Harmony for the compleat idiot (V)

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Here we go.

The notes in the sharp major keys are:

G G A B C D E F# G
D D E F# G A B C# D
A A B C# D E F# G# A
E E F# G# A B C# D# E
B B C# D# E F# G# A# B
F# F# G# A# B C# D# E# F#
C# C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#

If you are wondering where I got F# and C# from, remember that these notes are the same as Gb and Db repectively. Let's look at our cycle again:

After we get to "B" (remember we started at the first sharp key "G" and moved anticlockwise) the next key is Gb. Gb is the same as F# so we can consider it as F# and since it is the next sharp it must have 6 sharps. The same goes for Db, it's also C# so we can consider it as the next sharp and it must have 7 sharps. (C# is easy to work out since EVERTHING is sharp!)

How did you go? If you got them all correct, congratulations and here's your elephant stamp:

If you made any mistakes and can't work out why, check you working out and check the previous columns. Remember you CAN figure this out. If you're really stuck send me an email (address above).

We have now worked out what notes are in each of the major keys (these notes in order also give us the major scales, don't forget "Doh a Deer"). We are now ready to tackle more Chord Symbols (see last column).

More on Chord Symbols
Last time I told you that if you saw a single capital letter (between A and G), with or without a sharp or flat after it, then as a chord symbol it represents the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the major scale played together. Remember notes played together are called a chord and also any of the notes can be played more than once at different octaves. Here's a few examples to reinforce the idea:

CHORD SYMBOL	NAME OF CHORD	NOTES IN THE CHORD
C	C major (or just "C")	C E G
Bb	Bb major (or just "Bb")	Bb D F
A	A major (or just "A")	A C# E

Remember that the major scale these notes come from in each case is the major scale that the symbol names: "C" uses the C major scale, "Bb" uses the Bb major scale, "A" uses the A major scale and so on.

Now try working out all the major chords, answers next time!

We can also have extra symbols that add to or alter the notes that the single letter (with or without a sharp or flat after it) indicates. We will deal first with some extra symbols that alter some of the original three notes.

The Minor Chord
If the symbol consists of two parts:

1. The single letter (with or without a sharp or flat after it) and
2. "min"

then the first part tells use to use the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the relevant major scale and the second part tells us that the 3rd note of the major scale is to be "flattened" or lowered by a semitone.

Sooo... "min" means (and ONLY means) flatten the 3rd.

We are dealing with two pieces of information here. The first tells us to use three specific notes then the second tells us to alter one of those three.

Let's try an example:

Here is the Chord Symbol we see: "Cmin"

Can you spot the two pieces of information? The first piece is the letter "C". This tells us to use the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the C major scale. These notes are: C, E and G.

The second piece of information ("min") tells us to flatten the third note of the scale. The 3rd note of the scale is "E". If we flatten "E" (lower it by a semitone) then we get the note "Eb".

Sooo... the notes in the C minor chord (Cmin) are C, Eb and G.

Let's do another one:

Symbol= "Bbmin"

First piece of information (Bb) tells us to use the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the Bb major scale. These notes are Bb, D and F.

Second piece of information ("min") tells us to flatten the third note of the scale. The 3rd note of the scale is "D". If we flatten "D" (lower it by a semitone) then we get the note "Db".

Sooo... the notes in the Bb minor chord (Bbmin) are Bb, Db and F.

One more for luck:

Symbol= "Amin"

First piece of information (A) tells us to use the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the A major scale. These notes are A, C# and E.

Second piece of information ("min") tells us to flatten the third note of the scale. The 3rd note of the scale is "C#". If we flatten "C#" (lower it by a semitone) then we get the note "C". (No its not Cb, remember C# is a semitone above C).

Sooo... the notes in the Bb minor chord (Bbmin) are Bb, Db and F.

Have a go at working out all of the minor chords. You may strike a problem if your 3rd is already a flat so lets see how to deal with it.

Symbol= "Gbmin"

First piece of information (Gb) tells us to use the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the Gb major scale. These notes are Gb, Bb and Db.

Second piece of information ("min") tells us to flatten the third note of the scale. The 3rd note of the scale is "Bb". If we flatten "Bb" (lower it by a semitone) then we get the note "A".

Sooo... the notes in the Gb minor chord (Gbmin) are Gb, A and Db. RIGHT????

Well the actual notes are right but the convention demands that we express it a different way. (There are some really good reasons for this convention which I'll go into later; for the moment just trust me!) Its OK (in fact its a good thing!) to remember that the third in a Gb minor chord is "A" BUT we must get used to calling it something else. The convention demands that the 1st and 3rd notes and the 3rd and 5th notes of the scale that are used in major or minor chords should each be two alphabetical steps apart. "Gb to A" is only one alphabetical step and "A to Db" is three alphabetical steps (ignore the "b"s for this calculation). How do we get out of this one?

The Double Flat
A special way of naming a note was invented for just this purpose. It is call a "double flat" and it is just what it sounds like. We already know that a single flat lowers a note by one semitone so... yes, you've guessed it, a double flat lowers a note by TWO semitones!!

Double flats look (surprise, surprise!) like this : "bb" (in manuscript music the "b"s are kind of squashed together but you will recognise a double flat if you see one).

This gives us our answer, we simply call "A", "Bbb" (if you don't believe me try counting two semitones down from "B", you'll get "A")

If you want to go really mad you could try working out this major scale: Cbb

Its not really as hard as it looks because the system is very consistent, just remember "Every Fat Bus Conductor".

OK, so know we know that the Gb minor chord (Gbmin) SHOULD be expressed as containing these notes: Gb, Bbb and Db.
(But don't forget that "Bbb" is the same as "A")

You could consider the double flat as similar to the different ways you get addressed in different social circumstances. If your name was Harry Smith, your friends might call you "Harry" but if you were in court you'd be referred to as "Mr. Smith" (or perhaps "The Defendant"!)

Some Minor Impostors
As the chord symbol system has evolved, different versions of some symbols have come to be accepted. At the moment there are at least three versions of the symbol indicating that you should flatten the third. They all mean exactly the same thing but have their practical advantages and disadvantages.

1. "min"
   This is the one we have already looked at.
2. "m"
   Always written in lower case. Quicker to write than "min" but more easily missed when reading it.
3. "-"
   The minus sign, very quick and easy to write but extremely easy to miss when reading. This symbol is in very common use so you need to be aware of it but I suggest you make sure it is very clear if you write it.

Sooo... what is the difference between the chords indicated by the following symbols?:

i) Abmin
ii) Abm
iii) Ab-

Answer: ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE, THEY ALL INDICATE THE SAME NOTES!!

We now know how to construct two types of three note chords, the major chord and the minor chord. Since these chords contain three notes they are sometimes referred to as "triads" (not to be confused with Asian gangster organisations), so you can now impress your family and friends with your detailed knowledge of both the major triad and the minor triad!

Next time we'll look at some more three note chords and correct your homework. More potential elephant stamps for you, my friends!!

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Motif: darkly beautiful

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Motif's sound, influenced by such bands as the Deadly Nightshades, has been moody, often dark, and in the duo format at least is dominated by ballads of tainted love. Some of the their newer work, such as the newly-released Gorgon, is pushing into tougher territory [see our review of a Motif gig, The Dues Issue 3]. Fiona's singing lifts all of this out of the mire of a thousand moody duos, as does David's subtle melodic/harmonic guitar work. Fiona's voice has been compared to Evanescence, Kate Bush, or Shirley Manson from Garbage.

"We do melodic rock pop with a dark edge. Especially now we're acoustic, our songs are slow with a melancholy sound to them," says Fiona. "My lyrics generally aren't the happiest - I write about negative things. I write from my internal experience, or I can imagine situations. I write about feelings more than telling stories. I do it because I love it so much, but I have definitely written songs for a friend's situation, singing about how I imagine they are feeling. I feel like I've done something for them (thought maybe I haven't really!). It's like putting out the vibes for them - during the song I'm experiencing it with them." Fiona tries to exorcise her negative emotions in a positive way. "I always feel happier when I'm writing and gigging as well, otherwise it's all pent up."

Fiona's partner also plays guitar in a well-known Melbourne punk band. Relationships containing two musicianly egos are often precarious, but Fiona sees it as an advantage. "As far as touring is concerned, I'm very understanding with the way a band works,. We understand that our bands mean a lot to us. It's also nice that we can occasionally have a jam together. We understand each other's musical passions. I've had other boyfriends who've been really jealous of my bands - especially because they are often all boys!"

So how does her musical partnership with David work? "David and I get along really well - he gives me a lot of shit - we are pretty genuinely kind of mates," says Fiona. "We're very honest with each other but not brutal at all. If we don't like something we'll say it in a very constructive way."

Fiona's singing hasn't always been universally applauded. "My most embarrassing moment was set up when I was finishing my HSC," she says. "I went down to the local pub. There was karaoke on. Me and my mate were drinking tequila from a hip flask and singing the words to Foetus songs, and someone organised that we got announced to sing "The Rose". It was shocking, I missed all the high notes." But that wasn't the worst thing. "I know how bad it was because someone taped the entire debacle and played it back on my 21st birthday. And because my mate had a deep voice, he couldn't be heard, it was just me screeching on the high notes!"

Fiona has seen the music industry from both sides, and is cheerfully cynical about it all. "The music industry is the same all over the world - people just want to make money," she points out. "There are good signed Australian acts but an amazing amount unsigned. You get people wanting puppets like this Australian Idol crap. There are also a lot of crap signed acts. I guess it's thirteen year old girls who buy CDs. Unless you go overseas you can never make it outside Australia."
Fiona has worked for various record companies in England for a year and found it an eye-opening experience. "Every thing you have heard is true," she says. "I've had A&R people come up to me and say "Come and sleep with me and I'll make you a star". I worked for BMG, Polygram and Virgin and they were all pretty bad. Island Records was the best of the lot. When Universal took over Island, all the really good bands got dumped."
Fiona, like many women, has struggled with those who want to portray her as meat rather than musician. "While in England, I answered an ad and went and met this guy who was a writer for Malcolm Maclaren and Vivienne Westwood's son who has a lingerie label Agent Provocateur. They wanted to put together a CD and make it all associated. They liked my song but said they needed me to be not only wearing the lingerie in the film clip but taking it off! I conveyed to them politely that there was no way in hell I'd be doing that!"

 Motif have recently recorded a new single (at Bakehouse Studios in Melbourne) that takes them into new territory. "Gorgon is an utter beast of a song," says Fiona. "We haven't written anything that nasty since we were a full band. Although it would be awesome as a full band, it
definitely works acoustically...and it very different from anything we have written previously. It's all about someone whom I detest with every fibre in my body - he made my life a living hell all through last year. Thankfully he has now left the country!"

For equiries about the new single, contact Motif at motif@2die4.com.

A rugged snippet of Motif

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