#amajor

[musicainextenso]

The Flute with Breanne C.

#3 / César Franck - Flute Sonata in A major

This is one of my absolute favourite pieces. The melodies are absolutely stunning and the piano part really compliments the melodies. The fourth movement is definitely my favourite, because it’s just filled with so much angst and emotion. It’s also empowering to play, with the piano rising behind you as the notes climb higher and higher, it’s absolutely beautiful. 

Breanne C. @piccolishprocrastinator - Guest Editor

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

Harnoncourt directing Haydn’s Symphony No. 59 in A Major. 

[samveetgurukul]

ɢUɪTAʀ CʜOʀDS | A MAJOʀ & MINoR | BaR CʜOʀD ░g░u░i░t░a░r ░c░h░o░r░d░s . . Guitar🎸 chords A major & minor chord Bar chord 🎸 Here we start again with another tutorial in this chord series Simple and easy chord, it's the very intermediate chord that people play while learning guitar🎸. . . . stay at home and stay safe 🎸 #guitar #chords #Amajor #music #love #Musicians #Bollywoodsongs #HindiSong #musician #musica #melody #toptags #play #instrument #guitars #guitarist #guitarpick #guitarplayer #guitare #guitar #music #guitaramp #guitarstrings #barchords (at Samvet Gurukul) https://www.instagram.com/p/CA9rep8D9s2/?igshid=4al00znfd781

[samveetgurukul]

ɢUɪTAʀ CʜOʀDS | A MAJOʀ | OPEɴ CʜOʀD ░g░u░i░t░a░r ░c░h░o░r░d░s ░a ░m░a░j░o░r ░o░p░e░n ░c░h░o░r░d Guitar🎸 chords A major chord open chord Here we start again with another tutorial in this chord series Simple and easy chord, it's the very beginner chord that people play while learning guitar🎸. . . . stay at home and stay safe #guitar #chords #Amajor #music #love #Musicians #Bollywoodsongs #HindiSong #musician #musica #song #musician #musicflow #lockdown2020 #lockdown #quarantine #quarantinelife #picoftheday #Redislove #foryou #stayhome #staypositive #keeploving #keepsuporting #spreadlove #staytuned #fav #musicislife #instamusic #instalove (at Smart City - Gwalior) https://www.instagram.com/p/CADdz2MDaYZ/?igshid=1i89iy9d02fl2

[two-chords]

Better Must Come

Better Must Come (1971) Delroy Wilson key: A major blues

Euroclassical function names:   tonic   dominantTagg: tonic   counterpoiseRiemann: T Sscale degrees: I IVchord names: A D

slow two—   A        D |:/   /   |/   /   :|

or fast four —   A        D |:/ / / / |/ / / / :| loop

mode: A blues — A B C D D# E G A melody: S L d r me m f se form: intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-interlude-verse-chorus meter: duple suggested time signature: 2|2, 4|4

other recordings: Don Carlos, G

Socially-conscious, positive reggae tunes are my new fave. In terms of chord progressions, we are on familiar ground by now, a tonic-counterpoise loop with the subdominant in the counterpoise role. Melodically, there are the lowered third and seventh scale degrees that are the hallmark of blues style. I did not break down the form of the melody into phrase parts, as Mr. Delroy Wilson varies the melodic ideas throughout the song.

[two-chords]

Roadrunner

Roadrunner (1972) Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers Rock/Proto-Punk, USA key: A major/mixolydian

Euroclassical function names:   tonic   subdominantTagg: tonic   counterpoiseRiemann: T Sscale degrees: I IVchord names: A D

  A            D |:/ / / / |/ / / / :| loop (except for two tiny bits, see below)

mode: A mixolydian — A B C# D E F# G A melody: RMsltr form: hmmm… meter: duple suggested time signature: 4|4

other recordings: The Greg Kihn Band, A The Jazz Butcher, A Joan Jett, B

Another 99 percenter: there are two V chords (E) in here, one at the end of the “third verse” (if we can call it that… the line “I’m in love with rock and roll and I’ll be out all night”), and the other at the very end, right after he says “Bye bye.” So, not 100% purely two chords, but not a dealbreaker.

The form here is, well, almost formless. There’s some small instrumental interludes separating out the lyrics, but there’s nothing you could really call a verse or a chorus. It’s just an ecstatic rant about driving around Boston. There’s something about Richman’s work that simultaneously embraces the basic conventions of rock’n’roll and ignores/smashes them.

[two-chords]

San Toki

San Toki (????) folk, Korea Elizabeth Mitchell key: A major

Euroclassical function names:   tonic   dominantTagg: tonic   counterpoiseRiemann: T D or D7scale degrees: I V or V7chord names: A E or E7

*Ukulele does not have E in open position. It only has E7.

  A         E    A |:////|////|////|////:|

mode: A major/ionian — A B C# D E F# G# A melody: drmfsd’ form: AB meter: duple suggested time signature: 4|4

other recordings: The Chinkees, E Kyung Hun, G (performed with a drone) Elena Moon Park, A

I try to use two examples for each key and chord pair. I will fall off the wagon, so to speak, because I simply haven’t been able to find more songs in certain keys. So there isn’t much here musically that we haven’t seen before, but it is always good to find songs in other languages. The Kyung Hun version is probably the most traditional (…aaaand the Chinkees, as you might suspect, is perhaps the least!), much of the world’s music being accompanied by drones as opposed to chords.

[two-chords]

Tenement Yard

Tenement Yard (1976) Jacob Miller Reggae, Jamaica key: A major

Euroclassical function names:   tonic   dominantTagg: tonic   counterpoiseRiemann: T D or D7scale degrees: I V or V7chord names: A E or E7

*Ukulele does not have E in open position. It only has E7.

 A    E |:////|////:| loop

mode: A major/ionian — A B C# D E F# G# A melody: Sdrmfs form: call-and-response; AA’ meter: duple suggested time signature: 4|4

other recordings: The Jolly Boys, F

Here’s another controversial one. Unfortunately, the only reason I wouldn’t use this with children is “smoke him pipe in peace.” It’s easy to say, “Relax! It just references a pipe!” But I fear too many parents would make the very obvious connection between reggae, pipes, and weed and not be happy about condoning such things.

There is another fear, and perhaps this one is worse. The vocal delivery and slang that makes this song so enjoyable to sing would probably just be perceived as ridiculous nonsense by most kids, thereby missing the really important part of the song: the message. The police, and therefore, the government won’t leave a regular joe in peace (i.e., there are worse things than smoking a pipe, weed or no…). This is always a problem to be vigilant for. And that’s why I keep going back and forth about whether I green-list this song for teaching.

In somewhat less controversial areas, this is one of our few examples in which the whole song is a tonic-dominant shuttle. In fact, it’s our first whole-song shuttle! I hinted at them in the very first post, but did not go into detail. As we shall see in future posts, reggae is chock full of shuttles, but usually tonic-subdominant and occasionally tonic-supertonic. Let’s see what Mr. Tagg has to say about shuttles, since he made up the term. Shuttles are made of:

two chords, which have

equal duration (and therefore importance), but

neither is longer than what is perceived as “the extended present” — meaning, in musical terms, no longer than a phrase, and

repeated in this way at least twice

I am not much of a reggae fan, but when soliciting ideas from friends for two-chords songs, one of my comrades-in-klezmer told me when it comes to two-chords, reggae is where it’s at. And boy howdy, was he right! I’ve found a bunch of songs, much like this one, that are very simple and very powerful.