni, who is proficient in music theory. The idea is how to build “another” dominant chord. Say we have a regular, major C chord: C-E-G. The dominant is G major: G-B-D. A typical choice is [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Band in a Box
“The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how good I get, I’ll never be as good as a wall.” (Mitch Hedberg) Now, I could say similarly: no matter how good I play an instrument, there’s this computer program that does it better. Seriously, I don’t know what kind of AI they use in [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Modes of the diatonic scale
Just a reminder to myself of these nice names Ionian (I). “Natural” major mode. Dorian (II). Quite standard minor, specially in Celtic music. E.g. “Drunken Sailor“ Phrygian (III). Intriging minor, flamenco-like. E.g. Jefferson Airplane‘s “White Rabbit“ Lydian (IV). Strange major. “Man on the Moon” by R.E.M. Mixolydian (V). Major, with a H instead of a [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Los campesinos!
Los campesinos! (the peasants! – you knew that if you know Spanish.) They sound exactly the way I like! Remind me of Sonic Youth, but much much happier. (Proof: Teenage Riot, one of SY’s lighter songs. It sounds similar to me in spirit.) Fabulous indie band from Wales! Hear some samples at goear. Or this [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )KEXP
KEXP, Seattle. Where the music matters. I started listening to this station when it still was KCMU, I was living in Seattle and it was broadcast. Happily, I can still catch it online, and due to the time zone, I can now enjoy rare programming at the (Western US) wee hours. I have also added [...]
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