Major or minor -- Which do you find more pleasing?

[Jodo]

Which triad sounds most pleasing to you?
I personally find minor chords as having a very resonant sound. Some find Major chords as being the more resonant ( this group views minor chords as dissonant )
No right or wrong answer here. I am just curious as to others views.

 

[fresh_42]

I like a diminished sept as the last chord of a triad. My favorite symphony is written in B minor.

 

[Klystron]

I prefer minor chords, also symphonies and songs set in minor keys. Unsure that resonance describes the experience. Timbre, perhaps.

I also like sevenths and diminished 7_th chords as transitions in triads.

Timbre. Acoustics: the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness, from which its source or manner of production can be inferred. Timbre depends on the relative strengths of the components of different frequencies, which are determined by resonance.

 

[pinball1970]

I like a diminished sept as the last chord of a triad. My favorite symphony is written in B minor.

Debussy?

 

[pinball1970]

Opening chord of Hard Days night is so distinctive as a stand alone. Chord books have it as G11 so it has a 4th 7th and 9th

Context is everything tho.

I like the m7 flat5th done tastefully and that makes harmonic sense.

Great as a turn-around chord.

Best example I think of Do you know the way San Jose from the mater himself.

You have the chord resolving to a beautiful Cmaj7 then Em7 on B in the middle sectionEm7 Am7

L.A. is a great big ...

Em7 Am7 Em7C#m7b5 Cmaj7 Em7/B

In a week, maybe two, they'll ...

 

[pinball1970]

Another stand out alone is that chord from Superman John WilliamsNothing on the net so I go this from Youtube and screen grabbed it.Left hand is F no third – nothing to see hear ; )Right hand is Cmaj 7!

So F no third plus Cmaj 7 gives us a…. er…. Fmaj9 b5th!That is how I would notate it but that does not mention the fact we have 5th and flat 5 together with added maj 7th and 9th but with no third.That is only because lowest not is F so counting that as tonic.Cmaj9/F a bit easier!

 

[fresh_42]

Debussy?

No, I am built very simple. Straight harmonies and melodies instead of any experiments. Hence, I love Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, The Beatles, ABBA, and Queen.

The symphony I meant above is the Pathétique, Tchaikovsky's 6th, best depressant ever!

And there is another strange thing: I love every song with a short tacet somewhere near the refrain.

 

[pinball1970]

No, I am built very simple

You're a mathematician. EDIT "EVEN" Your jokes confuse me!

 

[pinball1970]

"Hence, I love Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, The Beatles, ABBA, and Queen." Excellent taste @fresh_42 but those guys were anything but simple ;)

 

[fresh_42]

"Hence, I love Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, The Beatles, ABBA, and Queen." Excellent taste @fresh_42 but those guys were anything but simple ;)

Sure. What I meant was that I am simple. I need to hear a clear message, pleasant melodies, and harmonies. I know that their music is not simple in terms of composition.

Music such as free Jazz or Schönberg's twelve-tone techniques are things I really have to be in the mood for, which is very rare. And I do not like Mozart very much either. People didn't stop telling me how great he was, but they never convinced me. Yes, I do like The Magic Flute and his g-minor, however, in general, he annoys me. I am a Guiseppe Verdi guy.

 

[pinball1970]

Sure. What I meant was that I am simple. I need to hear a clear message, pleasant melodies, and harmonies. I know that their music is not simple in terms of composition.

Music such as free Jazz or Schönberg's twelve-tone techniques are things I really have to be in the mood for, which is very rare. And I do not like Mozart very much either. People didn't stop telling me how great he was, but they never convinced me. Yes, I do like The Magic Flute and his g-minor, however, in general, he annoys me. I am a Guiseppe Verdi guy.

How about Bach? If you do not like Bach then part of me may die inside. EDIT He is THE mathematicians musician.

 

[fresh_42]

How about Bach? If you do not like Bach then part of me may die inside. EDIT He is THE mathematicians musician.

Yes, I like Bach, and I love "Air on the G-string". I remember that I have seen the best performance ever to this music in figure skating (F, free skate). And I hate that I have forgotten her name.

 

[pinball1970]

Yes, I like Bach, and I love "Air on the G-string". I remember that I have seen the best performance ever to this music in figure skating (F, free skate). And I hate that I have forgotten her name.

This?

 

[fresh_42]

This?

No. I think it was a Russian in a green costume and definitely a woman. And it's been quite a time since.

 

[pinball1970]

No. I think it was a Russian in a green costume and definitely a woman. And it's been quite a time since.

Ok I am curious now. I will search.

What do you think of this? For me? It is insanity in music BUT when the strings kick in? Wow. I would go to war with this in my ears.4.05 but don't skip. Headphones required

 

[fresh_42]

Ok I am curious now. I will search.

What do you think of this? For me? It is insanity in music BUT when the strings kick in? Wow. I would go to war with in my ears.4.05 but don't skip. Headphones required

I wouldn't turn it off if it was part of the night loop, but I wouldn't search for it either.

 

[pinball1970]

I wouldn't turn it off if it was part of the night loop, but I wouldn't search for it either.

These guys?

 

[fresh_42]

Nope. Single. And IIRC a gold medaillist. But how many world championships and Olympics have there been between say 1990 and 2006?

 

[pinball1970]

Nope. Single. And IIRC a gold medaillist.

Ok. On it

 

[pinball1970]

Yes, I like Bach, and I love "Air on the G-string". I remember that I have seen the best performance ever to this music in figure skating (F, free skate). And I hate that I have forgotten her name.

This is good. How did someone come up with this? One person? And so many other amazing beautiful pieces?
Pure beauty and genius. No other way to describe it.

 

[Svein]

Hm. On one hand, I like this concerto in E minor very much (maybe because I once tried to play the recorder part), but on the other hand Vivaldi gets so much fun out of major scales. This is a famous passage from a concerto in C major.

 

[pinball1970]

Nope. Single. And IIRC a gold medaillist. But how many world championships and Olympics have there been between say 1990 and 2006?

I am keen to stay on topic so in terms of great music and major and minor Ravel's Bolero is in C major but the tune is crazy.
First it just plays around the major scale nothing strange and very pretty.
The the Bb comes which sets the road to some really weird patterns. I don't know my modes but we are getting flat 5th, flat 9th, flat 7th and minor 3rd. That was used in 1984 Sarajevo, pairs.
Katarina Witt was 1988 GDR
No Russian lady winners after that.
1992- USA
1994- Ukraine (she wore pink and it was "rain in Spain")
Then USA and Japan till 2006.

 

[pinball1970]

Air on a G string. This arrangement is in C because of the open strings but it was originally in D major.
It doesn't sound major because it moves around and quickly hits you with those amazing passing notes.

 

[pinball1970]

A minor. Is this the best 2nd movement in a symphony ever? There is so much that is great about it that I feel inadequate to describe it technically. I am not classically trained.
There is a weird major part but I would need the music. Anyway it is one of those ethereal pieces.
The minors have it at the moment for me.

 

[fresh_42]

I just figured out that my favorite symphonies and piano concerts are all in minor:

Tchaikovski's 6th: b-minor
Beethoven's 9th: d-minor
Bruckner's 9th: d-minor
Mozart's 40th: g-minor
Tchaikovsky's 1st piano concert: b-minor
Beethoven's piano sonata 14: #c-minor

I smell a pattern ...

 

[hutchphd]

So what do you thnk of Wagner?

 

[fresh_42]

So what do you thnk of Wagner?

The Flying Dutchman is a good introduction to the world of operas: short and easy listening.

Besides that, the same applies to Wagner as to Mozart: there had been girls in my life (two different ones) who tried to convince me about their, the composers', ingeniousness but both failed. I like to quote Rossini:

Wagner has divine moments and hellish quarters of an hour.

The Tannhäuser overture is a good piece to put yourself in a positive, strong mood. After it, you can leave the theater.

 

[pinball1970]

Ok I have a couple of majors.

 

[pinball1970]

Debussy. Db major

 

[pinball1970]

E major. I think this is my favourite piano piece.

 

[pinball1970]

I think this is major. Hard to tell where it goes. It feels minor! Anyway he is a Brit so I have stick a couple in.

 

[pinball1970]

Last one. 4.13am here and I am scouring YouTube for beautiful pieces in major keys! One sharp so G major.

 

[fresh_42]

Ok I have a couple of majors.

I looked it up. Thankfully, I found E-major for that one which I really love. Nowhere Man.

 

[Hornbein]

There's Cannibal and the Headhunter's Land of a Thousand Dances. Is it major or minor? How about The Beatles' In My Life? Laura Branigan's disco hit Gloria?

The overwhelming majority of music sticks to a scale of seven or fewer notes. The few exceptions include The Beatles two main soundtrack albums and some of the melodies of Charlie Parker. His Anthropology might contain all twelve notes.

Then there's the music of east Asia which has more than twelve notes. In the West those notes are only sung by little children.

 

[DennisN]

Yes, I do like The Magic Flute and his g-minor, however, in general, he annoys me.

What's the problem? Is it "too many notes"? (see below )

 

[pinball1970]

I looked it up. Thankfully, I found E-major for that one which I really love. Nowhere Man.

I have just been through it on YouTube. Yes E major BUT the minors make it! Actually a lot of things make it, harmony, George solo, middle section.
Lennon made use of his relative minors, F#m for the A then Am itself but with C in the bass which I didn't know he played it like that.

 

[pinball1970]

There's Cannibal and the Headhunter's Land of a Thousand Dances. Is it major or minor? How about The Beatles' In My Life? Laura Branigan's disco hit Gloria?

The overwhelming majority of music sticks to a scale of seven or fewer notes. The few exceptions include The Beatles two main soundtrack albums and some of the melodies of Charlie Parker. His Anthropology might contain all twelve notes.

Then there's the music of east Asia which has more than twelve notes. In the West those notes are only sung by little children.

My life is in A major, the pretty part is major to minor D to DM.
I tried to learn the piano solo, a bit hard!

Gloria? That's a curve ball ! I'll check. EDIT. major although the intro is 1 5 repeat so can't tell till the rest comes in.
Similar chords to Nowhere Man, verse anyway.

Richie Blackmore used Asian scales in Mandrake Root 1970. Insane guitar solo.

 

[pinball1970]

@Hornbein This is in E major but the riffs are blues scales and the dominant chord is that satanic E7#9 that Jimi loved. Anyway Arabic scales and insanity at 8.40 the track is 17 minutes.

 

[DennisN]

Which triad sounds most pleasing to you?
[...]
No right or wrong answer here. I am just curious as to others views.

If it comes to choosing between just major and minor, and I am forced to choose, I would say major.
But really I think that some songs need major and some minor, and quite many need both (I mean different chords in the song).
So, I'd say, it depends on the song and what feeling(s) it is intended to convey.

By the way, here's a fun short clip where David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) quickly describes how he came up with the famous intro harmony to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and he also describes what feeling he got from it:

David Gilmour Talks About How He Found Shine On

 

[pinball1970]

What's the problem? Is it "too many notes"? (see below )

Brilliant Film. I love Mozart but I am not keen on Opera at all so I miss out so much stuff.
The requiem though? Wow. I will put up a version. If it's not in a minor key I will be very surprised!

 

[DennisN]

The requiem though? Wow. I will put up a version. If it's not in a minor key I will be very surprised!

I was thinking of mentioning Requiem . It is ridiculously good.
Of course it's in minor, it's dark as the night .

Edit: I just checked on youtube, it's in D minor;

Mozart - Requiem in D minor (Complete/Full) [HD]

 

[hutchphd]

Minor Bach

Minor Wagner

 

[pinball1970]

Minor Bach

When I saw the thumbnail I thought it would sound empty, piano so not peddle notes, wrong sound.
They managed to get through ok!

 

[hutchphd]

The Bugs Bunny (and Elmer Fudd) cartoon "What's Opera Doc" has pretty much ruined Der Valkyrie for me......but worth it! (Also Elmer Fudd is not a raging antisemite )

 

[fresh_42]

(Also Elmer Fudd is not a raging antisemite )

Yes, that's a problem, but if Barenboim can conduct Wagner in Israel, then I can focus on the work, too, regardless of the fact that I would have hated him in real life. Ford was an antisemite, too. Yet millions of people drive their cars!

 

[DennisN]

What's the problem? Is it "too many notes"? (see below )

Just for clarification, @fresh_42 , I didn't post the Amadeus clip to make fun of you . When I read your post about Mozart I instantly thought of that scene which I think is hilarious, it's one of my favorites, so I just had to post it .

(and the movie itself is also one of my personal favorites)

 

[fresh_42]

Just for clarification, @fresh_42 , I didn't post the Amadeus clip to make fun of you . When I read your post about Mozart I instantly thought of that scene which I think is hilarious, it's one of my favorites, so I just had to post it .

(and the movie itself is also one of my personal favorites)

No, problem, it is a beautiful piece of art. It's only that Mozart doesn't touch me as Beethoven or Tchaikovsky does.

 

[DennisN]

Beethoven or Tchaikovsky

Beethoven and Tchaikovsky are two of my absolute favorite composers, besides Bach.

 

[BWV]

How about the other diatonic modes? Lydian is more major than major (F to F on the white keys of a piano)



Mixolydian, G to G on the white keys, is less major than major



Dorian is less minor than minor (D to D on the white keys)



Phrygian, starting on E on the white keys, is darker than minor



Locrian is the odd duck, with a flattened 5th is the odd duck and does not show up except in some metal tunes

 

[Astronuc]

beautiful pieces in major keys! One sharp so G major.

Re: RVW