"We all try to live our lives in harmony
For fear of falling swiftly overboard
But life is both a major and a minor key
Just open up the chord"
"Side" - by Travis
Yesterday I rode across four countries in seven hours.
My day started badly with the GPS getting confused in Val Gardena – and consequently sending me down every driveway of virtually every resident, past the hotel four times (much to the amusement of the porter who had watched me depart – only to see me return again, and again and again . . .), eventually spitting me out on the right road after half an hour of messing about. [Note to self: don't rely on technology when common sense will work just fine!]
Things did not improve as I crossed into Austria through the old windy mountain road on the Brenner Pass when, getting frustrated sitting behind a large coach, I overtook it at some speed (around 120km/h) around a blind bend in a village. . .
What I had failed to see was a) the sign forbidding overtaking b) the speed limit signs (although you don't have to be a road safety genius to work out that 120 is a little quick for a village anywhere!) and c) the two policemen waiting at the side of the road for idiots like me on motorcycles.
I was duly pulled over and helmet off, started my familiar dialogue with representatives of the law. . . "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, etc etc etc."
The moderately attractive senior female officer explained that she had to "give me punishment", there and then, by the side of the road. I confess that my mind did wander slightly at this statement, but she looked fairly severe and I suspected that my German and her English were not up to attempts at naughty schoolboy humour, so instead I continued to profusely apologise, and remind both officers that my bike was made in Austria (amazing how much patriotism helps – junior male officer's dad has the same model KTM as me, and this brought out a smile.).
I supplied my papers, deciding to produce my Arabic driving license from Dubai as this usually confuses the authorities and makes them think of horrendous paperwork and so on . . . Of course there is always the risk that I may be confused for a terrorist . . .
My politeness, keenness to help and best performance in the role of "shocked and apologetic holiday maker who is sorry to have taken up so much of the good officers' time", ensured that my punishment did not involve impounding the bike, a visit to the police station and a record in the State of Austria, but instead earned me a nice little fine which I paid up in cash and thanked them both profusely for their leniency and kindness, promising I would not overtake in a restricted area, I wouldn't speed and I would take good care on the roads. A promise I did indeed keep. For about 2.3 kms. . .
The riding thereafter was lovely – especially in Austria while the sun shone. Beautiful mountain roads, dense forests, long valleys and simply stunning scenery were my backdrop for around 3 hours plus of traversing Austria, passing through some lovely villages and towns with some impressive architecture and a great deal of charm. I noted that Austria would indeed be worth a return journey some time in the future.
Eventually dark clouds filled the sky in a rather threatening manner and the temperature cooled to a degree where I had to make a stop and change to warmer trousers, put the lining in my jacket, don a neck warmer and put on heavy winter gloves. Not good!
A quick flit across Liechtenstein (honestly, I am surprised they bothered with making Lichtenstein a country. It took me all of 11 minutes to enter and leave!) and I entered my fourth and final country of the day, Switzerland.
While the weather remained threatening, the scenery improved even further as I climbed mountains riding up to cold fresh air filling my nostrils along with the dense smell of pine trees and the swollen aroma of rain in the air.
One particularly beautiful moment - where all the important senses converged - was as I a climbed the mountain on one side of an incredibly green and beautiful valley and looked across at the land below me. At that moment, the rain started to spit its moisture out and my sound system delivered "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. At the same time my mind was filled with thoughts of someone who I wished was on the back of the bike with me, to witness this scene (as well as many others) and the world smelled fresh, alive and incredibly beautiful.
I had a brief moment of utter elation, total joy at being alive, and being there for those few precious seconds.
However, in stark and sudden contrast, this moment of utter joy was followed quickly – and sadly – by frustration. Frustration that the moment was totally ephemeral and that I could not capture it in any meaningful way so as to be able to share it. And it was a moment truly worth sharing.
Words wouldn't come close and a photo also wouldn't nearly suffice.
You had to either be there or be in my head. Dammit.
Life is full of those moments of contrast and that is the theme that occupied my mind all afternoon and lead me to thinking about life as a series of Major and Minor keys - and major & minor chords.
Prompted by the Travis lyrics at the top of this page which caught my ear as I listened to the song – it struck me that it is indeed the contrast of major and minor that gives us happiness and joy, as well as sadness and pain.
One juxtaposing the other, the contrast being the necessary ingredient for us to feel to the full.
Let me explain what I mean . . .
In music there are major keys and minor keys. Major keys and chords are the ones that sound happy, like sunshine, like a smile. Minor keys and chords are the ones that sound sad, like a cloudy sky, like a frown. We can all sense this from music even if we have no musical knowledge.
The Blues – the ultimate mournful, sad, downtrodden musical genre - is predominantly played in the Minor Pentatonic Scale. Not only sad, but with the addition of the two flat fifths which appear in the Pentatonic scale and give it its character – and those "flat fifths" make the music even sadder. They are the "blue notes". (Interestingly classical Chinese music is also built around the pentatonic scale which is probably why it sounds so sad...)
Conversely, country and other "popular" music is predominantly played in major keys – usually G, C, F or E, A, D – and always sounds cheerful, happy – to the point of being saccharine sweet sometimes. But add in a minor chord or two and it changes dramatically.
For example, Townes Van Zandt's "Waiting Around to Die" (which I wrote about previously) is utterly sad and miserable – and it's a country song. . . but it uses Am, Dm and Em – three minor chords – to achieve this mood. If that was changed to A, D and E it couldn't and wouldn't sound sad at all.
It works in classical music in exactly the same way from Bach to Vivaldi, Handel to Mahler. The Minor and Major Keys reflect the emotion contained in the music. Think of all of the emotions in the ever-so-cliched but nonetheless wonderful Four Seasons by Vivaldi? See what I mean?
So the keys define the mood. Or do they?
Actually I think it is not only the keys themselves, but the combination of minor and major keys that makes music resonate with us so enormously on an emotional level – it's the contrast between them which stands out.
And here is where I think music mirrors life.
We can feel happiness because we know sadness. We can feel joy because we have known despair. We can feel comfort because we have known pain. We can feel love because we have known loneliness.
We can feel the minor key because we transitioned from a major key...
Here are some of the emotions that I attach to each key or chord, starting with the most frequently used melancholy minor chords…
A minor – you know things are not happy when a piece of music begins with A minor. A resolutely introspective key that usually spells misfortune, displacement, loss and disconnection. Often a starting point.
B minor – reflective or self reflective, the B minor is going to lead us somewhere, maybe better, maybe worse, but in the meantime it will keep us insecure, unsure, worried and uncertain, waiting to see what life (or the next bar) holds in store for us.
D minor – sometimes called the saddest key of all. D Minor is a broken heart, an unimaginable soreness of the soul, seemingly without resolution, a subdued wail from within. Romantic in the sense of William Blake, not Mills & Boon. . .
E minor – the rock bottom, desperation and despair. E Minor is forlorn hope gone bad in a bass note bonanza of misery and pain. Black. As in "Paint It Black" - which uses all minor chords until the chorus...
And now the majors:
G – solid as a rock, ringing like a bell and warming every fibre
A – happy-go-lucky, a smile on its face, the key of A sets off to somewhere good
C – like a G but lighter hearted, fun loving, gentle and bouncy, sunshine on our skin
D – sweet, soulful, joyous and glad, the D makes us smile and turn away from dark thoughts.
E – Mr. Reliable, a foundation, a platform from which to grow and ascend, E Major is a powerful partner, a companion on a journey.
F – friendly and warm, the F helps us out, looks after us, lifts us up and makes us feel good.
I won't comment on B Major or C Minor as they seem to be rarer – at least in my musical lexicon – while the others are more commonly used and heard.
So that's how I hear them and feel them. You may of course be different. And the mood of a chord changes depending on what it follows but also whether the tone is rising or descending etc...so there is some variation but no-one can make a minor chord sound like sunshine!
Assuming the above resonate somehow with you, let's consider the emotions attached to the keys / chords and the effect of stringing them together or combining them . . .
Let's start with a major grouping. G, C, F – classic country chords, key of G.
Solid as a rock and ringing like a bell then gets a little lighter hearted and bouncy, finally going on to become friendly and warm. Repeat for 96 bars . . .
It's a nice group of feelings & emotions, but it is somehow a little underwhelming after a while. In fact "nice" really sums it up. You could listen to it for a while and you certainly wouldn't feel sad, but after a while your emotions would dull. The happiness of the first few bars would begin to diminish and at the end you'd feel warm, but not on fire . . .
Now let's look at a minor grouping Am, Dm, Em . . . In the key of A minor...
I'm feeling lost, disconnected with no place to go, left in the cold . . .now I feel crushed, awfully and terribly sad, with a pain in my soul that aches constantly . . .and finally I despair, I give up hope and lay down to meet my fate . . .repeat for 96 bars . . .
You get the picture. There is no way this song is going to make you feel good, but by the end the initial tragedy and sadness of it also diminish in impact and it will leave you feeling sad, but no longer suicidal. Indeed, it may work cathartically for you and actually leave you feeling a little happier . . .
But what if we start to contrast and build with both major and minor?
Am – I am introspective, going down hill, destined to be more and more unhappy. . . Dm – now I have become enormously sad, reflecting on my soul's pain, beginning to doubt if there is hope . . . C Major . . . and suddenly the clouds part and the sunshine bursts through. The world lights up, I feel lifted higher and higher and then F Major – I reach the top of a mountain and feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. I am no longer alone. I am happy . . . Bm . . .but I begin to wonder where life will lead me, to wonder if this state of happiness will continue etc.
You can begin to see the effect of juxtaposition and contrast. The impact of the change of chords is much stronger when the chords and moods are in opposition – and the feeling and emotion created is much more dynamic and impactful.
This explains my elation and frustration on the mountain in Switzerland... A big enormous G chord, followed by an A minor (or possibly a B minor)!
Chord changes can build emotion and change it fairly significantly, BUT a whole key change can be really dramatic and take the piece of music somewhere else entirely in terms of emotion and feeling. So too in life.
A change of key in life might be falling in love, moving home, town or country, having a child, losing a loved one and so on. Not everyday events, but important soul shaping events - and usually dramatic and full of contrasts of emotions.
Think of how the overall key defines how we feel life...
When we're in love (a major key of life), almost nothing gets us down. Life is rich, vital, engaging and wonderful. We refuse to be sad or get depressed.
When we're in mourning - another key entirely and certainly minor - it's the opposite. All of our mood and emotion is ultimately rooted to that key of life and everything is black and sad. We laugh infrequently when digesting death and it takes a long time for us to be ready to be happy again. (But we will!)
However, if the key never changes and the chords remain the same, we get bored, in a rut. Life suddenly needs salt to have taste, needs spice to be interesting and things are very flat.
Most of us lead lives that have plenty of chord changes – it's the reality of our existence. Things go well, things go badly. It evens out. And most of us have our fair share of key changes also. Some major keys, some minor keys.
But many wish for more consistency and stability, a smoother existence, less ups and downs.
But if you take away some pain, you will take away from joy from your life. Do you really want that?
I don't. I want contrast. In contrast I am alive. I feel. I am well. I am going somewhere.
My capacity to love is defined in no small part by my capacity to endure loneliness. My capability to be happy defined by my experience of being sad.
Life would be very dull if it was just Dolly Parton and Status Quo… give me some Lightnin' Hopkins and Johann Sebastian please!
For fear of falling swiftly overboard
But life is both a major and a minor key
Just open up the chord"
"Side" - by Travis
Yesterday I rode across four countries in seven hours.
My day started badly with the GPS getting confused in Val Gardena – and consequently sending me down every driveway of virtually every resident, past the hotel four times (much to the amusement of the porter who had watched me depart – only to see me return again, and again and again . . .), eventually spitting me out on the right road after half an hour of messing about. [Note to self: don't rely on technology when common sense will work just fine!]
Things did not improve as I crossed into Austria through the old windy mountain road on the Brenner Pass when, getting frustrated sitting behind a large coach, I overtook it at some speed (around 120km/h) around a blind bend in a village. . .
What I had failed to see was a) the sign forbidding overtaking b) the speed limit signs (although you don't have to be a road safety genius to work out that 120 is a little quick for a village anywhere!) and c) the two policemen waiting at the side of the road for idiots like me on motorcycles.
I was duly pulled over and helmet off, started my familiar dialogue with representatives of the law. . . "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, etc etc etc."
The moderately attractive senior female officer explained that she had to "give me punishment", there and then, by the side of the road. I confess that my mind did wander slightly at this statement, but she looked fairly severe and I suspected that my German and her English were not up to attempts at naughty schoolboy humour, so instead I continued to profusely apologise, and remind both officers that my bike was made in Austria (amazing how much patriotism helps – junior male officer's dad has the same model KTM as me, and this brought out a smile.).
I supplied my papers, deciding to produce my Arabic driving license from Dubai as this usually confuses the authorities and makes them think of horrendous paperwork and so on . . . Of course there is always the risk that I may be confused for a terrorist . . .
My politeness, keenness to help and best performance in the role of "shocked and apologetic holiday maker who is sorry to have taken up so much of the good officers' time", ensured that my punishment did not involve impounding the bike, a visit to the police station and a record in the State of Austria, but instead earned me a nice little fine which I paid up in cash and thanked them both profusely for their leniency and kindness, promising I would not overtake in a restricted area, I wouldn't speed and I would take good care on the roads. A promise I did indeed keep. For about 2.3 kms. . .
The riding thereafter was lovely – especially in Austria while the sun shone. Beautiful mountain roads, dense forests, long valleys and simply stunning scenery were my backdrop for around 3 hours plus of traversing Austria, passing through some lovely villages and towns with some impressive architecture and a great deal of charm. I noted that Austria would indeed be worth a return journey some time in the future.
Eventually dark clouds filled the sky in a rather threatening manner and the temperature cooled to a degree where I had to make a stop and change to warmer trousers, put the lining in my jacket, don a neck warmer and put on heavy winter gloves. Not good!
A quick flit across Liechtenstein (honestly, I am surprised they bothered with making Lichtenstein a country. It took me all of 11 minutes to enter and leave!) and I entered my fourth and final country of the day, Switzerland.
While the weather remained threatening, the scenery improved even further as I climbed mountains riding up to cold fresh air filling my nostrils along with the dense smell of pine trees and the swollen aroma of rain in the air.
One particularly beautiful moment - where all the important senses converged - was as I a climbed the mountain on one side of an incredibly green and beautiful valley and looked across at the land below me. At that moment, the rain started to spit its moisture out and my sound system delivered "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. At the same time my mind was filled with thoughts of someone who I wished was on the back of the bike with me, to witness this scene (as well as many others) and the world smelled fresh, alive and incredibly beautiful.
I had a brief moment of utter elation, total joy at being alive, and being there for those few precious seconds.
However, in stark and sudden contrast, this moment of utter joy was followed quickly – and sadly – by frustration. Frustration that the moment was totally ephemeral and that I could not capture it in any meaningful way so as to be able to share it. And it was a moment truly worth sharing.
Words wouldn't come close and a photo also wouldn't nearly suffice.
You had to either be there or be in my head. Dammit.
Life is full of those moments of contrast and that is the theme that occupied my mind all afternoon and lead me to thinking about life as a series of Major and Minor keys - and major & minor chords.
Prompted by the Travis lyrics at the top of this page which caught my ear as I listened to the song – it struck me that it is indeed the contrast of major and minor that gives us happiness and joy, as well as sadness and pain.
One juxtaposing the other, the contrast being the necessary ingredient for us to feel to the full.
Let me explain what I mean . . .
In music there are major keys and minor keys. Major keys and chords are the ones that sound happy, like sunshine, like a smile. Minor keys and chords are the ones that sound sad, like a cloudy sky, like a frown. We can all sense this from music even if we have no musical knowledge.
The Blues – the ultimate mournful, sad, downtrodden musical genre - is predominantly played in the Minor Pentatonic Scale. Not only sad, but with the addition of the two flat fifths which appear in the Pentatonic scale and give it its character – and those "flat fifths" make the music even sadder. They are the "blue notes". (Interestingly classical Chinese music is also built around the pentatonic scale which is probably why it sounds so sad...)
Conversely, country and other "popular" music is predominantly played in major keys – usually G, C, F or E, A, D – and always sounds cheerful, happy – to the point of being saccharine sweet sometimes. But add in a minor chord or two and it changes dramatically.
For example, Townes Van Zandt's "Waiting Around to Die" (which I wrote about previously) is utterly sad and miserable – and it's a country song. . . but it uses Am, Dm and Em – three minor chords – to achieve this mood. If that was changed to A, D and E it couldn't and wouldn't sound sad at all.
It works in classical music in exactly the same way from Bach to Vivaldi, Handel to Mahler. The Minor and Major Keys reflect the emotion contained in the music. Think of all of the emotions in the ever-so-cliched but nonetheless wonderful Four Seasons by Vivaldi? See what I mean?
So the keys define the mood. Or do they?
Actually I think it is not only the keys themselves, but the combination of minor and major keys that makes music resonate with us so enormously on an emotional level – it's the contrast between them which stands out.
And here is where I think music mirrors life.
We can feel happiness because we know sadness. We can feel joy because we have known despair. We can feel comfort because we have known pain. We can feel love because we have known loneliness.
We can feel the minor key because we transitioned from a major key...
Here are some of the emotions that I attach to each key or chord, starting with the most frequently used melancholy minor chords…
A minor – you know things are not happy when a piece of music begins with A minor. A resolutely introspective key that usually spells misfortune, displacement, loss and disconnection. Often a starting point.
B minor – reflective or self reflective, the B minor is going to lead us somewhere, maybe better, maybe worse, but in the meantime it will keep us insecure, unsure, worried and uncertain, waiting to see what life (or the next bar) holds in store for us.
D minor – sometimes called the saddest key of all. D Minor is a broken heart, an unimaginable soreness of the soul, seemingly without resolution, a subdued wail from within. Romantic in the sense of William Blake, not Mills & Boon. . .
E minor – the rock bottom, desperation and despair. E Minor is forlorn hope gone bad in a bass note bonanza of misery and pain. Black. As in "Paint It Black" - which uses all minor chords until the chorus...
And now the majors:
G – solid as a rock, ringing like a bell and warming every fibre
A – happy-go-lucky, a smile on its face, the key of A sets off to somewhere good
C – like a G but lighter hearted, fun loving, gentle and bouncy, sunshine on our skin
D – sweet, soulful, joyous and glad, the D makes us smile and turn away from dark thoughts.
E – Mr. Reliable, a foundation, a platform from which to grow and ascend, E Major is a powerful partner, a companion on a journey.
F – friendly and warm, the F helps us out, looks after us, lifts us up and makes us feel good.
I won't comment on B Major or C Minor as they seem to be rarer – at least in my musical lexicon – while the others are more commonly used and heard.
So that's how I hear them and feel them. You may of course be different. And the mood of a chord changes depending on what it follows but also whether the tone is rising or descending etc...so there is some variation but no-one can make a minor chord sound like sunshine!
Assuming the above resonate somehow with you, let's consider the emotions attached to the keys / chords and the effect of stringing them together or combining them . . .
Let's start with a major grouping. G, C, F – classic country chords, key of G.
Solid as a rock and ringing like a bell then gets a little lighter hearted and bouncy, finally going on to become friendly and warm. Repeat for 96 bars . . .
It's a nice group of feelings & emotions, but it is somehow a little underwhelming after a while. In fact "nice" really sums it up. You could listen to it for a while and you certainly wouldn't feel sad, but after a while your emotions would dull. The happiness of the first few bars would begin to diminish and at the end you'd feel warm, but not on fire . . .
Now let's look at a minor grouping Am, Dm, Em . . . In the key of A minor...
I'm feeling lost, disconnected with no place to go, left in the cold . . .now I feel crushed, awfully and terribly sad, with a pain in my soul that aches constantly . . .and finally I despair, I give up hope and lay down to meet my fate . . .repeat for 96 bars . . .
You get the picture. There is no way this song is going to make you feel good, but by the end the initial tragedy and sadness of it also diminish in impact and it will leave you feeling sad, but no longer suicidal. Indeed, it may work cathartically for you and actually leave you feeling a little happier . . .
But what if we start to contrast and build with both major and minor?
Am – I am introspective, going down hill, destined to be more and more unhappy. . . Dm – now I have become enormously sad, reflecting on my soul's pain, beginning to doubt if there is hope . . . C Major . . . and suddenly the clouds part and the sunshine bursts through. The world lights up, I feel lifted higher and higher and then F Major – I reach the top of a mountain and feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. I am no longer alone. I am happy . . . Bm . . .but I begin to wonder where life will lead me, to wonder if this state of happiness will continue etc.
You can begin to see the effect of juxtaposition and contrast. The impact of the change of chords is much stronger when the chords and moods are in opposition – and the feeling and emotion created is much more dynamic and impactful.
This explains my elation and frustration on the mountain in Switzerland... A big enormous G chord, followed by an A minor (or possibly a B minor)!
Chord changes can build emotion and change it fairly significantly, BUT a whole key change can be really dramatic and take the piece of music somewhere else entirely in terms of emotion and feeling. So too in life.
A change of key in life might be falling in love, moving home, town or country, having a child, losing a loved one and so on. Not everyday events, but important soul shaping events - and usually dramatic and full of contrasts of emotions.
Think of how the overall key defines how we feel life...
When we're in love (a major key of life), almost nothing gets us down. Life is rich, vital, engaging and wonderful. We refuse to be sad or get depressed.
When we're in mourning - another key entirely and certainly minor - it's the opposite. All of our mood and emotion is ultimately rooted to that key of life and everything is black and sad. We laugh infrequently when digesting death and it takes a long time for us to be ready to be happy again. (But we will!)
However, if the key never changes and the chords remain the same, we get bored, in a rut. Life suddenly needs salt to have taste, needs spice to be interesting and things are very flat.
Most of us lead lives that have plenty of chord changes – it's the reality of our existence. Things go well, things go badly. It evens out. And most of us have our fair share of key changes also. Some major keys, some minor keys.
But many wish for more consistency and stability, a smoother existence, less ups and downs.
But if you take away some pain, you will take away from joy from your life. Do you really want that?
I don't. I want contrast. In contrast I am alive. I feel. I am well. I am going somewhere.
My capacity to love is defined in no small part by my capacity to endure loneliness. My capability to be happy defined by my experience of being sad.
Life would be very dull if it was just Dolly Parton and Status Quo… give me some Lightnin' Hopkins and Johann Sebastian please!
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