From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V4 #4 Reply-To: shindell-list@smoe.org Sender: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk shindell-list-digest Thursday, January 3 2002 Volume 04 : Number 004 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] Re: music question [Tom926@aol.com] Re: [RS] Re: music question ["Toddz" ] [RS] Re: music question [Rongrittz@aol.com] [RS] Music? minor chords ["Greg Z" ] [RS] challenge [Lee Wessman ] [RS] sparrows point ["Norman A. Johnson" ] Re: [RS] sparrows point ["Adam Bailey" ] RE: [RS] sparrows point [Katrin.Uhl@t-online.de (Katrin Uhl)] [RS] fools' names, like fools' faces [TRNMT@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 05:48:21 EST From: Tom926@aol.com Subject: [RS] Re: music question Take pity on the ignorant. What is the difference between a major and minor chord? I have heard these terms for years and have not a clue as to what they mean. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 16:37:44 -0000 From: "Toddz" Subject: Re: [RS] Re: music question Dear Tom If chords were a meal, major chords would be the main dish, minor chords would be a side dish, and diminished and augmented chords would be the salt and pepper of the meal. In fact, diminished and augmented chords ARE the salt and pepper of music. We don't dwell on them, but use them to add spice and flavor to our musical pieces. Best Regards Adrian - ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2002 10:48 AM Subject: [RS] Re: music question > Take pity on the ignorant. What is the difference between a major and minor > chord? I have heard these terms for years and have not a clue as to what they > mean. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2002 11:38:07 EST From: Rongrittz@aol.com Subject: [RS] Re: music question >> What is the difference between a major and minor chord? I have heard these terms for years and have not a clue as to what they mean. << Well, there's a simple way to explain it, and a technical way to explain it. The simple way is this: major chords are open and straightforward. Minor chords are dark, intense and somber. Think of the brooding sound of the songs "Sparrows Point" or "By Now" or "Ascent." All driven by minor chords. "Mining disaster" chords, as Richard calls them. Trust me, you know a minor chord when you hear it. Technically, it's somewhat more complicated. A major chord is made up of a major triad. In the most simplistic terms, the musical scale is made up of seven notes, right? A-B-C-D-E-F-G. A major chord is made up of a root note, a third and a fifth. So, let's take the key of C. Rearrange the notes so that it starts with the root. C-D-E-F-G-A-B (or root-2-3-4-5-6-7). The C is the root. Up to the "third" note (E). Up to the "fifth" (G). Giving you C-E-G. Now, amazingly, look at a C chord on the guitar. 032010 Sixth string open (E), fifth string/third fret (C), fourth string/second fret (E), third/string open (G), second string/first fret (C), first string open (E). See? All the notes, E-C-E-G-C-E are the root/third/fifth in the key of C. Now, to make a major chord into a minor chord, what you do is take the third and flatten it, or drop it a half-step. So, using the above example, the "third" is the E, right? So you flatten it, giving you an Eflat. So, look at a Cm chord on the guitar: 335543 Sixth string/third fret (G), fifth string/third fret (C), fourth string/fifth fret (G), third string/fifth fret (C), second string/fourth fret (Eflat), first string/third fret (G). Now it's all roots and fifths, except the third (E), which has been flattened. Classic chord progressions are usally 1-4-5 with the relative minor being the 6th. So, in the key of C, a "standard" progression is C-F-G, root-4-5. For the relative minor, it's the 6th note (A) played as a minor (Am). So, play it C-Am-F-G. This works in any key. Take G: G-A-B-C-D-E-F The root-3-5 gives you G-B-D. A G chord is played 320003. Sixth string/third fret (G, the root), fifth string/second fret (B, the third), fourth string open (D, the fifth), third string open (G, the root), second string open (B, the third), and first string/third fret (G, the root). Want to make a Gm chord? Just take the third (B) and flatten it. A Gm chord, then, is played 355333. Sixth string/third fret (G, the root), fifth string/fifth fret (D, the fifth), fourth string/fifth fret (G, the root), third string/third fret (Bflat), second string/third fret (D, the fifth, and first string/third fret (G, the root). Again, all roots and fifths, except the third (B), which has been flattened. The "standard" progression in G, then, is root-6m-4-5, or G-Em-C-D. Or you could just say that the difference between major and minor chords is that major chords are open and straightforward. Minor chords are dark, intense and somber. ;-) RG ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2002 12:00:22 -0500 From: "Greg Z" Subject: [RS] Music? minor chords Great explanations, both tech, and non-tech. My wife is a little skiddish about Courier the song, because of the minor chord sound. As more of an example, listen to Kenworth of My Dreams, it is predominantly 1-4-5 majors, then slips into minor @ "late out on that interstate..." Greg Z - --- "I'll put this cloud behind me, that's how the Man designed me I'm no stranger to the rain"... Keith Whitley - -- Click here for your very own create-a-date adventure from MatchMaker Go to http://ecard.matchmaker.com/dating.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 10:23:30 -0800 From: Lee Wessman Subject: [RS] challenge ><< There are people > who I've heard saying that there is no such thing as a happy Richard > Shindell song. >> Well now, there's a fine line between songs that make me happy and songs that make most of the people I know happy. Not so much a fine line as a chasm, really. Most folks would listen to "Sparrow's Point," for example, and say, well gee whillakers, that's a sad song. But I can listen to "Sparrow's Point" and get a surge of happiness even as that solider is about to hit the beach. See, I like being jerked around emotionally by art. It reminds me of how precious life is, and being reminded of that makes me happy, even though I got there by way of sorrow. Mind you, I don't like being jerked around emotionally by my own life's circumstances. I prefer my own life to be cheery and upbeat. I just like my art dark and gloomy and in minor keys. I like my sorrow to be vicarious. I think. - -lee ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2002 18:50:17 -0500 From: "Norman A. Johnson" Subject: [RS] sparrows point Lee wrote: >>Most folks would listen to "Sparrow's Point," for example, and say, well gee whillakers, that's a sad song. But I can listen to "Sparrow's Point" and get a surge of happiness even as that solider is about to hit the beach.<< I don't know about you Lee but I get the feeling that William Taylor dies at the end. Norman ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2002 00:12:33 From: "Adam Bailey" Subject: Re: [RS] sparrows point I would like to have heard a good live version of 'Sparrows...' instead of a few of the songs on the cd- like "Willin' or 'Kenworth' or the weak rendition of 'SWCD'. Don't get me wrong, i love the cd and most of the songs but i was dissapointed by the lack of "Sparrow's Point' and extremely sad about no 'Blue Divide' (which with Wisteria is IMHO the 2 most well written and my favorite RS songs). >From: "Norman A. Johnson" >Reply-To: shindell-list@smoe.org >To: shindell-list@smoe.org >Subject: [RS] sparrows point >Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2002 18:50:17 -0500 > >Lee wrote: > > >>Most folks would listen to "Sparrow's Point," for example, and say, >well gee whillakers, that's a sad song. But I can listen to >"Sparrow's Point" and get a surge of happiness even as that solider >is about to hit the beach.<< > >I don't know about you Lee but I get the feeling that William Taylor dies >at the end. > >Norman _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2002 01:35:47 +0100 From: Katrin.Uhl@t-online.de (Katrin Uhl) Subject: RE: [RS] sparrows point > I would like to have heard a good live version of 'Sparrows...' > instead of a few of the songs on the cd- like "Willin' ah, I was just going to write how much I love Willin! I'm seriously addicted and had to learn it, though it's not a "girl's song" per se. But then, who cares. Talking details and major and minor chords: One exceptionally beautiful movement is, imho, in Sandy: the movement from A to Asus4 to G (...boardwalk way past dark ... and the boys...). Man, is that beautiful!! SWCD - I used to think the song was alright, but not super exceptional. but it is so beautifully haunting on this recording. Especially aournd "I think you'd probably like my wife"... you can hear how torn the protagonist is between having things comfortable the way they've always been and wondering whether this was the kind of love you never recover from. That feeling drips out of every word and note of that song for me in this version - beautiful! Gorgeous! I would have loved to have By Now included, but I guess that wasn't likely to happen. ... no complaints really... :) best, Katrin ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 22:31:55 EST From: TRNMT@aol.com Subject: [RS] fools' names, like fools' faces Happy New Year, list, I've just about gotten over seeing my name emblazoned on the jacket of a book for which I wrote a forward (and never suspected that my name would be on the jacket - ack!!), when I got my FUV program guide for the first quarter of 2002. Apparently, FUV is doing its best to suck up to grouchy members like myself who have, in the past, sent suggestions for theme days. In fact, I'd sent them a suggestion waaaaaayyyy back in 2000 to have a Richard day for his 40th birthday. They had one that didn't coincide with his birthday, but it was close to FRFF, so I guess it counted. THEN, while I was on a roll, I sent in two more suggestions: to either use January 12 as a Signature Sound artists' day, as that is allegedly the birthday of the one of the most famous signers of the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock, OR, the birthdate of the actor who played Jimmy Olsen on the old Superman series (I don't have that info handy at the moment, but I did when I sent the suggestion in). So there ya go. Richard on March 6. Be there, aloha. Nancy ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V4 #4 *********************************