Members spiltmilk_2000 Posted May 25, 2006 Members Share Posted May 25, 2006 hmmm... just wondering, do you think its possible to write a compelling song just around one chord?? Does anyone know of any examples whre this has been done? or even just two chords?? sounds like a serious challenge...Rx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kingnome Posted May 25, 2006 Members Share Posted May 25, 2006 I don't think you mean this, exactly, but Bethoven's 5th is a wonderful example of 2 notes inspiring an entire piece of orchestral greatness. A lot can be learned about hooks and structure by listening to that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ryanstanley Posted May 25, 2006 Members Share Posted May 25, 2006 i think it'd be possible, just look at george michael's "faith".. it's not one or two chords i dont think, but i can imagine an entire song being based off the main riff of that song, and its just one chord with an interesting picking pattern. it'd be especially easy if the bass were allowed to play differing chord progressions behind the one-chord riff, but im not sure that counts this'd be an interesting project. i might give it a try Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesway Posted May 25, 2006 Members Share Posted May 25, 2006 coltrane: impressions (the B section is a different chord, but only one, also) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members utterhack Posted May 25, 2006 Members Share Posted May 25, 2006 Originally posted by ryanstanley i think it'd be possible, just look at george michael's "faith".. it's not one or two chords i dont think, but i can imagine an entire song being based off the main riff of that song, and its just one chord with an interesting picking pattern. Or more than one... "Bo Diddley" "Who Do You Love" "Not Fade Away" "I Want Candy" "Magic Bus" "Desire" etc etc Also, I think Harry Nilsson's "Coconut" is all in C7, but I could be corrected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sherwood Posted May 25, 2006 Members Share Posted May 25, 2006 Here's one and the only one that I know of : " Everyday People " by Sly & the Family Stone. Also interesting......The bass player plays only one note throughout the whole song. Sherwood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members utsapp89 Posted May 26, 2006 Members Share Posted May 26, 2006 Heroin's 2 chords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zincfingerr Posted May 26, 2006 Members Share Posted May 26, 2006 Lots of interesting funk songs have only one chord and it works because the bass and percussion are so busy doing other things... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thenagus Posted May 26, 2006 Members Share Posted May 26, 2006 Well, ignoring the obvious funk examples: There are plenty songs such as Oye Como Va (Santana!) which just alternate between two chords. Infact, a lot of old English dance stuff and sea shantys do that. Think of `what shall we do with a drunken sailor`- just alternates between the Imin and the VIImaj chords, IIRC. Very common amoungst the English dnace tunes I've heard. I really like this alternating-between-two-chords idea, because you have to be more creative with your melody, rhythm, etc. Makes improvising much more interesting in cases. You have to work more to create different colours and moods. And it's less complicated, of course Note in Oye Como va that there are many different riffs and sections which are part of the song, despite the chords staying the same. Same with the one-chord or two-chord funk songs, there's usually atleast a bridge section. Also, check out some traditional indian stuff. A lot of it's just based on one drone. Infact, go to this site: http://www.indofunkcity.com Theres a guy here on harmony cnetral who's part of this band- that's how I discovered them. Check out the `free music` section. Especially that `Tamarind Tree` tune. hella catchy, all one chord. Not even a chord- just a drone. (With a 7th ontop of it, possibly) Sometimes, less is more! The quality's not very good, but check this Kula Shaker interpretation of an Indian tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIkUqVldmCU&search=kula%20shaker It's all a D chord, pretty much. I never even noticed in stayed on only one chord before. The melody's plenty catchy. Also, a lot of modal jazz stuff sticks to one chord/scale. For example, some miles davis stuff: "Impressions", "So what", etc. btw, here's some Oye como va: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA5VkPIYdM8&search=oye%20como%20va Alternating Am7/D9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zincfingerr Posted May 28, 2006 Members Share Posted May 28, 2006 ^ dude, awesome post. It's cool to explore music in this way, seeing what songs can be made under certain technical restrictions, and you've provided cool examples from interesting genres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimmy Chaos Posted May 28, 2006 Members Share Posted May 28, 2006 Originally posted by spiltmilk_2000 hmmm... just wondering, do you think its possible to write a compelling song just around one chord?? Does anyone know of any examples whre this has been done? or even just two chords?? sounds like a serious challenge... Rx exist's song "Spiders and Saints" uses just E! it's a great song too. www.myspace.com/existweb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DoubleAgent Posted May 30, 2006 Members Share Posted May 30, 2006 "Showbiz Kids" only has a couple, and that's Steely Dan! "Fire on the Mountain" only has 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spiltmilk_2000 Posted May 30, 2006 Author Members Share Posted May 30, 2006 wow! excellent responses everybody! thanks so much for all your suggestions and ideas... Im off to play Eb for the whole evening and see what i can come up with! Russ x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Delle_Rose Posted May 30, 2006 Members Share Posted May 30, 2006 ... Lou Reed. A good portion of his songs are 2 or 3 chords at the most, and many-most of them are quite good. Tons of other examples, too... basically... yeah. I don't think it's a matter of what chords you use, but how use them. A lot of great (artistically an commercially) songs are 2-4 chords repeated throughout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Aaron Cheney Posted May 30, 2006 Members Share Posted May 30, 2006 Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love by VH only has two as well: Am and G. A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HCarlH Posted May 30, 2006 Members Share Posted May 30, 2006 Originally posted by sherwood Here's one and the only one that I know of :" Everyday People " by Sly & the Family Stone.Also interesting......The bass player plays only one note throughout the whole song.Sherwood Two chords there....the I and IV. The only one chord song I can think is Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant. It was a hit, but not really a great song! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AtticMan Posted May 31, 2006 Members Share Posted May 31, 2006 "High Time We Went" - Joe Cocker (It's just an A chord -- with piano and slide guitar embellishments, obviously -- IIRC.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seahorse Posted May 31, 2006 Members Share Posted May 31, 2006 Tomorrow Never Knows by the Beatles has one chord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fourth Floor Posted June 2, 2006 Members Share Posted June 2, 2006 Pure Morning by Placebo is one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CyanideChrist Posted June 2, 2006 Members Share Posted June 2, 2006 Ever hear the song You Suffer by Napalm Death? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Captain Alimony Posted June 2, 2006 Members Share Posted June 2, 2006 Wire - Pink Flag is just one chord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dparr Posted June 2, 2006 Members Share Posted June 2, 2006 The Beatles "Tomorrow Never Knows" is only one chord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dmak Posted June 5, 2006 Members Share Posted June 5, 2006 'How Come' by Ray Lamontagne is one of the best examples of a great two-chord song. The verse and the chorus are both the exact same two chords. 'Born in the USA' by Bruce Springsteen is a two chord song that was a HUGE HIT. How do you pull off a two chord song? It comes down to melody. A different melody for the verse and chorus will quite often 'imply' different chords. A combination of different melodies and different rhythmic feet will also help separate the two parts of the song even more. For those of you that know some theory, it is like playing a I,IV,V arpeggios over 1 chord. Even though it is only one chord, the arpeggios over the top of the single chord 'implies' additional chords - even though you are only playing along to one chord. Hope that isn't too confusing. It makes sense in my head anyways ... LOL -dm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tengo Posted June 5, 2006 Members Share Posted June 5, 2006 your love gets sweeter everyday! and masters of war is fairly central to one chord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dc_stp Posted June 8, 2006 Members Share Posted June 8, 2006 Wannabe by Dallas Crane is one chord (F#) and the same riff for verse and chorus. Not a half bad song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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