My Color Music

Like I said … chords make music especially cool. They add weight to a song and provide support for the melody. By giving our ears something to listen to, chords just make life more interesting.

At the same time, chords also create a little more work for our hands. And that’s because, on a keyboard, the right hand focuses on the melody (in the treble staff), while the left hand picks out the notes of each chord (in the bass staff).

As it turns out, it’s all pretty easy. Sure, it might take a little more coordination … as we play melodies with one hand and chords with the other. But it’s also very basic. Like learning to dance, ride a bike, or jump rope, it just takes some focus … and a little practice.

And who knows … after a little while, you might even learn to play like this:

Have you ever heard a song on the radio that you immediately loved? And for some reason, it just gets stuck in your head and stays there forever? Well, that happened to me the first time I heard “My Best Friend’s Girl” by The Cars. When I was a kid, it was one of my favorite songs. But I never got the album … until last week when I rediscovered this song and fell in love with it all over again.

Honestly, I can’t remember what life was like before it. This song was written in 1978. And, if you ask me, the band should have won a Nobel prize for that recording. It’s brilliant … everything about it is excellent. The whole song is like sugar spraying out of my stereo speakers.

It’s got kind of a honkey-tonk sound … with a 1950s vibe, which is very cool. Every time I listen to this song, there’s something new to hear. It’s full of good harmonies, slick guitar solos, bouncing keyboards, and solid drums. And of course, the lyrics are awesome—telling the story of some guy whose girl left him for his best friend … sort of like this picture (from AwkwardFamilyPhotos):

Nice.

Seriously, though … you should check it out. This song never gets old. (Even though the video is pretty ancient.)

Wow … have you seen Muse’s new album cover for “The Resistance”? The record came out last September. And the artwork is crizazy. (In fact, it kind of reminds me of Escher.) I haven’t heard any of the songs yet … but the cover art gets an A+ in my opinion. Check it out….

Seriously, this is some good stuff. Which is why it won the “Best Art Vinyl Award” for 2009. Each year, the public votes on the very best album covers. And this year, the choice was obvious. This image was created by a London design firm called La Boca. And it’s got to be one of the all-time best.

I know you shouldn’t judge a record by its cover. But the songs on this record have got to be pretty good, right? Maybe I should give it a listen. (Muse’s last album, “Black Holes and Revelations,” was pretty nice.) Anyway, all I know is this … La Boca rocks! According to their website, it was founded as an “independent design circus” in 2002. And it specializes in graphic design for music, film and fashion. Some of their clients include Warner, Capitol, Sony, and others. Check them out—their portfolio is awesome.