Monday, October 13, 2014

Did I Really Hear That?

Composed or improvised into the most memorable musical experiences are sounds so unlikely that you must wonder whether you did, indeed, hear them.  Very often they masquerade as "normal" and are easily lost in a haze of approximated listening. 

It works like this:  I am listening to a song obviously inspired and informed by the blues.  The standard blues chords that go along with that style are compatible with the harmonization of the song - almost.  Not entirely.... 

Every once in a while one of the standard chords will contain a slightly off pitch, a bent interval here or there, introducing an element of mystery into the expected experience of a standard blues progression.

So you have to go back and hear the song again to check whether what you thought you heard is really there...this is the mark of real musical genius in every genre, not just the blues, but there as well.