Lady Antebellum – Need You Now

Need You Now on yhdysvaltalaisen country-pop-yhtyeen Lady Antebellumin suuri hitti vuodelta 2010. Yhdysvalloissa kappale oli country- ja adult contemporary-listojen kärjessä ja käväisipä Billboard Hot 100-listan kakkosenakin. Yhdysvaltojen lisäksi Grammy-palkittu kappale oli hitti muuallakin maailmassa, mikä ei välttämättä ole tyypillistä countryksi luokiteltavalle musiikille.

Laulun ovat säveltäneet yhtyeen jäsenet Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley ja Dave Haywood – sekä Josh Kear. Kappale on yhtyeen toiselta, samannimiselta albumilta, jonka on tuottanut yhtyeen lisäksi Paul Worley.

Laulu on medium-tempoinen (110 bpm). Melodiat voidaan katsoa muodostuneen korkeintaan parista kolmesta motiivista. Kertosäkeen melodia on tavallaan ”jo kuultu” kertosäkeeseen mennessä. Laulun sävellaji on E-duuri, joskin ensimmäisen asteen E-sointu rävähtää ensimmäistä kertaa vasta kertosäkeessä. Nämä piirteet ovat tyypillisiä ns. ruotsalaiselle laulunkirjoitukselle, mutta en mitenkään tiedä kuinka tietoisia vahvasta country-perinteestä ponnistavat muusikot tästä ovat…

Kappale on Nashville-tuotantoa, eli kappaleessa soittavat elävät soittajat ja etenkin kitaroita on käytetty runsaasti. Nashvillessä luodaan usein sävyjä kitaroihin capon käytöllä, kuten tässäkin kappaleessa. Youtube-videolla Dave Haywood kertoo kitaraosuudestaan. Soinnuissa käytetään runsaasti add9-tehoja – jopa soinnun terssi korvaten. Kitaristisesti kappaleessa on vaikutteita myös indie-tyylisestä soitosta ja Policen Andy Summersin soitosta.

Erityisen huomion kappaleessa ansaitsee rumpali Chad Cromwellin osuus. Cromwell soittaa äärimmäisen dynaamisesti ja huomioi laulumelodiat hienovaraisesti. Cromwellin soitto on myös äärimmäisen ilmavaa. Cromwellin soitto on näiden seikkojen lisäksi myös persoonallista ja tunnistettavaa, mikä mielestäni nostaa hänet samaan kastiin John Bonhamin, Steve Gaddin, Jeff Porcaron ja muutaman muun ehdottoman huipun kanssa. Voi olla että tämä video on juuri tämän Need You Now’n äänityksistä.

Laitan loppuun vielä analyysin kappaleen instrumentaatiosta. Käytän tuollaista ammattilyhennettyä musaenglantia – se on helpompaa minulle ja ehkä joku voi jopa hyötyä siitä suomalaisen kielialueen ulkopuolellakin…

Analyysi tehty iTunesista ostetun singlen pohjalta. Ratkaisevin ero videoon verrattuna on puuttuva slide-kitara.

Intro

1. 4: Synth Pad, Piano melody only
2. 4: + El gtr left (1), El gtr right (2), Delay gtr (3) Ac gtr, Bass, Drums: kick & snare only

Verse 1

1. 8: Hillary solo, El gtrs 1 fills, Ac gtr, b, Drums: kick & snare – Delay gtr off
2. 8: Hillary & Charles duet, Hillary solo El gtrs 1 & 2, b, Drums: crash pan 11 o’clock

Chorus 1  (11 bars)

Hillary lead, Charles & Dave harmonies, + 12-string acoustic, El gtrs 1&2 indie style,   Drums: +ride cymbal

Interlude 1 (4 bars)

El gtr 2 off, + Piano melody, Drums: + hi-hat

Verse 2

1. 8: Charles solo, Ac gtrs off!, + Delay gtr, El gtrs 1&2 very slight fills, louder synth pad, Pedal Steel (?), Piano fills, Police/Lanois-style sound, note Cromwell’s genial snare crescendo-fill to the bridge pick-up bar!
2. 8: Hillary & Charles duet, Charles solo, ac gtrs long chords, note quite loud drum fill to the chorus!

Chorus 2 (11 bars) – as Chorus 1 – maybe more acoustic guitars…

C Section (8 bars)

+ Guitar solo, Charles vocal fills

Last bridge

Hillary + harmony, Drums off, ac gtr arpeggios, bass fills, piano fills

Chorus 3

1. 4: Hillary solo
2. 4: Charles solo
3. 3: Hillary + harmonies

Ending

1. 8: harmony vocals, piano melody in octaves, indie electric gtrs
2. 8: Hillary solo fill, note Cromwell’s superb work
3. piano melody, synth fades out

 

 

 

 

Kesäkuun 2016 suositukset: musiikki

Paljon tulee jaettua sosiaalisessa mediassa itseä kiinnostavia asioita. Sinne virtaan moni linkki sitten hukkuukin. Parhaimmat jutut kuitenkin ovat aikaa kestäviä. Siksi ajattelin vähän koota niitä blogiin, josta ne löytää helposti myöhemminkin. Tämä blogi on nimetty musiikkiblogiksi, mutta ajattelinpa kirjoitella myös muistakin asioista jotta kynää tulisi säännöllisemmin kirjoittamiseen käytettämän. Aloitetaan kuitenkin musiikista.

Musiikin – ja etenkin oman soittamisen ja treenamisen suhteen – olen viettänyt puolitarkoituksella hieman kevyempää vaihetta kesäkuun ajan. Uskon että pakoton suhtautuminen musiikkiin tekee hyvää musiikkisuhteelle, joka on mielestäni vaarassa kun työskentelee musiikinopettajana peruskoulussa. Mutta aivan kuivaa kautta ei ole musiikin suhteen vietettyä…

Kuunnelluimmat levyt (niin, kuuntelen levyjä – Spotifyn premiumin lopetin kevättalvella musiikkisuhteeni varjelemiseksi – tästä myöhemmin lisää) ovat:

• Michael Jackson: Off the Wall ja Thriller
• Timo Alakotila & Piano

Ylellä nähty dokumentti Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall herätti uudelleen kipinän Jacksonin musiikkiin. Tilasinkin heti edition, jossa tuo dokumentti on mukana.

 

Alakotilan soolopianolevy tuli Vega Folkissa eräänä toukokuisena iltapäivänä lähes kokonaan. Vaikutuin välittömästi.

Nuottitelineeltä löytyy Leo Brouwerin soolokitarakappaleet, Timo Alakotila & Piano -levyn nuotit ja ikuisuusprojektina J.S.Bachin luuttusävellykset/sovitukset kitaralle sovitettuina.

Brouwerin kappaleita soittelen lähinnä sähkökitaroilla ja hybrid-tekniikalla (plektra + 3 sormea). Suosittelen jyrkästi kuuntelemaan Patrik Kleemolan täydellisen Estudios Sencillos -kokoelman YouTubesta!

Olen soittanut lähinnä Tokain jatsikitaraani, johon Veijo Rautia teki toivomusten mukaan järjettömän hyvänkuuloiset mikit!

Ruotsin TV4:ltä tulleet Polar-palkinnon jakotilaisuus ja gaalaillallinen sai kertakaikkiaan hyvälle tuulelle. Ilmassa oli maailmanmestaruusjuhlien tuntua, sillä tulihan palkinto Cecilia Bartolin lisäksi ensimmäistä kertaa kotikentälle – ja tietysti Max Martinille! Täältä klippejä tilaisuuksista.

Lisäksi YouTubesta tullut kuunneltua nykykantria ja ihasteltua Nashvilleläistä tapaa tehdä asioita. Paljon levyjä siis hankintalistalla…

 

 

Limit yourself – guitar

Sometimes setting extreme limits to ones playing and composing can be very effective. With instrument you must really think technical things and break away from common patterns and fingerings. When composing, with limited material you really had to think musicality and musical solutions.

Actually extreme limits does unlock creativity.

I made a little project with guitar. I made new little solo guitar piece every weekday. First limit was time. Tune had to be completed in twenty minutes – no more. And every day. One week week was limited technically: first week was in open position, second A-,D-,G- and B-strings only. Every day there was also another limit – some musical thing: modes, chords, arpeggios… Every tune was also made public – the most difficult thing was seeing myself playing not so polished – overproduced – musical material.

You can listen examples at my YouTube Channel.

Classical side of SoundCloud

Hellou! There are not only soundtrack-like electronica music in SoundCloud – also high quality performances and recordings of  ”western art-music” can be heard. Here is some findings…

Boston-based New England Conservatory (NEC) provides regulary high quality recordings from solo performances to orchestral performances to avantgardean improvisations. Here New England Conservatory piano faculty Randall Hodgkinson performs Fauré’s Preludes.

Jouni Stenroos – guitarist from Espoo, Finland – has transcribed and arranged J.S. Bach’s music for 10-string guitar.

Herman Vandecauter from Brussels, Belgium is specialised in different kinds of plucked instruments: romantic guitar, mandolin, theorb-lute… Here is Händel arranged for ukulele!

Musical key to Music För Svenska Deckare parts 5-10

This is the second part of explanation of my Music För Svenska Deckare -series. The series was originally inspired by swedish film music. All music examples are copyrighted ©Antti Sunell/Audacom 2011.

In the Shadow of Turning Torso (part 5, working title Malmö Blues) is one of last composed tunes in series. It practically has nothing new elements – mostly it is a combination of part three and my arrangement of catalan folk song El Testament               d´Amelia  (=part 7). There is variation of the jazz/blues-style theme appearing also in parts 3 and 9.

Action style tune part 6 starts with  funky 16th-note hi-hat figure, wah-wah guitar and multi-layered synth pad that was inspired by finnish symphonic orchestral music of 1990´s. Piano doubled bass line is also essential motive in the whole series. You can hear lots of piano/bass-combination in 70´s action film scores – just think film composer Lalo Shifrins music.

Variation of that harmonic progression appers also in part 4.

El Testament d´Amelia is traditional catalan folk song. I have wrote about composition process earlier.

Slide theme is in Malmö Blues too.

Chord progression of the middle section of Amelia can be also heard in differend part of series.

Part 8 differs completely of rest of the series. This americana-style tune is in major key – only one the series.

Part 9 is is mostly combination of earlier themes and motives. Last part, End Credits, is the oldest one in series. I recorded most of the guitars in summer 2008. Later I completed tune with elements from other parts from SD-series.

In The Shadow of Turning Torso is in equal dreams music store.

The whole series can be streamed on SoundCloud.

Read musical key to parts 1-4 here.

Musical Key to Musik För Svenska Deckare, parts 1 – 4.

My ten-piece series Musik För Svenska Deckare (=music for swedish crime fiction) is a thematic work. It means that music is composed on few musical ideas – themes and motives – which are repeated and variated in through the whole series. Let´s check out the themes and motives in order of appearance. Music examples are copyrighted © Antti Sunell 2010-2011.

First motive in part one is parallel major seventh chords.

These parallel maj7-chords appers in almost every part in the series in different rhythms and transposition.

In part one is also 7/8 -crossrhythm motive, which actually is based on piano figure that dominates intro of third part. In a cross-rhythm function this figure appears on first and last part (End Credits) of series.

Part two introduces many motives that appears in whole series. First is schubertian walk-motive.

The main theme appers on part 9 also.

Eight bar chord progression.

Piano figure in the third part appears in many places in different rhythmic and harmonic variations.

Piano figure in part 4.

Part 4 main theme.

Both appers also in End Credits (part 10).

You can buy In The Shadow of Turning Torso (part 5) in equal dreams -shop.

You can listen the whole series in Audacom´s SoundCloud -profile.

Next time we look on things in parts 5 – 10.

Background for composing series Musik för Svenska Deckare

I´m a great fan of swedish crime fiction both as books and films. They are never black-and-white and always includes some social aspects. They can be very violent and brutal, but they still have some human touch in them. Oh yes, small criminals has always finnish name…

There are some common aspects in that film music also, here are few examples:

– minimalistic piano (for example Adam Nordens music for 12 first ”Henrikson-Wallanders”, Spotify-link)

– more guitar than, for example, in finnish and american film music – I like as guitarist that!

– folkloristic elements

– rhythmic ambiguity

– original swedish sense of sound design: very tastefully mixed film soundscapes to the music

Let´s listen Johan Nilsson´s great opening title for Höök (SVT 2007)

– time signature is more 3+3+2/8 than 4/4

– listen the sounds of northern-swedish Luleå in opening!

– use of traditional swedish instruments: strings, flute, percussion

Music is really shamanistic! Music brings the listener immediatly to the dark land of ice and snow! By the way, Höök´s second season begins in FST5 friday 6. August!

In the spring 2009, I began to make music that was deeply inspired by swedish film music. Work goes still on. In future I will explain more detailed things about these tunes. Part of that music can heard in my Soundcloud-page.

Watermelon in Easter Hay. Frank Zappa´s guitar tones Part 1.

For years Frank Zappas guitar tone has been a great mystery to me and many other guitarists. Now I try to analyze some aspects of his 1988 tour strat-sounds. Here is a Youtube-example from the concert in Barcelona May 1988. The Classic Zappa guitar solo Watermelon in Easter Hay (originally from the Joe´s Garage album) is based on A lydian and E major modes over a 4/4+5/4 -vamp (A and B/E)

Frank is playing his natural finish custom-strat. Strat has the Floyd Rose tremolosystem. Bridge and middle pick-ups seem to be Seymour Duncan Hot Stacks – these pick-ups with ceramic magnets have more output and mid-range compared to standard singlecoils. In the 1984 video Does Humor Belong in Music also blonde strats neck pickup is similar to themiddle and bridge ones. Neck pickup has changed in 1988 tour – maybe the Duncan Classic Stack?

Watermelon begins with a really clean tone with some modulation effect (chorus) and short delay. Frank seems to use the neck pick-up. The tone has an acoustic quality. And that´s the great mystery. Nowadays you can have an effect called ”acoustic guitar simulation” which comes near – but sounds really  colder and more un-natural  than Frank´s tone. You can clearly hear the sound of Strats neck pick-up here. I remember having read that for the 1988 tour Frank and his guitar techinician worked together with Roland/Boss developing new effects. But I can remember wrong… Is this sound coming from guitar amplifiers at all? Can it be direct signal to mixing board?

Frank played many amplifiers in parallel. That can be heard clearly from this Watermelon in Easter Hay example. In the April 29th 1988 Helsinki concert he had 2-3 Marshall heads, 2-3 Carvin heads in the rack (if I remember correctly after 22 years – were there Mesa Mark II or III heads also?).

In the beginning of video (and Guitar -albums back-cover) you can see Carvin combo and Marshall cabinet. Switchblade has at least 10 knobs for sound presets.

At 1:36 he adds a crunchy Marshall tone over the clean one for B-section. A huge sound!

At 2:36 Frank adds a fuzzy tone for solo improvisation. It seems that he puts that on from his guitar. The clean sound is still there. Had he some kind of fuzz-circuit on-board in his guitar? If so, he must have stereo cable coming out from this guitar.

At 4:10 there is a great example of controlling feedback from the guitar. I remember read that Frank had parametric eq´s in his guitars for a controlled feedback. In soundchecks he spend a lot of time to ”tune his equipment to the room”.

The guitar seems to have a very long radius. Frank picks mainly up-strokes with his metal-pick – and very sul tasto – over the highest frets.

The tone is very bright. I assume that Frank had a very fresh set of very light strings in this guitar (Ernie Balls or D´Addarios?). Dweezil Zappa tells in Fuzz magazine (Sept 09) he uses .008-.046 for strat in Zappa plays Zappa tour. Maybe Frank had close to that – maybe he did have some kind of heavier wound strings to get that huge sound in the B-section.

The Process of Making ”Amelia”

Hello there! This is new blog by Antti Sunell, guitarist and composer from Helsinki, Finland. This blog is about music. My mother-tongue is not english – constructive critics are welcome! I´m really working on my written english. So, to the first article…

This is the story of making piece of music. And also this this is the story about how social media can have an influence in making music.

Sometimes in spring-winter one of my Facebook friends told his love for Miguel Llobet´s guitar music. So I went straight to Spotify to listen that music.

And here that was: a beautiful piece that I´ve played as a kid over twenty-five years ago! My original paper hadn´t composers name on it – until that composer/arranger of that piece was great mystery to me!

El Testament D´Amelia is one of the catalan folksongs that Llobet har arranged.

As I found the sheet music, it was time to re-arrange that. First we (=me, percussionist/drummer Tuomo ”Vänni” Väänänen and our fusiongroup CODE 1480) did pretty straight-ahead arragement – just Llobet´s version played with classical guitar added with fretless electric bass and some percussion and improvised solo. Pretty soon we left the Llobet-thing completely out and took only melody and harmony was long drone-like synthesizer chord, we added melody from old finnish choral and so on…

I continued to work with tune alone as a part of my electroacoustic series Music för Svenska Deckare. First I reharmonised the original melody. Basic chords are very simple:

Dm – Bb – Em7b5  A7 – Dm -Gm – C7 – F and so on.

With utilisizing tritone substitution, deceptive cadenzas and substitude chords I made re-harmonisation like that:

Dm – Bb/D – Em7b5 Eb7b5 – Dm – Ebmaj7 D11 – Gb7b5 – Fmaj7#11 – Eb7#11 – D5 – Em7b5 – Bbmaj7 – Ebmaj7 D5 – Eb7b5 – Dm – Ebmaj7 Eb7

It has some phrygian flavor in it. Eb7 is a tritone substitution of A7 and it is easy chord to modulate to G# minor as I did.

I like lot finnish rockgroup Sielun Veljet song Talvi (=Winter). Guitarist Jukka Orma (and maybe Ismo Alanko and Jouko Hohko too) does incredible work! In my jobs as school music teacher I have also made The Corrs song Only when I Sleep about thousand times. I like the sound of playing melody on a B-string and keeping high E-string open. So I played Amelias melody this way. The problem was that my tempo playing melody with this style was naturally faster than original tempo. And the new key is C#-minor…

Solution was metric modulation. The 1/16 -notes are triplets in new tempo. But how to do that with computer. Again Facebook-friends were helpful: new tempo is original x 1,333333…. With Logic I used same synths but with different delays.

Here is the tune in Soundcloud. Thanks for listening!