Category: Music

Music: science and technology. News and views surrounding the world of music as well as pointers to songs and instrumentals written and recorded by Sciencebase’s David Bradley. Find me on BandCamp for streaming and downloads.

Classic Chords #18 – Times Like Foo

Fellow C5 band member Andrea had a suggestion for a classic chord, one she’s not found a satisfactory resolution for in “Times Like These” by Foo Fighters. As Andrea points out, there are two versions: the original Rush-influenced album version with the following riff that sounds a lot like a Lifesonesque version of The Cult’s “She sells sanctuary” and a softer, less discordant acoustic/unplugged/laidback version that lends a little bit more to R.E.M.

I had a quick look at videos of Dave Grohl playing both versions just to get a measure of what he’s doing in both settings. The simpler way to play the intro to this song is to fret a conventional D major chord but lift off your (index) finger from the G-string to create what is technically a G major 9 (GM9) and then hammer-on back to the normal note of A on the G-string to give you the Dmaj. So far, so conventional. It’s a nice trick and it’s a nice sound, but it’s not the sophisticated discordancy we’ve all grown to love of the album version of the track.

On the album though that heavy intro is much more discordant and it looks like he’s playing an interesting chord at the fifth fret and shuttling between an open D-string for the root note and hammering-on to the fifth fret on the A string, essentially muting that D-string but keeping the top three strings ringing a note, keeping a Dm13 (D minor 13) as a Dm13 played at the fifth fret with two different slightly different fingerings. I doubt that open D string rings much as the hammering-on to the 5th fret of the A-string is happening.

For those who don’t know, foo fighters is term that was used by Allied pilots in WWII to refer to unidentified objects in the sky.

I recorded an approximation of the riff using the Dm13 and the AM9, thos chords…they’re almost jazz…but then Grohl’s guitar hero Alex Lifeson (more him in the Hemispheres and Limelight classic chords) uses a lot of what you might term jazz chords (as if chords are interested in genre, anyway!) I should do the chords from Rush’s Lakeside Park next given that it’s the 24th of May, a day on which everyone would gather.

Dave Bradley releases new song

Who is fooling who?

Who is really fooling who,
when the chips are down and you head for town?
Don’t recognise the games you play
are just wasting time and they’re pulling me down?

So, who is really fooling you,
when your dreams are broken and your pockets empty?
Won’t you ever realise that
this time you waste is not a time of plenty?

Are you saying nothing now,
’cause no words can right your sorry fable?
Are you never gonna turn around,
’cause although you lost there’s always one more table

Won’t you ever realise,
that you fool yourself with your guilty pleasure?
Maybe when you come on home
you’ll unlock the door, find your only treasure

Who is really fooling you,
when the dreams you stole are running on empty?
Won’t you ever realise that
this time you waste is not a time of plenty?

And, won’t you ever realise,
that you fool yourself with that guilty pleasure?
Maybe when you come on home, babe
you’ll lock the door, find your only treasure

Who is really fooling who,
when the chips are down
but you’re back from town?

Words & Music, Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Production, Artwork dB

Also, on Soundcloud for streaming only.

Delia Derbyshire pioneered electronic music

Electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire, perhaps best known for creating the haunting theme music for Doctor Who based on Ron Grainer’s original composition, would’ve been 80 today, she died in July 2001. Derbyshire’s work at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop laid the foundations for modern experimental recording and sound manipulation techniques, she sampled and re-sampled with tape, used delays, sequencing, loops, minimalism, the lot.

Quite extraordinary experimentalist and technologist, a trailblazer who even managed to turn the Greenwich pips into a piece of music, long before highly repetitive musical figures and sequences had been employed by Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, Steve Hillage, and later the hiphop generation.

Dave Bradley latest song – When the mood takes you

I came up with a funky little riff in my head Monday, thought: I’ll never be able to work that out on guitar. But, had a go anyway…it was just a single not pull-off, hammer-on thing…so I figured out simple chords that seemed to fit: F, Em, Am, G…and a turnaround F Em, D, Am, G, with a few embellishments, minor 7ths, the odd dominant 7th, a sixth here and there, maybe even a 9th, at least in the harmonies.

I also had this lyrical phrase in my head: How can you be lost in the light? It’s easy to get lost in the dark…but not so much in the light?

Well, Tuesday night, quiet house, means quiet studio, so I put together some funky drum loops and had a go at blasting out that riff on my Telecaster and then attempting to fit some lyrics…they seemed to work, so a bass track on top of that and the obligatory guitar solo…

Mixed it down Wednesday morning, but re-recorded the vocal completely and did a new simpler, but raunchier guitar solo, added a couple of harmonies, generally cleaned it all up, mastered it and labelled it version 2.

Well, you know what I’m like by now, ever the perfectionist, I can hear a few things I need to tweak in this mix. I might even use Melodyne to make those harmonies, well, more harmonious. Watch this space, inevitably version 3, 4, 5…will be along soon-ish…

You can stream the track on Soundcloud and Bandcamp right now. I’ve already tweaked the second version so we’re now at version 3, please let me know if you already downloaded it from Bandcamp and I’ll send you the upgrade FLAC or MP3 (please state preference).

I’ve now done a version 4e, just little tweaks since the original second upload…that’s the version in the lyric video, now on Youtube too.

Classic Chords #17 – Yes, Wurm turns

The classic Yes track Starship Trooper (from 1971’s The Yes Album) comes in several parts just as any good prog rock and/or classical music should. Parts i-iii  are “Life Seeker,” “Disillusion” and “Wurm.” It is that latter section that is the focus of my latest Classic Chord on Sciencebase.com. The chord carries a wonderful and yet seemingly interminable jam on a mesmering progression -nominally nothing more than a G major to an Eb major to a C major and back again.

It’s not a common progression, but guitarist Steve Howe, is not known for being a common guitarist, there’s more jazz than prog in this. Moreover, Howe doesn’t play any of those three chords how you would expect (he’s definitely not with the CAGED program).

Pictured is the basic shape showing the G major, the root is in the open G string and that stays open throughout, with the A-string muted every time. The moveable root note is the G on the B-string. To get to the EbM you move the whole shape down four frets and another four frets again down to the CM and then back up to the GM position to complete the cycle; the wurm that turned. Here’s a quick snippet recorded with out-of-phase pickups, loads of chorus and tons of flanger…

Long after I wrote this Classic Chord, I took a quick look at Yes’s Steve Howe playing this section of ST live, and he does indeed use this exact chord voicing. Obviously. It wouldn’t sound the same if he didn’t.

More Classic Guitar Chords here.

Bowie band on Holy Holy trip to Hull

Last night we saw the final night of the homecoming of The Spiders from Mars in Hull City Hall. Bowie drummer Woody Woodmansey with producer/bassist Tony Visconti, Heaven 17’s Glen Gregory on lead vocals Visconti’s daughter Jessica Lee Morgan on 12-string guitar, tenor sax and vocals, James Stevenson and Paul Cudderford on lead guitars, Heaven 17’s Berenice Scott on backing vocals.

Bowie’s music in the early 1970s was fuelled by musicians from Hull (almost pure coincidence but he had a Yorkshire Dad and a Lancastrian mother). The core Spiders from Mars band of Woodmansey on drums, Trevor Bolder on bass and, of course, Mick Ronson on guitar were the foundations of Bowie’s glam rock period. This homecoming featured a supergroup (Woody being the only surviving member of the essence of the Spiders) of internationally renowned musicians. As Sheffield-born Gregory pointed out during the show, Woody and Tony (the TV of All the Young Dudes lyric) are the real stars, the others are but fans, like the audience in the sold out theatre.

I didn’t have a proper camera with me nor “pit” access in this Yorkshire city of culture, so I got just a few painterly snaps from our vantage point in the gods. Gregory was charismatic and clearly enjoying himself, eternally grateful to have been given the opportunity to sing Bowie and to perform the complete Ziggy Stardust album (the first time ever from start to finish) and so many of the classic Bowie from that period.

Scott was wonderful and understated on keys, giving a few knowing nods to the flourishes of the original songs. Stevenson and Cudderford rocked out, posturing and knee bending in that classic and timeless manner of all Les Paul bearing guitarists of the era. They vyed and dualled from stage left and right for pole position as having the bendiest strings and the biggest sustain (astonishing in heroes and brilliantly tight in harmonies throughout, but loud and heavy when Ziggy demanded it). They’re both famous in their own right, of course Cudderford having performed with Ian Hunter, Bob Geldof etc and Stevenson with The Alarm, Chelsea, Scott Walker, Gen X, The Cult).

Morgan too was astonishing on 12-string and sax (as she, her brother Morgan Visconti and bass-playing partner had been as support act for the show).

Visconti himself, the original Bowie hero was deepest energy from the off, you have to hope you’ve still got the chops like that by the time you reach your seventies. And, of course, Woodmansey, from the very first stick-to-skin beat to the sticks in the air at the end, was a powerhouse as only those rock steady rock drummers of his generation seem to be. Hull deserved this and the audience gave the troupe the audience it deserved.

There are still plenty of gigs to come, not sure which are sold out, but you can find out here.

A sympathetic song for the homeless

TL:DR – Wrote and recorded a song, Bridges, for the homeless around the time our choir sang with Jimmy’s Night Shelter in Cambridge. Uploaded to Bandcamp and offering any profits to the charity. The song has had numerous live outings, most recently in front of the choir during our 2023 “Partners’ Evening” Christmas event.

Tuesday night, three-hour demo from first idea (the line “embedded with waifs and strays” which sprung unbidden into my head) and two evolutions of the chord progression, lots of lyrical ad libbing in various takes, played it “live” to friends at Sunday Arts Night with some tweaked and hopefully tighter lyrics and a bit of a modulated turnaround in the second time chorus. A week after inception, I’ve re-recorded it entirely this evening with a slightly higher tempo and added a “duet” harmony. Not sure whether this is the final version or whether there will be a full one-man-band production with a drum track, bass, keys/pads, electric guitar and egg shaker as is my usual wont. (Latest version now on Bandcamp does now feature tambourine and stombox percussion and bass guitar). I hope the message, for once, is obvious.


Bridges (Crossed and Burned)

She is down on her luck, with no place to turn
Embedded with waifs and strays, her skin patched with bruises and burns
The clothes on her back are tattered and torn
She sleeps in the doorways, where drunks spit out their cold scorn

A lonely young man, with no money to spare
Staggered to see her pain, not sure if he should care
He stretches out his hand, clings to the hope that she can stand
But her fear backs her into the shadows
A helpless girl in a hopeless land

He’s a stranger to luck got no place to turn
Embedded with the waifs and strays, his sin was only to yearn
The coat on his back is matted and worn
He sleeps in old boxes, wishing he’d never been born

If only somebody, with a minute to spare
Would offer some tea and their hand, to prove that somebody cares
So he reaches out to touch them, Grasps at hope but he can’t stand
And their guilt drags them out of the shadows
Their focus sharp on their homemade plans

What do you do when you lose your way?
How do you cope with that pain?
In a world that just turns away

Well bridges are crossed and bridges are burned
You know that the truth is the proof
It’s a lesson that never is learned
You know that the truth is the proof
A lesson that never is learned

Classic FM author Tim Lihoreau’s Musical Treasury

Laugh-out-loud new book from ClassicFM’s award-winning breakfast DJ and Cottenham resident Tim Lihoreau out now from all good books shops, amazon etc.

In his latest tome, Tim uses odd British place names to help him define missing and orphaned musical terms, such as swavesey:

the cheesy side-to-side motion, stepping from foot to foot, beloved of barbershop competition choirs

and its counterpoint beeswing:

same as a swavesey, except starting on the off beat.

Then there’s the swaffham prior:

a celebrity who reveals a genuine, hidden talent for classical music, usually Grade 8 in a particular instrument...not to be confused with fickleshole (a person who professes a hitherto unmentioned love of classical music just before their first appearance on a classical radio station

There’s also a swaffham bulbeck:

a camera position beloved of TV concert directors in which the "fish eye" reflection of a musician is seen in the shiny bell of a brass instrument, before panning out

Coincidentally, cottenham is the “material traditionally used to make a standlake, which Tim defines as the “bespoke banner adopted by brass bands that adorns their music stands”.

Conflict of interest: Tim is my BFF and pianist (see entry for black torrington and black notley) for my choir, bigMouth (). By the way, if you’re struggling to prounonce his name, it’s t-im. Hear him weekdays on the More Music Breakfast show on ClassicFM.

Oh, and by the way a hacklet is the old name for a music blogger, perhaps one who favours the frampton end over the farleys end with his own band.

Broken City – Another funking rock song

Broken City

Hide it away, it’s not looking too pretty
Running away I want to head for the city
And if there’s something I can’t find
If it sends me out of my mind
Then I’ll know time after time
You won’t take any pity

I know the dreamers are screaming
And I know the screamers are dreaming
But you show nothing you’re hiding
Cos I know you’re always offsiding

Hide it away, it’s not looking too pretty
Running away I’m gonna head to the city
And if there’s something I can’t find
Well, if it sends me out of my mind
Then I know time after time
You won’t take any pity

Time after time I head for the city
No reason or rhyme I head for the city
Way down the line I’m lost in the city
Well, I’m wasting my time
I come back from the city

On and on and on and on anon

DAVE BRADLEY:

Words and music
Guitars, bass, keys, vocals
Percussion sequencing
Production and final mix
Cover Artwork

First review:

“The unexpected funereal start soon accelerates into rock fervour with a great pace. Your quirky accent suits the style of the song and sounds contemporary. There’s also lots of vocal texture: soft and smooth (0.58s), hard and gritty (1m 23s) which adds interest. I like the part of the song “I know the dreamers are screaming” and also the abrupt ending, like a crash; sudden, final.

It’s a common theme; running away to the city. There’s a definite lure; believing anything could happen, which excites, but, yes, it’s often fool’s gold. In the song you didn’t stay long…” — Jo

A better year

Is it just me or do you feel it’s been a truly bitter-sweet year, there have been many highs but far too many lows?

A Better Year

When life takes a turn for the worse,
the worst it could ever be
And you yearn for something to quench that thirst
There’s a chance that you’ll fail to see

Are you still hoping for a silent night?
Are you still open to love’s shining light?

There are no signs, but there’s a warning
This is our time, no time for mourning
One thing it seems is very clear
Right now, we’re hoping for a better year

Are you? Are you?
Are you? Well, are you?

And you had a hunger it wasn’t the first
Maybe, there’s a chance you’ll see
The road you travel, well it seems that it is cursed
The time is running out for breaking free

Are you still hoping for a silent night?
Are you still open to love’s shining light?

Are you? Will you?
Can you? Can you live? (Can you leave?)

There are no signs, but there’s a warning
This is our time, no time for mourning