Kite Guitar translations by Kite Giedraitis: Difference between revisions

Line 906:

=== Blackbird (Beatles) ===

This charming song is a great study in 10ths! Over a constant G drone in the middle voice:

<tt>

| G vA | vB | g g | g g |

Take these... | ve g' | vf# a' | g g | g g |

| C ^C# | D D# | vE vE | vEb vEb |

All your life | vf# g' | ve ve | veb veb |

| D Db | C C | C C |

You were only | d d | c# c# | c c | vb vb |

waiting... | vB vB | ^A ^A | D D | G G |

| ve d | c# c# | c c | vb vb |

| C vB | ^A ^A | D D | G G |

Blackbird fly | a' g' | ^f ve | d d | ve ve |

| ^F vE | D C | ^Bb ^Bb | C C |

Blackbird fly | a' g' | ^f ve | d d |

| ^F vE | D C | ^Bb ^Bb |

Into the | c# c# | c c | vb c | d | vb' (etc.)

light... | ^A ^A | D D | G vA | vB | g

| vb c | d ve | d c# | c c |

| G vA | vB C | vB ^A | D D |

</tt>

The bass often moves chromatically, landing on a scale note on the downbeat (P4, P5, M6) and a non-scale passing tone on the backbeat (A4/d5 or m6). In general I chose the passing tone so that the step away from it is smaller than the previous step to it. Because to my ear P4 - A4 - P5 sounds better melodically than P4 - vA4 - P5.

In the 2nd line, on "broken", I would have preferred the bass to be C#. But C# is on the 4th fret, too far away. Rather than settle for vC#, I went with the rather unusual ^C#. It makes 11/8 and 11/4 with the other two voices, about as consonant as a sharp 11th can get.

Continuing to minimize the final step, the 4th bass note is D# aka ^Eb. And the 7th and 8th notes are vEb, even though it makes a dissonant 9/7 and 18/7. And the "All your life" line has Db and veb.

Thus the bass melody is C ^C# D D# vE vE vEb vEb D Db C. When ascending, it has slightly sharper passing tones than when descending. It's like a microtonal version of 12edo's melodic minor melody P5 M6 M7 P8 m7 m6 P5. Unlike a more blatant microtonal melody like say vM6 ^m6 vm6 P5, this melody doesn't directly challenge one's 12-tone perceptions. Which would of course be inappropriate for a well-known Beatles song. Thus we get to "sneak in" some microtonality.

In the 4th line, I chose an ^A bass note to make a 7/4 with the G drone. A plain A would probably be better melodically, but in the open upminor tuning I chose, it's inaccessible. The final D7sus4 chord uses plain C (i.e. 16/9) to avoid an offperfect 4th.

There is a mid 2nd in the bass line on "You were only waiting" (vB to ^A). And also in the "Blackbird fly" lines (^F vE) in both the high and low voices. Whereas a mid interval from the tonic (say ~2 or ~3) immediately sounds non-12-tone, these mid 2nds don't jump out at me. Another way to sneak in some microtonality!

Tab for 6-string guitar tuned G ^Bb D G ^Bb D

Tab for 6-string guitar tuned low to high G ^Bb D G ^Bb D:

<tt>

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Line 969:

Line 1,008:

Into the light of the dark black night

| - - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - - | 0 - - - |

| - - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - - | 0 - - - | 15

| 5 - - 5 - - 5 - | 3 - - 3 - - 3 - | 1 - - - 3 - - - | - - - - |

| 5 - - 5 - - 5 - | 3 - - 3 - - 3 - | 1 - - - 3 - - - | - - - - | -

| - - 0 - - 0 - - | - - 0 - - 0 - - | - - 0 - - - 0 - | - - 0 - | etc.

| - - 0 - - 0 - - | - - 0 - - 0 - - | - - 0 - - - 0 - | - - 0 - | - etc.

| - - - - - - - - | 0 - - - 0 - - - | - - - - - - - - | - - - - |

| - - - - - - - - | 0 - - - 0 - - - | - - - - - - - - | - - - - | -

| - - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - - | 1 - - - |

| - - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - - | 1 - - - | 15

| 4 - - - 4 - - - | - - - - - - - - | 0 - - - 3 - - - | - - - - |

| 4 - - - 4 - - - | - - - - - - - - | 0 - - - 3 - - - | - - - - | -

| - - - - - - - - | 0 - - - 3 - - - | 0 - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - - |

@@ Line 906: / Line 906: @@
 === Blackbird (Beatles) ===
+This charming song is a great study in 10ths! Over a constant G drone in the middle voice:
+<tt>
+ Blackbird...  | vb   c  |  d | vb' vb' | vb' vb' |
+               |  G  vA  | vB |  g   g  |  g   g  |
+ Take these... | ve   g' | vf# a' |  g   g |  g   g  |
+               |  C  ^C# |  D  D# | vE  vE | vEb vEb |
+ All your life | vf#  g' | ve ve | veb veb |
+               |  D   Db |  C  C |  C   C  |
+ You were only |  d   d  | c# c# | c c | vb vb |
+  waiting...   | vB  vB  | ^A ^A | D D |  G  G |
+               | ve   d  | c# c# | c c | vb vb |
+               |  C  vB  | ^A ^A | D D |  G  G |
+ Blackbird fly |  a'  g' | ^f ve |  d   d  | ve ve |
+               | ^F  vE  |  D  C | ^Bb ^Bb |  C  C |
+ Blackbird fly |  a'  g' | ^f ve |  d   d  |
+               | ^F  vE  |  D  C | ^Bb ^Bb |
+ Into the      |  c#  c# | c  c  | vb   c  |  d | vb'   (etc.)
+  light...     | ^A  ^A  | D  D  |  G  vA  | vB |  g
+               | vb   c  |  d ve |  d c# | c  c |
+               |  G  vA  | vB  C | vB ^A | D  D |
+</tt>
+The bass often moves chromatically, landing on a scale note on the downbeat (P4, P5, M6) and a non-scale passing tone on the backbeat (A4/d5 or m6). In general I chose the passing tone so that the step away from it is smaller than the previous step to it. Because to my ear P4 - A4 - P5 sounds better melodically than P4 - vA4 - P5.
+In the 2nd line, on "broken", I would have preferred the bass to be C#. But C# is on the 4th fret, too far away. Rather than settle for vC#, I went with the rather unusual ^C#. It makes 11/8 and 11/4 with the other two voices, about as consonant as a sharp 11th can get.
+Continuing to minimize the final step, the 4th bass note is D# aka ^Eb. And the 7th and 8th notes are vEb, even though it makes a dissonant 9/7 and 18/7. And the "All your life" line has Db and veb.
+Thus the bass melody is C ^C# D D# vE vE vEb vEb D Db C. When ascending, it has slightly sharper passing tones than when descending. It's like a microtonal version of 12edo's melodic minor melody P5 M6 M7 P8 m7 m6 P5. Unlike a more blatant microtonal melody like say vM6 ^m6 vm6 P5, this melody doesn't directly challenge one's 12-tone perceptions. Which would of course be inappropriate for a well-known Beatles song. Thus we get to "sneak in" some microtonality.
+In the 4th line, I chose an ^A bass note to make a 7/4 with the G drone. A plain A would probably be better melodically, but in the open upminor tuning I chose, it's inaccessible. The final D7sus4 chord uses plain C (i.e. 16/9) to avoid an offperfect 4th.
+There is a mid 2nd in the bass line on "You were only waiting" (vB to ^A). And also in the "Blackbird fly" lines (^F vE) in both the high and low voices. Whereas a mid interval from the tonic (say ~2 or ~3) immediately sounds non-12-tone, these mid 2nds don't jump out at me. Another way to sneak in some microtonality!
-Tab for 6-string guitar tuned G ^Bb D G ^Bb D
+Tab for 6-string guitar tuned low to high G ^Bb D G ^Bb D:
 <tt>
    Blackbird singing in the dead of night
@@ Line 969: / Line 1,008: @@
    Into the light of the dark black night
-  |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  0  -  -  - |
+  |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  0  -  -  - | 15
-  |  5  -  -  5  -  -  5  - |  3  -  -  3  -  -  3  - |  1  -  -  -  3  -  -  - |  -  -  -  - |
+  |  5  -  -  5  -  -  5  - |  3  -  -  3  -  -  3  - |  1  -  -  -  3  -  -  - |  -  -  -  - |  -
-  |  -  -  0  -  -  0  -  - |  -  -  0  -  -  0  -  - |  -  -  0  -  -  -  0  - |  -  -  0  - |   etc.
+  |  -  -  0  -  -  0  -  - |  -  -  0  -  -  0  -  - |  -  -  0  -  -  -  0  - |  -  -  0  - |  -     etc.
-  |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  0  -  -  -  0  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  -  -  -  - |
+  |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  0  -  -  -  0  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  -  -  -  - |  -
-  |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  1  -  -  - |
+  |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  1  -  -  - | 15
-  |  4  -  -  -  4  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  0  -  -  -  3  -  -  - |  -  -  -  - |
+  |  4  -  -  -  4  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  0  -  -  -  3  -  -  - |  -  -  -  - |  -
   |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  0  -  -  -  3  -  -  - |  0  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - |