My Color Music

Pop quiz, y’all. What was the first thing that was ever recorded in audio? Since we’re all music fans here, then it’s good to know a little history. Was the first line:

a)  “Oh, Romeo. Oh, Romeo. Where for art thou, Romeo?”
b)  “Mary Had a Little Lamb … whose fleece was white as snow.”
c)  “There here, I tell you … the aliens! They’re here!”

Well, if you guessed option (b), then you are correct … and you get five points. When Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, he immediately gained worldwide fame. And the first words he spoke into his new recording machine were “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” The same lyrics of the song we just played. (We’re making history, people!)

Edison’s new invention was so unexpected to the public that it seemed almost magical. In fact, he even became known “The Wizard of Menlo Park” (which was the name of the town he lived in). His first phonograph machine recorded on tinfoil wrapped around a grooved cylinder. And to be honest, the sound quality was pretty bad. But hey, it was radically new technology at the time … so it blew people’s minds away.

Along with the phonograph, Thomas Edison also invented some really strange stuff. Like the motion-picture camera, the light bulb, and even the microphone. In other words, he was a smart dude. In fact, I’d even say he was one of the best. Because his work changed the world … and it made modern music possible.

I mean, think about … without Edison, we wouldn’t have music videos, stage lighting, stereos, or microphones. And that’s why he definitely ranks right up there with the greatest gods of music.

Now that we know how to play music’s most popular chord—the major triad—let’s see it in action, shall we? In our next song, we’ll focus on hitting each major chord with the left hand … while playing the melody line with the right hand. In music notation, we show this by splitting the bass staff and treble staff, like so:

Because chords are used to support the melody, they’re usually written on the bass staff. Like pillars or columns, chords lay a solid foundation for the melody—which is usually written on the treble staff. By playing the chords and the melody together, we simply blend all the notes into a full and complete song.

To keep things simple, our first song includes just one major chord, C major … while the melody is based on the C major scale.

You’ve definitely heard this tune before. Some of you might know it as “Are You Sleeping?” … and others might know it as “Frere Jacques.” But either way, it’s pretty basic. Because we’ll play just one C major chord at the start of each measure.

At first, it might be a little hard to get both of your hands working together. But that’s only natural, so don’t worry. It can be a little strange to play one part with your left hand … and another part with your right hand. Which is why a lot of musicians learn new songs using a special trick. They simply practice each part separately before putting the melody and chords together.

To see what I mean, let’s try doing this with our new song. With the right hand, start out by going through the melody alone a couple of times. It’s in the key of C (with a 4/4 time signature), so it should be pretty easy to learn. Then with your left hand, go through the song again, hitting only the chords at the start of each measure. And once each hand is ready, go back to the beginning and play both the melody and the chords together.

The chords on the bass staff are written exactly under the notes of the melody. So as you play, make sure all the notes are lined up and played together at the same time. That way, the song will sound right and everyone will be happy.

Seriously … who knew that adding a few chords could make our music sound so much better?

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.)