Three Chords
Classical Music Analyst Russell Johnson and host Kevin Seal talk about the harmonic primary colors. The chordal holy trinity. The triad of triads. In other words, they break down the three chords you hear most in blues, rock, country, and folk, which are the I-IV-V: the tonic, the subdominant, and the dominant. Find out why the rock mantra of "three chords and the truth" is so prevalent (and yep, it's these three chords they're talking about), and hear how these chords work together to create tension and resolution. (10 mins.)On the continuation page, listen to songs that share these chords, and see a list of the musical terms defined in this podcast.
MUSICAL TERMS INCLUDED IN THIS PODCAST
| Rag guitar | I (tonic or root) | Tension | Drone |
| Key | IV (subdominant) | Resolution | Vamp |
| Root note | V (dominant) | Functional harmony | Ambient music |
| Cadence | Predominant chords | Diatonic | Church cadence (I-IV-I) |
STAYS ON THE TONIC: THE DRONE
by James Brown |
|
by Velvet Underground |
|
by Glenn Branca |
|
by Pearl Jam |
|
by Eyes Like Knives |
|
by Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby |
If you would like to hear and see more about triads, diatonic scales, and how chords are formed, please check out the Major & Minor episode with Scott Pinkmountain.
TONIC TO SUBDOMINANT, THE CHURCH CADENCE (I-IV)
by Bo Diddley (G# to C#) |
|
by Buddy Holly (E to A) |
|
by Buffalo Springfield (E to A) |
|
by Professor Longhair (G to C) |
|
by Sly And The Family Stone (G to C) |
|
by Bruce Springsteen (B to E) |
TONIC TO DOMINANT (I-V)
by Leadbelly (B to F# - B is the tonic) |
|
by Doc & Merle Watson (D to A - D is the tonic) |
|
by Ray LaMontagne (F to C - F is the tonic) |
|
by Traffic (C to F - F is the tonic) |
|
by Delaney & Bonnie & Friends (Bb to F - Bb is the tonic) |
|
by Mick Jagger (G to D - G is the tonic) |
|
by The Kinks (Verses: G to D - G is the tonic) |
TONIC-PREDOMINANT-DOMINANT (I-IV-V)
by Woody Guthrie (D-G-A) |
|
by Hank Williams (A-D-E) |
|
by Ray Charles (Eb-Ab-Bb) |
|
by The Troggs (A-D-E) |
|
by The Ramones (C-F-G) |
|
by Tom Petty (F-Bb-C) |
TWELVE-BAR BLUES (ALSO I-IV-V)
by Blind Blake |
|
by Ruth Brown |
|
by Lightnin' Hopkins |
|
by Blind Lemon Jefferson |
Darian Gray, drummer and rapper from 
The herbivores and carnivores were waiting outside my door...
The warped wave-twisting microedits of artists like 
If you are familiar with the films of Woody Allen, you've heard examples of gypsy jazz. Pandora engineer and lead guitarist Vic Wong brings in other hot club players to demonstrate how gypsy jazz is played.
Guitarist Russell Johnson talks with us about the history of dissonance in art music, and the rise of atonality in classical composition.
Why does it sound more like Britpop when you play hi-hat with two hands, and more like American rock when played with one hand?
Melody Parker sings and speaks about building melodic lines, from the broad leaps of 
Leather, spikes and blood, as we dive into the diversely metallic styles of 
Check out how songs can shift from 4/4 into 12/8 and more, using parts of the beat to pivot.
From the drummer's British-style swing to the method they used to alter the piano's tone with a tissue box, we hear how "You Gave Me This" was constructed, layer by layer.
Alan Lin and Yair Evnine pull back the curtains on string playing and the emotional impact of strings -- the bow and the pluck, the double-stops and more.
This shows you which episodes talk about which aspects of music -- a handy little reference page for all y'all.
Time to warm up your mouthpieces, empty your spit valves, and get your brass going.
Greg and Kelly from 
Guitarist Bob Coons breaks out the fluid bends, blue notes and heptonic scales that great blues musicians from 
Why are so many Christmas songs swung? What are the stories behind the origin of these classic songs?
A look at great lyrics and the imagery in the words of Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, Eminem and others.
A pocket guide for sight-singing, with well-known melodies that will help you hit sixths, tritones, and other tricky leaps.
Producers from 
Marimba man Matt Cannon gets into soft and loud dynamics, using songs by Sinead O'Connor, Shirley Bassey and others.
Hip-hop history in ten minutes, from the lengthy phrases of 
Guitar heroes all have signature riff styles: 
Global rhythms have more in common than in difference, from Indian tabla to Indonesian gamelan and Brazilian samba drums. We hear how they can fit together.
When that singer's voice grabs you by the throat, you know it's been mixed right. Explore what the studio experts do to make it happen.
It's the yin and yang. The 
When he's not touring with 
A modern history of Jamaican music, from 
Explore the ways that composers from 
Breaking down the different percussive patterns played in mambo and salsa, and a look at the music's Cuban roots in cha and son.
See what a great singer does in the studio to make sure her vocal tracks hit just right.
Many guitarists have used effects to great (ahem) effect: 
How a basic backbeat can go from disco to hard rock with the subtlest of changes.
Singing in combination was central to the sound of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Temptations, R.E.M. and ABBA -- this show is all about harmonizing.
Comments
Just a note to let you know how much I enjoy your website.I play bluegrass gospel music proffessionally and I really like the variety thats available on your site. The only suggestion I can think of would be if I could narrow the parameters of the music down to play just one type. For instance just play bluegrass instrumentals or just bluegrass gospel. But all things considered I think your still the best thing out there. If you ever need another instrument on your on your podcast let me know. Gary Duncan Hillsboro,Ohio
Posted by: Gary Duncan at July 27, 2007 06:38 PM
Thanks, Gary! Hillsboro's just east of Cincinnati, right? Out by Batavia?
Posted by: Kevin Seal at July 30, 2007 11:41 AM
Hi Kevin, Hillsboro is 65 miles notheast of Cinti. We're also 65 miles from Dayton and 65 miles from Columbus. Gary
Posted by: Gary Duncan at July 30, 2007 06:59 PM
Any chance you guys can dissect "bossa-nova"?
Posted by: Carlos Madrigal at July 31, 2007 08:41 AM
I'd love to spend a whole episode on bossa nova. It's such a rich tradition, and one that has inspired so many variations and new approaches. Good idea. I'll add it to the list.
Posted by: Kevin Seal at July 31, 2007 07:59 PM
Hi Kevin and Russell,
Really enjoyed your podcast. I'm sharing the link with a number of friends who are huge music aficionados (aren't we all?), but know very little about theory. I think they'll enjoy what you have to offer.
The groups I'm performing with are starting to delve into some Django Reinhart tunes and would be quite interested in anything you might come up with regarding gypsy jazz.
Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Duane Inglish
Posted by: Duane at November 4, 2007 12:06 PM
Very interesting... as always! Cheers from -Switzerland-.
Posted by: Dog training at November 25, 2007 08:58 AM
Kevin, you still rock... can you cover singing technique in some of your broadcasts?
Posted by: joe at February 14, 2008 04:03 PM
it would be cool to be able to set up a channel based on these characteristics i.e. a drone channel or a tonic-predominant-dominant channel that you could start customizing with your thumbs up/down
Posted by: alex at March 23, 2008 06:59 PM
Great series. I listened to all 8 episodes today, but I had to download the episodes. Clicking "Listen Now" changes the button to yellow, but I don't hear any audio. Also, the Reggae episode cuts off at 7:37. I look forward to listening to the next episode. Thanks!
Posted by: san at March 31, 2008 11:23 PM
suggestion: when possible, i'd find it helpful to see the specific instrument(s) you're using, amplification and recording specs. even as text. if it's here and i don't see it, my apologies. it rounds out the lesson. thank you!
Posted by: dave at April 7, 2008 12:00 PM
I like that idea, Dave. In the case of this episode, Russell is playing an old Spanish guitar (I'll ask him to flesh out details on it), and I recorded him with a single Rode NT1-A microphone, set to cardioid. No amplification was used at all for this one.
Posted by: Kevin Seal at April 18, 2008 04:53 PM
Great breakdown on theory. It took me a long time to really get into theory, but once I did I was incredibly greatful for it! It really boosted my ability to play and improvise and write songs.
It would be interesting if you could focus on style, but I think you are doing that anyway through some of the more later podcasts (got to take a look at them still.)
But the bossa nova one would certainly be interesting – will see if there is a podcast dedicated to it. Plus, the bluegrass stuff is definitely interesting!
Posted by: luggage at June 4, 2008 06:57 AM
only wish i could learn this method.i play simple boring chords to accompany myself as i sing western tunes primarily.
what you are teaching requires finger picking i presume??
the sound is very easy to listen to.actually sounds like
more than one instrument.I have recently tried to do some finger picking,with little success.
Posted by: Cy Panipinto at February 27, 2009 07:03 PM
Post a comment