Recordings/Pieces that teach aspects of music

[Elephone]

Hi. I'm making up a MP3 playlist of tracks useful for 'training the ear', or simply expanding musical knowledge so I can listen to it at work, travelling, etc.

I mean, apart from familiarising oneself with intervals and basic chords... there are also songs that capitalize on certain scales and chords. For example, Frank Zappa improvised a lot in the Mixolydian mode, so listening to those tracks while knowing it's mixolydian-based is probably going to be a more in-depth way to get familiar than a "guess this scale" quiz.

Even notable snippets of music would be useful, perhaps to record or render a more palatable loop based on it, or something. I mean things like chord progressions, cadences, types of substitutions, suspensions, etc.

For those just beginning, familiarising yourself with intervals using melodies is a really great way to get them stuck in your head, and it's best to find melodies for ascending and descending forms, as well as playing them simultaneously. Also, it is possible to do this with triads. For instance, a 1st Inversion Major triad, is the melody of 'In the Mood' by Glenn Miller. The US trumpet piece 'Taps' is based on 2nd Inversion Major triad, and so on.

So that sort of thing... any ideas?

Thanks

[Drew Stephenson]

Nothing to contribute I'm afraid but will follow with interest.

[TNGator]

I'm not that advanced and in fact just started a course in Theory. But I'll also follow with interest.

[CS70]

Couldn't recognize a 1st Inversion Major Triad if it waved at me, but I love "In the Mood" and playing and improvising on it certainly gives you ideas.

[Elephone]

Intervals:

+1 semitone = Theme from the film 'Jaws'
−1 semitone = 'Für Elise' by Beethoven

+2 semitones = 'London Bridge Is Falling Down'
−2 semitones = First two notes of 'Three Blind Mice'
&2 semitones = 'Chopsticks'... and if it's not Chopsticks but close & dissonant, it'll be &1 semitones.

+3 semitones = First two notes of 'Greensleeves' starting on the beat.
−3 semitones = First two notes of the American National Anthem

+4 semitones = First two notes of The Simpsons main tune.
−4 semitones = First two notes of 'Nice One Cyril' (and most traditional Door bells).

+5 semitones = First two notes of The Wedding March
−5 semitones = Mozart's Eine kleine nachtmusik - Allegro

+6 semitones = Leonard Bernstein - 'Maria' (from West Side Story)
−6 semitones = ?*

+7 semitones = 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' (or 2001 A Space Odyssey Main Theme)
−7 semitones = First two notes of 'The Flintstones' melody

+8 semitones = Scott Joplin's 'The Entertainer' main melodic interval over chords (after intro)
−8 semitones = Piano Theme From 'Love Story'

+9 semitones = Ennio Morricone, 'The soldiers theme' from 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly' soundtrack
−9 semitones = ?*

+10 semitones = Hendrix 'Stone Free' (harmonics intro), or Star Trek original 60's series title music (the melody, when the women's voices start).
−10 semitones = ?*

+11 semitones = Wants to resolve upward to "Octave"
−11 semitones = Wants to resolve downward to "Octave"

+/-12 semitones = Hendrix 'Purple Haze' intro (usually)
&12 semitones = "Octave", the distance at which men, women & children automatically sing the same tune.

*The -6 semitone, -9 semitone and -10 semitone examples, sorry I can't remember the names of the tunes. I think two are by Gershwin. I'll find out. The '&' intervals (played together) are usually learned when learning to distinguish triads & chords.

Incidentally, it's not necessary to like these tunes particularly. It's just to learn intervals.

[Wonks]

There might be quite a few forum members who won't remember/know of "Nice one Cyril" (a 1973 football single for/by Tottenham Hotspurs).

[BJG145]

Time sigs...?

5/4 - Take Five (Brubeck), Living in the Past (Jethro Tull), 15 Step (Radiohead)

7/4 - Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel), Money (Pink Floyd)

19/16 - Keep it Greasy (Frank Zappa)

[Martin Walker]

Fascinating lists - enjoying this exploration!

[Drew Stephenson]

7/4 - Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel),

Dammit I have never noticed that!

[MOF]

Couldn't recognize a 1st Inversion Major Triad if it waved at me

Inversions are easy: e.g. a chord of A Minor is A,C,E to give it its first inversion you take the first (lowest note) and make it the last (highest note) i.e. C,E,A then the second inversion is a repeat of the process leaving you with E,A,C.
It’s a very useful technique to stop boring the listener with root chords all the time to change to inversions.
So the next time a C,E,A chord waves at you you’ll be able to say hello A Minor first inversion.

[The Bunk]

There might be quite a few forum members who won't remember/know of "Nice one Cyril" (a 1973 football single for/by Tottenham Hotspurs).

Whey-hey, not me!! I loved that song and it probably goes down as one of the better "football songs" that I can recall (especially when it was being sung on the terraces), not that the competition's stiff. I was at a game up there a few years back when they had a sort of reunion going on, and the whole crowd spontaneously broke into it when Cyril Knowles (for it was he) was introduced. A wonderful moment, if you don't get out much. The chorus was actually nicked from "Goodnight Ladies" I think...?

And while we're at it....does anyone think there'll EVER be another boy called "Cyril" in our lifetimes?

[BJG145]

7/4 - Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel),

Dammit I have never noticed that!

It's the Zappa that gets me, drifting between 4/4, 19/16 and 21/16 (apparently - it's tough to keep track).

Vinnie Colaiuta was incredible - Modern Drummer named him "the most technically advanced drummer ever" for that effort.

https://youtu.be/yFTLX4VxTc0?t=188

[The Bunk]

Time sigs...?

5/4 - Take Five (Brubeck), Living in the Past (Jethro Tull), 15 Step (Radiohead)

7/4 - Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel), Money (Pink Floyd)

19/16 - Keep it Greasy (Frank Zappa)

Yep, another "surprise" with Solsbury Hill. And another odd one (and a real b*st*rd to play"):

Beatles, "All You Need Is Love", Verses keep going from 7/4 to 4/4.

[Elephone]

Intervals (Revision #2)

0 semitones = note which stays the same or a 'unison' (e.g. children singing the same melody).

+1 semitone = Theme from the film 'Jaws'
−1 semitone = 'Für Elise' by Beethoven

+2 semitones = 'London Bridge Is Falling Down'
−2 semitones = First two notes of 'Three Blind Mice'
&2 semitones = 'Chopsticks'... and if it's not Chopsticks but close & dissonant, it'll be &1 semitones.

+3 semitones = First two notes of 'Greensleeves'.
−3 semitones = First two notes of 'This Old Man'

+4 semitones = First two notes of 'When The Saints Go Marching In' or The Simpsons theme.
−4 semitones = First two notes of 'Nice One Cyril' (and most traditional Door bells).

+5 semitones = First two notes of The Wedding March
−5 semitones = Mozart's 'Eine kleine nachtmusik' - Allegro

+6 semitones = Leonard Bernstein - 'Maria' (from West Side Story)
−6 semitones = ?*

+7 semitones = 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' (or 2001 A Space Odyssey Main Theme)
−7 semitones = First two notes of 'The Flintstones' melody

+8 semitones = Scott Joplin's 'The Entertainer' main melodic interval over chords (after intro)
−8 semitones = Piano Theme From 'Love Story'

+9 semitones = Ennio Morricone, 'The soldiers theme' from 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly' soundtrack
−9 semitones = ?*

+10 semitones = Star Trek original 60's series title music (the melody, when the women's voices start) or Hendrix 'Stone Free' (harmonics intro, or
−10 semitones = ?*

+11 semitones = Wants to resolve upward to "Octave"
−11 semitones = Wants to resolve downward to "Octave"

+12 semitones = 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow (or Hendrix 'Purple Haze' intro usually)
−12 semitones = ?*
&12 semitones = "Octave", the distance at which men, women & children automatically sing the same tune.

'Greensleeves' and 'When The Saints Go Marching In' are similar, so you might prefer to use The Simpsons theme. It's probably a good idea to know a few example for each interval. You do eventually discard the tunes, especially for the common intervals. This is really for association. It more of a language ability (labeling sounds) than a musical one.

*The -6 semitone, -9 semitone and -10 semitone examples, sorry I don't know the names of the tunes. I think two are by Gershwin but the recording I heard didn't name the tunes for copyright reasons I suppose.

**The '&' intervals (played together) are usually learned when learning to distinguish triads & chords except for unisons, octaves and major & minor 2nds (1 and 2 semitones).

If you don't know these, I'm sure you can find them on Youtube or Google.

[Elephone]

Other stuff I'd be interested in... simple music theory 'tricks', for example...

Trying to work out what note the b7th of a chord is?

It's simply 2 semitones down from the root. So the b7th of a G chord is ...the F below it.

[Martin Walker]

It's the Zappa that gets me, drifting between 4/4, 19/16 and 21/16 (apparently - it's tough to keep track).

Vinnie Colaiuta was incredible - Modern Drummer named him "the most technically advanced drummer ever" for that effort.

https://youtu.be/yFTLX4VxTc0?t=188

Wow! and I had that album on vinyl back in the day!

Martin

[BJG145]

I just found a way to follow it. If you imagine:

"One and two and three and four and five and six and seven and eight and one two three"

...or with the track at full tilt, then:

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 123
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 123

If you count two beats on each of 1-8, followed by three, that makes 19.

[MOF]

If you count two beats on each of 1-8, followed by three, that makes 19.

Mmmmm Jazz.......NICE.

[DaveFry]

Two rock tunes that follow the old Autumn Leaves cycle of fourths in a minor key formula ( starting on the ivminor and ending on the i minor )

Europa - Santana
Still got the blues - Gary Moore

[The Bunk]

Two rock tunes that follow the old Autumn Leaves cycle of fourths in a minor key formula ( starting on the ivminor and ending on the i minor )

Europa - Santana
Still got the blues - Gary Moore

I think Parisienne Walkways does the same thing....