It is not properly harmony but while reading this topic I thought about John Lennon's double tracking of his own lead vocals in many of his songs, which certainly adds depth to the song and creates a certain mood.
For instance take Jealous Guy. I love that song. Many of his songs have this kind of "fuzziness" about them and it is a bit more difficult (for me at least) to distinguish harmonies, major, minors, thirds and sevenths and I just get lost in the overall atmosphere of the track.
Queen's arrangements are usually more "in your face" and the BV's are louder, with many voices. Off the top of my head I kind of get the idea that this applies more to Freddie with songs like BoRhap or All God's People, but that's just me generalizing.
Listening to some songs in The Cosmos Rocks album I miss the harmonies a bit, or at least their prominence. The songs have them but they are much more subtle than in previous Queen albums.
The Real Wizard · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Wiley wrote: [/b]
Listening to some songs in The Cosmos Rocks album I miss the harmonies a bit, or at least their prominence. The songs have them but they are much more subtle than in previous Queen albums.[/QUOTE]
And I think that's the very beauty of it.
Yara · Member since
@ Sebastian:
I think it'd be a great idea if you pulled together some of your posts and turn them into essays - there are so many good ones which are very closely connected that you could perhaps polish them a bit and turn them into articles or essays.
Have you considered taking some of the most frequent questions, among the interesting ones, and making a kind of helpful, enlightening, entertaining, accessible and interactive FAQ on your website? I see you did some of this by dispelling some of the myths and so on, but you could organize it by topics and put it in queston and answers format, keeping it alive and interactive, that is - questions, or asks for further clarification, would be welcomed.
I know time isn't really on anyone's side these days, but I for one would find something like this very interesting. It's time-consumming though, no doubt.
Congratulations again on this post. It was just spot on.
knakenrudi · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Yara wrote: [/b]
@ Sebastian:
I think it'd be a great idea if you pulled together some of your posts and turn them into essays - there are so many good ones which are very closely connected that you could perhaps polish them a bit and turn them into articles or essays.
Have you considered taking some of the most frequent questions, among the interesting ones, and making a kind of helpful, enlightening, entertaining, accessible and interactive FAQ on your website? I see you did some of this by dispelling some of the myths and so on, but you could organize it by topics and put it in queston and answers format, keeping it alive and interactive, that is - questions, or asks for further clarification, would be welcomed.
I know time isn't really on anyone's side these days, but I for one would find something like this very interesting. It's time-consumming though, no doubt.
Congratulations again on this post. It was just spot on. [/QUOTE]
Off topic: You are [i]too[/i] kind.. [img=/images/smiley/msn/wink_smile.gif][/img]
Agree with you btw that these posts on the theoretical sides of music are highly interesting.
Wiley · Member since
Oh, sure. I love the album, by the way. It is a bit more low key but all the Queen trademarks are there, along with some different ideas. It just takes a few more listens to appreciate it in full.
I had a similar problem with Made In Heaven the first time I heard it. I thought it sounded a bit off here and there, the melodies didn't seem to gel in some spots but it was only due to it being the first new Queen album I had ever heard after 3 or 4 years listening to the back catalog. I didn't think it was an instant classic Queen album, to tell you the truth.
I just can't help it. When listening to a new song by an artist my ears follow up with the music with a preconceived idea of how the track will flow, for instance: "song is building up nicely... oh, a high note.. Cool! now the solo... Great!...". Obviously the song is not exactly how I picture it and I am "surprised" almost every time.
Sometimes the "surprise" is positive, like when I first heard No-one but you, when Brian sings "there's a face at the WINdooow!!" hitting the highest note with a loud voice, then the guitars and then the chorus in full force... man, I still get goosebumps just remembering that.
Sometimes the "surprise" is a bit negative. When listening to a clip of "We Believe" I heard the buildup towards the second chorus and I thought it was great, but when reaching the chorus I was unimpressed and somewhat let down since it was not "what my ears expected". Now it's one of my favorite parts but it had to grow on me.
john bodega · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Wiley wrote:[/b]
Sometimes the "surprise" is positive, like when I first heard No-one but you, when Brian sings "there's a face at the WINdooow!!" hitting the highest note with a loud voice, then the guitars and then the chorus in full force... man, I still get goosebumps just remembering that.[/QUOTE]
I had the exact same experience, funnily enough. Great bit of the song.
thomasquinn 32989 · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Sebastian wrote: [/b]
And btw, [i]Days of Our Lives[/i] isn't a counterpoint, it's one of the simplest ways to harmonise: parallel thirds.
[/QUOTE]
You're confusing strict counterpoint (like in Fux' [i]Gradus ad Parnassum[/i]) and the general concept of counterpoint (technically "punctus contra punctus" or "note against note"). The term 'harmony' in the triadic tonal system is only used when referring to chordal harmony, though admittedly it included two-voiced arrangements before the 'Golden Age' from Bach to Beethoven.
[QUOTE]So it's not a matter of 'better' or 'stronger', just two very different (but equally wonderful) arrangers whose output we're privileged to enjoy.[/QUOTE]
