One-chord songs

Discussion on new albums, developing listening skills, critical listening to others' work, as well as TOMB members' MP3 links, online recording critiques

Moderator: cgarges

User avatar
vvv
zen recordist
Posts: 10139
Joined: Tue May 13, 2003 8:08 am
Location: Chi
Contact:

Post by vvv » Fri Mar 09, 2007 9:52 pm

Miles wrote:Mannish Boy, Muddy Waters.
Really?

In the key of "E", first position, I've always played part of it with first position chords, E-A-G-E.

On acoustic, that is.
bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

User avatar
cwileyriser
pushin' record
Posts: 234
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 12:32 pm
Location: Lexington/Athens, GA
Contact:

Post by cwileyriser » Sat Mar 10, 2007 7:45 am

Another one I've been totally grooving on lately:

"Bat Macumba" by Os Mutantes.

dogcow
pluggin' in mics
Posts: 39
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 11:03 pm
Location: San Diego, CA

Post by dogcow » Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:41 am

I would second the band Neu!. Hallogallo, the first track on their first record is a great example. The song was the exact length of my morning bicycle commute to class back in college. I would put it on in my room, ride my bike to class., and it ended as I sat down in my chair. It's a great start to the day.

On a related note, when my son was born, my friend had some baby shirts printed up with the Neu! logo on them. Totally geeky and awesome.

lg
steve albini likes it
Posts: 390
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:27 am
Location: venice, ca

Post by lg » Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:18 pm

0xeneye wrote:I don't think any of the songs on the Talking Heads release Remain in Light have a chord change.
pretty sure 'once in a lifetime' has a few different chords goin' on (D/G?), but you may be right about the rest...

User avatar
ElMosca
pluggin' in mics
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:25 am
Location: Sonoma, CA
Contact:

Post by ElMosca » Sat Mar 31, 2007 12:00 pm

Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue"

(It's been a while since I had to endure it, so I could be wrong)
++aldo

jckinnick
buyin' a studio
Posts: 924
Joined: Fri May 26, 2006 2:50 pm

Post by jckinnick » Mon Apr 02, 2007 2:07 pm

Weren't a lot of the songs on the first couple Stooges albums pretty much one chord songs.
Last edited by jckinnick on Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Johnny B
pushin' record
Posts: 271
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:18 pm
Location: Syracuse, NY
Contact:

Post by Johnny B » Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:07 pm

lg wrote:
0xeneye wrote:I don't think any of the songs on the Talking Heads release Remain in Light have a chord change.
pretty sure 'once in a lifetime' has a few different chords goin' on (D/G?), but you may be right about the rest...
I think "The Overload" has a chord change in it somewhere. And I'm reasonably sure "Sister Ray" is two chords.

I bought a CD recently from a band called Pissed Jeans. The second song on it ("Boring Girls") is one chord. It's basically this one-chord chugging thing, but throughout it sounds like they're going to change and they just lay back into the same chord. It's brilliant.

emotionaljoystick
audio school
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2007 8:38 am

the best

Post by emotionaljoystick » Thu Apr 05, 2007 10:19 pm

The best one chord jam?

That would of course be Guitar Trio by Rhys Chatham from 1979

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhys_Chatham

Halo Galo is def. a close second.

Ruckzuck from the first Kraftwerk LP (when it was still basically Neu! with Florian on flute) is another great one.

A lot of great krautrock has no chord changes... So many great songs. So few chords.

---Tom---

lg
steve albini likes it
Posts: 390
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:27 am
Location: venice, ca

Re: the best

Post by lg » Fri Apr 06, 2007 7:59 am

emotionaljoystick wrote:The best one chord jam?

That would of course be Guitar Trio by Rhys Chatham from 1979
guitar trio is wonderful!

emotionaljoystick
audio school
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2007 8:38 am

Post by emotionaljoystick » Fri Apr 06, 2007 11:56 am

"guitar trio is wonderful!"

Yes! I recently saw it performed in Miwaukee with all local artists filling in most of the parts, and it was amazing.

You really need to see it live to get the whole clashing overtones / beating frequencies thing... It doesn't translate as well to recording...

I also got the chance to meet Rhys, and he's one of the nicest people I've ever met... An amazing dude...

--Tom

gotpop
pluggin' in mics
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Dec 31, 2006 5:11 am
Location: Palo Alto, Ca
Contact:

Post by gotpop » Thu May 24, 2007 12:15 am

Here are a couple very short songs with one chord.

"Ding Dang" -- The Beach Boys (The Beach Boys Love You)

"Franz Schubert" -- Kraftwerk (Trans-Europe Express)

I don't know if anybody mentioned it, and I could be wrong, but I thought "Tomorrow Never Knows" actually has a b7/1 when they all sing in harmony.

mjau
speech impediment
Posts: 4023
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2003 7:33 pm
Location: Orlando
Contact:

Post by mjau » Thu May 24, 2007 3:17 pm

Bonnie Prince Billy: The Seedling (Dm maybe?)

Johnny B
pushin' record
Posts: 271
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:18 pm
Location: Syracuse, NY
Contact:

Post by Johnny B » Sun May 27, 2007 3:00 pm

So after the mentions, I bought a Neu! album (Neu! 2). Wow. I dig it. That's one of those things that I hear and can't believe it's as old as it is. I have to track down the other two albums now...

User avatar
Babaluma
suffering 'studio suck'
Posts: 447
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2004 6:42 am
Location: Milan, Italy
Contact:

Post by Babaluma » Sun May 27, 2007 4:15 pm

the first neu! album is incredible. hallogallo is like stereolab 30 years early ;)

mjau
speech impediment
Posts: 4023
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2003 7:33 pm
Location: Orlando
Contact:

Post by mjau » Sun May 27, 2007 4:32 pm

Yeah, Neu - first time I heard Neu I thought it was something very recent.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 34 guests