Today I lectured about what I’m now calling “chord cycles”–a series of chords that repeat over and over. In the Baroque, these types of compositions were called “chaconnes.” Composers think of any repeated set of chords as a chaconne, but historians are sticklers about that progression being a set progression. There are more arguments about the difference between passacaglias and chaconnes. Professor McClary suggested I just refer to a chord cycle as an “ostinato” (Italian for stubborn). Despite the historical sense of it, that didn’t seem like a good phrase either.

So, starting today, I’m going to refer to them as chord cycles, a term that seems self-explanatory, you don’t have to speak Italian, or know Renaissance or Baroque dance forms.

In the lecture I covered “La Folia,” the chaconnes used by Handel, Bach, and Purcell, the “I Got Rhythm” ["rhythm changes"] and “Blue Moon” chord progressions (I vi IV [or ii] V), the “La Bamba” variants (including “Louie Louie,” “Twist and Shout,” and “Wild Thing,” Bob Marley’s chord cycle from “No Woman No Cry” and a couple of more. I also looked at the circle of fifths in songs and how they are used (think: Vivaldi Winter/Four Seasons, “The Autumn Leaves,” and “All the things you are”). I closed with the “Sensitive Female Chord Progression” (vi IV I V) made clear in Joan Osborne’s “What if God Were One of Us.”

If you’d like to hear the whole set, here is a YouTube playlist that I made for the lecture.

[Musical examples from the lecture handout. Pg.2 is missing.]

It always seemed to me that you can tell Paul McCartney’s lyrics as he has a penchant for couplets. Not sure that exactly works here, but this graph is a damn fun analysis of the logic of the lyrics to Hey Jude. I think…

[Thanks to my old pal from Green Bay, Rick Larson for finding this one.]

Yesterday in lecture, my colleague Robert Winter took his turn in imparting the core of functional harmony: the tonic-dominant relationship, or V-I. He pointed out that the tritone–once banned by the church–now had rules of how it is to be resolved: augmented fourths expand out to sixths, and diminished fifths contract into a third. He then played a large number of classical compositions whose harmonic makeup was limited to V and I. Rossini, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Corelli, and to contrast an example of “atonal tonality,” Monteverdi.

We will never forget Robert stomping around on the stage shouting in time with the chordal changes: ONE! FIVE! ONE! FIVE! ONE! FIVE! FIIIIIIIIVE! ONE! This mildly funny and silly dramatization was memorable and, with any luck, effective.

Now in case some of my readers are rusty on V-I, listen to this old German clip of the finale of Beethoven’s Eroica symphony where you will hear, mostly V and I chords. Ja wohl!

1967
The Doors: “Crystal Ship”
Scott McKenzie: “San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)”

1976
Boston – “Peace of Mind”

1977
Iggy Pop – “The Passenger”

1982
Toto – “Africa”

1985
Heart – “What About Love”

1987
Heart – “Alone”
Loverboy – “Love Will Rise Again”
The Smiths – “You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby”

1988
Midnight Oil – “Beds Are Burning”
Roxette – “Listen To Your Heart”

1989
Alice Cooper – “Poison”
Ani DiFranco – “Fire Door”
Starship – “It’s Not Enough”

1990
Jeff Lynne – “What Would It Take”
Yanni – “Almost A Whisper”

1992
Bad Religion – “Generator”
Gin Blossoms – “Until I Fall Away”

1993
The Smashing Pumpkins – “Disarm”
Therapy? – “Screamager”

1994
The Cranberries – “Zombie”
The Offspring – “Gotta Get Away”
The Offspring – “Self Esteem”

1995
Ani DiFranco – “Shy”
Guster – “Window”
Jewel – “Foolish Games”
Joan Osborne – “One Of Us”

1996
Social Distortion – “Don’t Drag Me Down”
The Waifs – “Brain Damage”

1997
Sarah McLachlan – “Building A Mystery”

1998
Eagle Eye Cherry – “Save Tonight”
Jewel – “Hands”
Madonna – “The Power of Good-Bye”
Neutral Milk Hotel – “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea”

1999
Melissa Etheridge – “Angels Would Fall”
The Offspring – “The Kids Aren’t Alright”
The Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Otherside”
Britney Spears – “Born To Make You Happy”

The whole list is here.

Here’s one more from the Red Hot Chili Peppers “Snow (Hey O)”
]]> http://rogerbourland.com/2009/11/11/sensitive-female-chord-progression/feed/ 1 http://rogerbourland.com/2009/10/15/is-music-analysis-interesting-for-regular-folks/ http://rogerbourland.com/2009/10/15/is-music-analysis-interesting-for-regular-folks/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:39:08 +0000 Roger Bourland http://rogerbourland.com/blog/?p=3909

I struggle writing my book analyzing songs by Rufus Wainwright because I keep forgetting who I am writing the book for. I simplify the language so that regular music lovers can appreciate it, but then I address issues that are more appropriate to graduate music analysis seminars for composers or music theorists.

What is it that non-musicians want to know about music? I fear that these music lovers don’t know the questions to ask––so I need to ask interesting questions.

What do classical musicians want to get out of a book that analyzes songs by a pop songwriter? My guess is that we want to see that there are similar compositional methods a classical composer might use, showing up somewhere in the music. Good voice leading along with an organic use of a theme in a pop piece impresses a classical musician.

Who am I writing for? Both audiences.

Sigh.

[Early American doll, photo by RB]

Having finished my composition projects for the summer, I am finally returning to finishing my book on Rufus Wainwright. Having bought Robert O. Gderdingen’s terrific publication “Music in the Galant Style” I have found the book format that I’d like to have for my book: one with relatively large type, but most importantly, a hardback book that can stay open at the piano without breaking the binding. I will have as many musical examples as I am able. Each essay will have a lyric/melody/form analysis — see below.

I was shocked to see how much I’ve already finished. But in that I’m smarter now than when I originally wrote all this I’ll be revising and tweaking each essay.

My new working title is RUFUS WAINWRIGHT: ANALYTIC ESSAYS ON SELECTED EARLY SONGS. I am debating whether to keep or toss a bevy of miscellaneous chapters about Rufus, but otherwise I will focus on analytic observations and less on dish or biography.

In the illustration below, I include the lyrics, the melodic form with respect to repeated melodic figures (a, b1, c, etc.), and the formal structure (A, B, verse, chorus, etc.). Look up and down the left side of the diagram. You see abcd and their variants appearing from left to right. Each letter and its variant have their own column. What this allows the reader to see and understand is exactly when melodic figures are new or repeat. And what we see over and over in Rufus’s music is that they usually repeat, and there are limited melodic figures in each song. If you look at all the a1 figures and the lyrics to the right, you’ll know that they all have the same melody. Now look at a2; and then b; and then c; and finally d. I include a complete transcription at the end of most essays.

Statistically the “a” figures appear most frequently (12 times); the “b” figure 6 times; the c figures 8 times; and the “d” figure is rarest at 3 times. The “a1″ and “a2″ figures are the melodic hooks as well as the title of the song, “Pretty Things.” The “b” figure is a simple melodic turn that joins a1 and a2. The “c” figure is an oscillating 4th, and the “d” figure is a falling 4th that signals the end of the section.

As you look at this illustration, you see that the yellow and blue section together make up one big chunk. This chunk is repeated again, but then varied in its third appearance. Can you see what has changed?

An early Leonard Cohen song revisited in a live performance in San Sebastian in 1988. Cohen’s performance here hasn’t changed much from his original recording. A dark and galloping song. There is no dominant in the opening verse. His sexy flat-six chord has three notes of a French augmented-6th chord (F A B) with a ringing E before it finally resolves to the dominant; a distinctively Spanish sound. Chord progressions that feature a fall from flat-six to the dominant include IV6 to V, the three augmented-6th chords, McCartney’s parallel bVI-flat7 to V7 (”Honey Pie”), and now this chord, which could be described as a flat-six with a flat 5 and a major 7th. The F A moves down to E G#, while the B E are common tones between the two chords. I propose we call this a Spanish flat-VI chord. It is a common progression in Flamenco guitar literature. This harmonic progression is the most violent move in the song.

Last month I wrote about the very popular chord progression from the 50s: I vi IV V and played you a video of seven versions of that song. In case you didn’t read it:

Paul McCartney said that he and John Lennon always tried to make their songs “a little different” implying that they prefer to not repeat themselves. One of the most popular chord progressions of the time before the Beatles came on the scene was the I vi IV V chord progression (a common variant is I vi ii V). For you non-music theory nerds out there, think of the famous “Heart and Soul” song from the 50s.

Compare this looped chord progression to what Lennon and McCartney do here. Instead of the I vi IV V we get the almost-Russian variant: I vi iii V. And part of me wonders — the part of me that knows how to musically “push buttons” — is it that sexy and profound “iii” chord that is making those girls scream and cry? I think then answer is yes. But the fact that the Beatles were too poor to afford a third microphone for George, and so he always had to share with Paul. And that microphone sharing was just as sexy for those girls as the chords, and as the “oooooh”s and as those cute long-haired boys from England.

Here are the lyrics with the chords above them. I had never appreciated how sophisticated the progression is. And this EARLY Beatles. It was their interest in continuing to “make it different.”

Hoagie Carmichael

Paul McCartney said that he and John Lennon always tried to make their songs “a little different” implying that they prefer to not repeat themselves.

One of the most popular chord progressions of the time (1950 – 1963) before the Beatles came on the scene was the I vi IV V chord progression and its common variant: I vi ii V. For you non-music-theory-nerds out there, think of the famous Hoagy Carmichael song “Heart and Soul.” What you will hear is this four chord pattern that goes through the whole damn song. And people like that. I am terrified to imagine that more people probably know this song than anything by Beethoven.

I guarantee you: if you play this at work, there will be a crowd gathering around your computer with people dancing in the aisles. Including your manager who will likely join in. What is it about a chord progression that makes us all get along? Well, this one did in the 50s. I’m sure my readers can tell me more songs that feature this progresion. Perhaps I’ll recommend some enterprising graduate student into taking it on as a doctoral thesis!

At any rate, all I can tell you is to EMBRACE YOUR INNER HEART AND SOUL and if this is the only song you can play at the piano, dammit, play it! You’ll feel better!

I found a perfect video to help demonstrate this: 7 versions of the song (I know, you’re going to curse me for the rest of the day. I could have picked “Sherie” or “Earth Angel” but I prefer this one). [The chord progression in C major would be: C am F G repeated over and over. Transpose it to whatever key fits your voice.]

HEART AND SOUL

Heart and soul, I fell in love with you
Heart and soul, the way a fool would do,
madly
Because you held me tight
And stole a kiss in the night

Heart and soul, I begged to be adored
Lost control, and tumbled overboard,
gladly
That magic night we kissed
There in the moon mist

Oh! but your lips were thrilling, much too thrilling
Never before were mine so strangely willing

But now I see, what one embrace can do
Look at me, it’s got me loving you
madly
That little kiss you stole
Held all my heart and soul

In a later post, I’ll comment on how the Beatles twist this harmonic tradition into a whole new realm with “She Loves You.”

Here is a lip sync performance of The Byrds singing their UFO hymn, “Mr Spaceman” on The Smothers Brothers show, and judging by the way the band looks, it’s 1967–the year of their NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS where David Crosby had been kicked out of the band. (Funny. It is indeed David’s high harmonies on the recording you hear here.) A sultry Gene Clark, soon to put out his first album, is playing rhythm guitar. Chris Hillman, who had recently met the talented and naughty Gram Parsons, is on bass. Michael Clarke, cute and drunk, is on drums. Roger McGuinn is playing his signature 12-string Rickenbacker. I love the psychedelia of this early music video. (The sound doesn’t line up with the image here, and the print is very lo-res, so I’d love to know whether there is a hi-res master out there somewhere.)

Chord motion is interesting here. In the verses, the chords all ascend (G A D repeated 2 times each verse); and in the chorus they descend (D C Am G repeated 2 times each verse). McGuinn keeps a high G pedal on his 12-string giving the impression that a banjo is playing. I love the eccentric cadence of ( ii I supertonic, tonic) accompanying the end of the chorus “won’t you please take me along for a ride.”