Sun Oct 01, 2017 2:16 pm
15Dreams wrote:Response to Kid for Today:
(Once again this whole thing is tuned between G and Ab so I'm choosing to write in G)
The opening chords (and the only chords) are Gm, Amadd4 (A, C, and D), Em7, and Bm played on multiple layers of synth I believe. The keyboard melody starting at 1:10 is as follows:
The keyboard melody focused in the left channel beginning at 1:55 is as follows:
The keyboard melody at 5:05 plays these notes, I haven't bothered writing out the rhythm accurately because it's too offbeat but if anyone wants it I can:
http://i.imgur.com/tvZetqd.png
The synth at the end is the same melody more or less from 1:55 but slower.
This song is a bit more straightforward. While technically all of the chords of minor, the Em7 contains the notes found in a G Major triad (G, B, and D) so our minds kind of hear a Picardy 3rd from Gm to G Major even though E is the root. If I had to pick a key I suppose it would be G Minor but then again none of the following chords are found in the regular G Minor key. The Em7 is probably the most unusual one as it's a minor sharp vi; the Bm following it sounds less unexpected because of the Em7. The minor third/major sixth relationship between Gm and Em7 also appears in a few other BoC songs like EYDIAB (Cm7/Am7) and Sunshine Recorder (Em/Gm). This juxtaposition of minor chords is particularly interesting since the third of G minor (Bb) has to be raised to a B natural to get to E minor, giving it a haunting tonal quality that you can also hear in EYDIAB and Sunshine Recorder.
Sun Oct 01, 2017 2:20 pm
chodytaint wrote:Wildfire wrote:Also when you have time, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the wonderfully simple but achingly beautiful 'Echus'.
I tried to work out the chords to Echus a while back. Not sure how accurate this is but I think it sounds pretty close. I'm sure 15Dreams can provide better analysis, but it's interesting that it's all major chords (Eb Gb Db Ab). Also, Dayvan Cowboy uses the same exact progression, just in a different key (F# A E B).
Sun Oct 01, 2017 3:01 pm
Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:48 pm
Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:50 pm
Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:57 pm
Tue Oct 03, 2017 7:01 pm
Wed Oct 04, 2017 4:55 am
Soul_Slip wrote:That might also explain why some song samples are not in a specific key other than just "detuning" the pitch on the keyboard. They could drop the speed or also change the pitch on the tape machine. They mentioned old grundig tube recorders. These as far as I have used do not have pitch shift, although certain models might. If they use anything similar to a pioneer rt909 then it is entirely possible. I would love to see their outboard gear rack lol especially for mastering
Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:57 am
Sat Oct 07, 2017 6:18 pm
Sat Oct 07, 2017 6:38 pm
Sat Oct 07, 2017 7:00 pm
Sat Oct 07, 2017 7:29 pm
Sat Oct 07, 2017 8:11 pm
Sun Oct 08, 2017 6:05 am
Wildfire wrote:
You are in fact THE MAN. I owe you a beer 15Dreams.
Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:42 pm
15Dreams wrote:Jacquard Causeway is in B Minor, and also in what I believe to be 3/4 with swung eighth notes. I will admit right off the bat that I really don't know what the time signature does later (with the hihats that appear to be in a polyrhythm) but there's a lot of speculation about it here:
- Spoiler: show
I thought about melodically transcribing each new element that gets added to the song, but I couldn't find a lot of point in doing that. If somebody wants me to I can, but it wouldn't be very accurate later when they all get added in because the notes are difficult to separate. Around 1:14 the bass synth, which is a bit hidden by the kick, starts to play B, G instead of a looped B.
The moment at 3:46 when the pads come in full-blast is perhaps the biggest turning point in the song. The pads are actually playing a lot of extra notes: the B Minor chord becomes a B minor 9 with the A and C# (7th and 9th) added in, and the G Major chord becomes a G Major 9 with the F# and A (7th and 9th) added in. This, coupled with the brightness of the pads, makes the end of the song feel as though it is in D Major instead of B Minor by adding extra notes to make the key almost ambiguous.
Overall the progression of the song is fairly simple, it's the insane rhythmic experimentation and echoing melodic fragments that make Jacquard Causeway what it is.
Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:11 pm
Wed Oct 11, 2017 5:40 pm
15Dreams wrote:Bocuma is 9 measures of this and then a little more while Roygbiv fades in:
The other synth just does some improvisation in the same scale, G Mixolydian. This scale is basically the G Major scale with a lowered 7th, F natural instead of F sharp. Detuned up a few cents.
There's really nothing super interesting about this song theoretically, and there doesn't have to be.
Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:33 pm
15Dreams wrote:I'll try and figure out as many of the patterns as I can. I know from memory (not in a place where I can listen to the song atm) the first one is B F# E A in dotted quarter's, and then the quick one is A G F#, and then the next one is A E A F# I believe. That's all I can remember right now.
Tue Oct 17, 2017 1:43 am
Wildfire wrote:15Dreams wrote:Wildfire wrote:I'd love your thoughts on Sundown, that chord progression gives me the dang chills.
Me too, not sure why I hadn't looked at that one before today.
Chords are detuned between keys so I wrote in D but you'd need to tune your instrument higher. There's also some neat ones that I'll explain how to play:
A5 - just the root and the fifth, A and E
F5
GQ - This is a quintal chord built on G, meaning that you stack up in 5ths instead of a triad where you stack in thirds. The notes are G, D, and A on top. (More on this cool trick later!)
BbMaj7 - Bb, D, F, and A
DQ - D, A, and E on top
Bb Major - Bb, F, and D on top
DQ - this time put the E an octave higher
Bb Major - play the D an octave higher
CMaj7 - C, G, and B on top
EbMaj7 - Eb, Bb, and D on top
AQ - A, E, and B on top
D5
F5 - no bass on this one but fade it into
DQ
B9 - B in the bass, A, and C# on top
F#Q - F#, C#, G# on top
D5 - quickly fade in and fade out - no bass
F5 - no bass
Final chord starts off as a D5 but then a G fades in next to the A on top and I think a C fades into the bass slightly, making it rumble a bit more than necessary.
I'm going to say D minor for this one but only because it ends on a D. The obvious BoC secret here is the quintal chords - the open 5ths sound is very unique and especially when played on those wavering synth pads. There's a song by Port Blue that makes use of these same chords (progression is C Major, AbQ, FQ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3eqf2uMOFs
bonus pic of the field I watched the sun set in the first time I heard this song
- Spoiler: show
This is fucking awesome. Thank you so much man, I understand enough music theory (UK grade 7 on piano) to understand what you are saying, and I can't wait to get home and try playing it from your notation. Thank you!
Also that is so cool that it's detuned between keys, that must be what gives it that unsettling edge throughout, even though it's gorgeous.
I don't suppose you have enough knowledge of analog synths to know what synth is being used? I've tried the following and can't get the same timbre, even with post processing....
SH101
Korg Monopoly
Juno 60
ARP Odyssey
Also when you have time, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the wonderfully simple but achingly beautiful 'Echus'.
EDIT: That is a fine view, just out of interest where do you live?