indy4 155 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Speaking of sw, how about the end of clash f lightsabers? ChrisAfonso 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedfud 38 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 did you Know that Ron was in fact the chatty one Mr Shark ?T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 did you Know that Ron was in fact the chatty one Mr Shark ?TYou a Sparks fan, Ted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedfud 38 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 oh yes.....fab band. I was lucky enough to be making a record in the studio next door to them . Lovely people ....nice collection of cars too....t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanner251 17 Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 The Theme from Sabrina is quite a masterpiece of chord progression. WAAAYYY more difficult to understand than it sounds... That is the trick of a master, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedfud 38 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I love this bit at 5:03 mins....sounds like Bb min (7?) high strings play, c,c#b ....choir is f min to e ( min ? ).....such a great sound..... gorgeous .......t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 It is brilliant.Like the short glimpse of Sibelius' violin concerto few moments before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 I'm a sucker for 1:45 here: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ludwig 1,120 Posted December 25, 2013 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 25, 2013 Fave chord progression?Those 5 chords, before it all resloves into a triumphant chord in "Hyperspace".A marvellous passage. Leading up to these chords is a pedal point on B, which, together with the driving rhythm and general minor-key sound, lends the music a constant intensity and negative emotion appropriate to the scene.The first four of those five chords derive from a combination of two whole tone scales (follow any single voice in the parallelism and you'll see what I mean), scales that naturally create a feeling of unease due to having no tonal center. On the other hand, all five of those chords are major chords, so they have a positive sound as well. It's as though the music is saying, "there's a chance the rebels could escape, but it could fail at any moment".The fifth of these chords breaks the whole tone pattern and starts to sound slightly more functional - as though the rebels are about to have the upper hand (for the moment!).Finally, as the rebels enter hyperspace, the music explodes onto that triumphant chord, (what else?) a B major chord, thus returning to the B that led up to the passage with another positive emotion and giving the music a sense of finality, stability, and even heroism with the heavy brass scoring.As usual, Williams draws on several of music's innate qualities at once to express the emotions of the scene. And that's what's so great about his music - you don't have to know anything about music theory or composition to "get" it. By understanding music so incredibly well, he ensures that anyone will understand exactly what's going on emotionally in a scene.Sheer brilliance. Naïve Old Fart, Sharkissimo and Jay 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indy4 155 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 I would add the trombone hits right before Luke jumps into the Pit in RotJ. Family Guy has a great feature on it: Naïve Old Fart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedfud 38 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Fave chord progression?Those 5 chords, before it all resloves into a triumphant chord in "Hyperspace".A marvellous passage. Leading up to these chords is a pedal point on B, which, together with the driving rhythm and general minor-key sound, lends the music a constant intensity and negative emotion appropriate to the scene.The first four of those five chords derive from a combination of two whole tone scales (follow any single voice in the parallelism and you'll see what I mean), scales that naturally create a feeling of unease due to having no tonal center. On the other hand, all five of those chords are major chords, so they have a positive sound as well. It's as though the music is saying, "there's a chance the rebels could escape, but it could fail at any moment".The fifth of these chords breaks the whole tone pattern and starts to sound slightly more functional - as though the rebels are about to have the upper hand (for the moment!).Finally, as the rebels enter hyperspace, the music explodes onto that triumphant chord, (what else?) a B major chord, thus returning to the B that led up to the passage with another positive emotion and giving the music a sense of finality, stability, and even heroism with the heavy brass scoring.As usual, Williams draws on several of music's innate qualities at once to express the emotions of the scene. And that's what's so great about his music - you don't have to know anything about music theory or composition to "get" it. By understanding music so incredibly well, he ensures that anyone will understand exactly what's going on emotionally in a scene.Sheer brilliance.so the " Bb, Ab , C and F# chords belong to the first whole tone scale and the Eb and B belong to the second ? is this how you are hearing this ?x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwig 1,120 Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 Fave chord progression?Those 5 chords, before it all resloves into a triumphant chord in "Hyperspace".A marvellous passage. Leading up to these chords is a pedal point on B, which, together with the driving rhythm and general minor-key sound, lends the music a constant intensity and negative emotion appropriate to the scene.The first four of those five chords derive from a combination of two whole tone scales (follow any single voice in the parallelism and you'll see what I mean), scales that naturally create a feeling of unease due to having no tonal center. On the other hand, all five of those chords are major chords, so they have a positive sound as well. It's as though the music is saying, "there's a chance the rebels could escape, but it could fail at any moment".The fifth of these chords breaks the whole tone pattern and starts to sound slightly more functional - as though the rebels are about to have the upper hand (for the moment!).Finally, as the rebels enter hyperspace, the music explodes onto that triumphant chord, (what else?) a B major chord, thus returning to the B that led up to the passage with another positive emotion and giving the music a sense of finality, stability, and even heroism with the heavy brass scoring.As usual, Williams draws on several of music's innate qualities at once to express the emotions of the scene. And that's what's so great about his music - you don't have to know anything about music theory or composition to "get" it. By understanding music so incredibly well, he ensures that anyone will understand exactly what's going on emotionally in a scene.Sheer brillianso the " Bb, Ab , C and F# chords belong to the first whole tone scale and the Eb and B belong to the second ? is this how you are hearing this ?xOn second thought, one probably hears the passage as a whole tone bass line harmonized with parallel major chords, as shown below (but what I suggested before was that the bass and tenor lines derive from one whole tone scale and the alto from the other, which is another possible breakdown): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 As usual, Williams draws on several of music's innate qualities at once to express the emotions of the scene.I'd be wary of calling emotional qualities of music "innate." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwig 1,120 Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 As usual, Williams draws on several of music's innate qualities at once to express the emotions of the scene.I'd be wary of calling emotional qualities of music "innate." Well, to most filmgoing audiences, the kinds of musical associations Williams draws on are fairly ingrained in Western culture. So, true, they're not innate from a strictly objective point of view, but I would think something like trumpets blaring out major chords the way Williams does here are awfully hard for most Western ears to hear as anything but heroic. Perhaps "cultured associations" would be more to the point, but not nearly as catchy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indy4 155 Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Anothr one: the lyric "Star light shine bright see me through the dark night" from "Christmas Star." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 There's a number of powerful harmonic moments here - the first one is the Gm/Bb or iv6 with the word 'coming.' The second is the Ebadd9 or Neapolitan 6th (IIb) with the word 'now.' Later in the bridge for 'sorrow round' we have Dm to Bb, with the melody exploiting the Bb's Lydian 4th (E) as a source of tension, and further on there's that wonderful treatment of 'please' with the longing E-D over the Dm tonic.Great evocation of a negro spiritual. Dixon Hill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Listening to Heartwood now; the first three chords, especially the third, suddenly made me remember a trip to Yosemite I took back in 2010, and the majestic Redwoods that we wandered under. Magical. Naïve Old Fart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Now you mentioned the Heartwood, I only heard it just recently for the first time, in an old age. Loved those chords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 It's my favorite of his concert pieces these days, along with Tree Song.Anyone know of any writings/analyses/program notes on it, beyond Williams' own brief words? Shame the score isn't available for purchase, not even in reduced piano form like his concerti. Same with Tree Song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovieMorty 0 Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 I need help with some chords. In "Leaving Home" from Superman, starting at 1:30, what voodoo magic is he using? Leaving Home Also, could whatever Williams does be said for what Horner does in Field of Dreams. The Place Where Dreams Come True 4:46-5:05 I feel like there is a chord or progression that draws me in and I feel like once I figure it out, it would be like the fountain of youth. So far all I can come up with is minor going to major chords but it must be something more. Thank you for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeallen01 2,135 Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Catch Me If You Can has to be the chord masterclass from Williams for me. It's full of so many satisfying little nuggets of chord patterns and shapes. I think my favourite Williams Orchestration choices have come post-2000. Between this and The Terminal, I could spend days listening to a single piece and all its gorgeous orchestration. Joni Wiljami and The Five Tones 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 I still dont know what a chord is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Welcome to the club! Oh, wait, you're the one who founded the club, aren't you? Nice to finally meet you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crumbs 14,306 Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Will and Jilal 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwig 1,120 Posted January 22, 2017 Author Share Posted January 22, 2017 On 1/18/2017 at 11:13 PM, MovieMorty said: I need help with some chords. In "Leaving Home" from Superman, starting at 1:30, what voodoo magic is he using? Leaving Home Also, could whatever Williams does be said for what Horner does in Field of Dreams. The Place Where Dreams Come True 4:46-5:05 I feel like there is a chord or progression that draws me in and I feel like once I figure it out, it would be like the fountain of youth. So far all I can come up with is minor going to major chords but it must be something more. Thank you for any help. Hi MovieMorty. After listening to the two passages you cite, I think what you might be hearing in both is an unusual progression from a form of the iii chord to the major bVII chord a tritone away. In "Leaving Home", the progression is between 1:47-1:51 and would be analyzed in E major as V7 / vi - bVII or if thought of more in relation to the home key, more like III7 - bVII In Horner's "The Place Where Dreams Come True", the progression is between 4:44-4:48 and would be analyzed in G major as: iii - bVII It's funny you seem to be pointing out this progression, because I've long noticed it in a couple of places in Morricone. In "The Carriage of the Spirits", from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, it occurs in 1:25-1:33: again analyzed as iii - bVII (this time in Bb major) And in "The Man with the Harmonica" from Once Upon a Time in the West, from 1:36-1:48: Here, though, it's in a minor key (A minor), and the first chord is diminished rather than major or minor, so it would be analyzed as: ii7 (no 5th) - bVI This last example has a hauntingly fateful air to it, especially when that bVI chord moves to V in 1:48. The other examples, though, are all in major keys and move to a bVII chord. When combined with the root motion by a tritone, it creates for me (and I suspect for you too) a feeling of transforming something rather negative into something extremely positive, perhaps explaining the profound effect it seems to have. karelm and Sharkissimo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Sítrónu 494 Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 at 1:43 The Eb7-chord over A in the bass [or A(b9 b5) ] leading to a perfect D major. That's such a gorgeous extension of the Dominant seventh chord! The Five Tones 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karelm 2,912 Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 4 hours ago, lemoncurd said: at 1:43 The Eb7-chord over A in the bass [or A(b9 b5) ] leading to a perfect D major. That's such a gorgeous extension of the Dominant seventh chord! Yes, very good. The E flat and D flat resolve by step in contrary motion to D so it's a very satisfying resolution. Henry Sítrónu 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 4 hours ago, lemoncurd said: at 1:43 The Eb7-chord over A in the bass [or A(b9 b5) ] leading to a perfect D major. That's such a gorgeous extension of the Dominant seventh chord! Ah, the "lift off" chord!" In my mind I've always thought of that as Johnny doing a condensed tritone substitution, but instead of bII7 replacing the V7, he combines the two as a slash chord. A two-for-one bargain. The Five Tones 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Sítrónu 494 Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 not necessarily my favourite chord progression, but also often used: I II / I - Yoda's Theme - Jurassic Park (adventurous theme) - can you read my mind - flying theme from E.T. there must be more for sure... back to the future and "Tonight" from West Side Story, e.g. ;-) The Five Tones 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loert 2,511 Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I don't have a favourite chord or progression, but I quite like this progression from Journey to the Island: In particular, I mean 0:44 - 0:47, where Johnny goes E - A - D with the seventh (C) at the bottom, which gives the impression the phrase isn't over and that there's more to come (had Williams simply stuck the tonic D at the bottom, it would be almost like a full stop). He does it again at 0:57. It's a method by which Williams keeps the momentum going. (By the way, has anyone else noticed the foreshadowing of the Island theme at 1:16? ) 16 hours ago, Sharky said: Ah, the "lift off" chord!" In my mind I've always thought of that as Johnny doing a condensed tritone substitution, but instead of bII7 replacing the V7, he combines the two as a slash chord. A two-for-one bargain. You can also think of it as a French sixth on A, but with an added Bb to preserve that b6/natural 7 interval which Williams is so obsessed with! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovieMorty 0 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 On 1/22/2017 at 0:33 AM, Ludwig said: Hi MovieMorty. After listening to the two passages you cite, I think what you might be hearing in both is an unusual progression from a form of the iii chord to the major bVII chord a tritone away. In "Leaving Home", the progression is between 1:47-1:51 and would be analyzed in E major as V7 / vi - bVII or if thought of more in relation to the home key, more like III7 - bVII In Horner's "The Place Where Dreams Come True", the progression is between 4:44-4:48 and would be analyzed in G major as: iii - bVII It's funny you seem to be pointing out this progression, because I've long noticed it in a couple of places in Morricone. In "The Carriage of the Spirits", from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, it occurs in 1:25-1:33: again analyzed as iii - bVII (this time in Bb major) And in "The Man with the Harmonica" from Once Upon a Time in the West, from 1:36-1:48: Here, though, it's in a minor key (A minor), and the first chord is diminished rather than major or minor, so it would be analyzed as: ii7 (no 5th) - bVI This last example has a hauntingly fateful air to it, especially when that bVI chord moves to V in 1:48. The other examples, though, are all in major keys and move to a bVII chord. When combined with the root motion by a tritone, it creates for me (and I suspect for you too) a feeling of transforming something rather negative into something extremely positive, perhaps explaining the profound effect it seems to have. A couple more examples and I'll try to be done. And I thank you for what you've given me thus far. I actually realized before reading your assessment that I do enjoy the bVII chord so it could very well be the piece to the puzzle Schindler's List - I Could Have Done More between 2:22 and 2:28. The American President - Main Titles between 1:24 and 1:26 Casper - One Last Wish between 2:47 and 2:50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpy 4,145 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Love this little bit here: 1:20-1:23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will 2,215 Posted September 3, 2017 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordax 32 Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 speaking of phantom menace I really like this progression https://youtu.be/IcMk3d4M-sU?t=92 sounds like C-Db-Ab-Abmin-B-Ebdim-weird Bb resolution SteveMc and Marc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMc 2,674 Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 8 minutes ago, cordax said: speaking of phantom menace I really like this progression https://youtu.be/IcMk3d4M-sU?t=92 sounds like C-Db-Ab-Abmin-B-Ebdim-weird Bb resolution Hey @cordax! Welcome a-board! That is an intriguing passage. Great example of the kind of writing that makes Williams's music what it is. Both resolution and anticipation there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwig 1,120 Posted September 13, 2018 Author Share Posted September 13, 2018 On 9/6/2018 at 7:12 PM, cordax said: speaking of phantom menace I really like this progression https://youtu.be/IcMk3d4M-sU?t=92 sounds like C-Db-Ab-Abmin-B-Ebdim-weird Bb resolution That passage is a good example of some of the detail Williams puts into even "throwaway" moments like this one. The melody is a veiled but recognizable variant of Anakin's theme, not only with the opening rising 5th plus a step up (here a half step instead of a larger whole step) but also with the octave drop plus steps up that are part of the second phrase of Anakin's theme. The harmony is also telling. Moving from a C major chord to a Db minor chord is a very disorienting motion called a "Slide" progression, which Lehman in his book, Hollywood Harmony, notes tends to be associated with ambivalence of all kinds in film. This is the scene where Obi-Wan apologizes to Qui-Gon for suggesting that Qui-Gon ought not to have such strong belief in Anakin as the chosen one. So there certainly is some conflict suggested between the two characters, and the music's weird harmonic shifts plays on the darkish uncertainty of Anakin's future. Notice that there's also an augmented triad (where you've marked an Abmin chord), which is a typical musical representation of uncertainty. Williams has such an astonishing command of melody and harmony (and other musical elements too) that even little passages of underscore like this can be rich with meaning and help us "feel" the scene even if we're not actively listening to his score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordax 32 Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 I'm baffled by this progression at the end of Lost Boys Ballet. Loert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Loert 2,511 Posted October 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 3, 2018 On 10/2/2018 at 5:10 AM, cordax said: I'm baffled by this progression at the end of Lost Boys Ballet. Very interesting! Quite tricky to transcribe, but I think a piano version would look something like this: Here's me playing it: https://picosong.com/w2VjF/ The "odd chord out" is definitely the first chord of measure 3. The impression I get is that Williams went for a Neapolitan ♭II-type ending for the right hand, but a simple cycle of fifths (A - D - G - C) for the left hand. Essentially, each hand on its own forms its own perfectly acceptable cadence, but put them together and you get a clash. This is quite reminiscent of the "kiss chord" in Strauss' Salome: ...where Richard Taruskin makes the argument in his "History of Western Music" that each hand on its own forms a typical romantic-style cadence, but they clash when put together: Quote Since [both hands] have the same tonal function, since (to put it another way) they are functionally interchangeable in preparing an authentic cadence, then their mixture can be understood...as an intensification of the function in question. Thus Strauss’s mixed harmony...is no “polytonal” configuration but rather a maximalized cadence that achieves the appropriate syntactical purpose... As to why Williams would write it that way, I think it's clearly meant to be a tongue-in-cheek effect, in the same manner as the clashing scales at the end of Korngold's Violin Concerto (27:23): Until Williams puts the progression "right" a few seconds later with less dissonant chords. (This is all assuming that my transcription is correct, of course...) Jurassic Shark, SteveMc and Ludwig 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc 767 Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Some of my favorite JW chords are those on the horns here at 1:44 ! So majestic and ominous 😃 SteveMc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwig 1,120 Posted October 5, 2018 Author Share Posted October 5, 2018 @Loert Great analysis! I think you're spot on that the two "hands" are working independently at the odd chord out in the third measure. Interesting, too, that Williams delays the expected chord tones around that third measure so they collide in their jarring way. Below is what the music would look like had he not used any delaying notes (the repeated notes and chromatic passing tones), and the boxes show the notes that become delayed in the actual cue. And here's what it would sound like: https://picosong.com/w2mh4/ The great thing is that the delayed notes don't occur or resolve at the same time, so we're left with this strangely off-balance part of the progression. It's not until we hit beat 2 of that third measure that the music gets back on track to close with a standard ii-V-I cadence. The normalized version above isn't terrible or out of place or anything, but it's certainly not the cheeky ending Williams wrote that captures more of the playfulness of the Lost Boys. Loert and SteveMc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc 767 Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 Oh and of course that chord at 6:53 !! That has to be of the best ever The Five Tones and Joni Wiljami 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 1 hour ago, Marc said: Oh and of course that chord at 6:53 !! That has to be of the best ever At 11:11 in your video is my all time favorite part😭😢 Marc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Mr. Big 4,639 Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 I love the chord progression to the Jurassic Park march because I don't know what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post D_nev 89 Posted January 2, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted January 2, 2019 The progression that never fails to make me smile is instead of doing a V-I progression he will do a bVI-I and it sounds absolutely amazing. It’s a simple enough progression but very effective. My favorite use of this is in the KoTCS score the track “Spalko’s Dossier”, at the very end. He also does a much more sped up version of this progression at the end of “Flight From Peru” from Raiders. In both cases the two chords are Ab to C Ludwig, The Five Tones, Jurassic Shark and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMc 2,674 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 A very "Williams" sound to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_nev 89 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 hour ago, SteveMc said: A very "Williams" sound to be sure. Indeed, one of the best Williams idioms in my opinion. His masterful manipulation of chords and key centers is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,054 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 You have to get one with the key. Then you can change it to whatever you want. D_nev and SteveMc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_nev 89 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 2 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said: You have to get one with the key. Then you can change it to whatever you want. Indeed 😎 Jurassic Shark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post D_nev 89 Posted January 4, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2019 Another quintessential John Willaims idiom that is sure to elicit a smile is what my brother and I have labeled “The John Williams Chord” which is typically approached by a Minor7(b5) a perfect 5th above the target chord. (e.g. F#m7(b5) to B major) The chord leading up to “The John Williams Chord” isn’t always the same, but you’ll definitely know it when you hear it! Let me know what you guys think! (Start at 4:01) and another famous one: (Start at 3:35) On 1/22/2017 at 3:26 PM, lemoncurd said: at 1:43 The Eb7-chord over A in the bass [or A(b9 b5) ] leading to a perfect D major. That's such a gorgeous extension of the Dominant seventh chord! This can also be considered a type of German 6/5. The addition of the A in the chord makes it slightly different than a German 6/5 but still very interesting!! Jurassic Shark, karelm, Ludwig and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ludwig 1,120 Posted January 5, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 5, 2019 On 1/3/2019 at 8:16 PM, D_nev said: Another quintessential John Willaims idiom that is sure to elicit a smile is what my brother and I have labeled “The John Williams Chord” which is typically approached by a Minor7(b5) a perfect 5th above the target chord. (e.g. F#m7(b5) to B major) The chord leading up to “The John Williams Chord” isn’t always the same, but you’ll definitely know it when you hear it! Let me know what you guys think! Great examples - both of the Williams-y bVI-I cadence and these "John Williams Chords"! These minor7(b5), or half-diminished 7th, chords seem to have been used for climactic effect in this period of Williams' career. A favourite example of mine (and I imagine many others here) is the one in the end credits of Close Encounters (the half-diminished chord at 3:18): This climax is the payoff for a whole movie's worth of withholding the entirety of the Devils Tower theme, a technique Williams was particularly fond of then (the main themes of E.T. and Raiders are other examples), and boy does it ever payoff! The half-diminished chord unleashes the ecstatic remainder of the theme with a cymbal crash, cascading melody in the strings, and a lofty cadential 6/4 chord that, while grandiose, does demand resolution, so transfixes us and keeps us listening still further. As though awestruck, the texture breaks off with another half-diminished chord at 3:32, this time finally leading to a soft-landing resolution on a tonic chord. We can finally exhale! What's more, notice that at 3:44 Williams plays with the bVI-I (both with major 7ths) after this tonic chord, so also incorporates the other feature you pointed out above, though here just after a cadential point rather than before one. So it seems he had this harmonic trick on his mind for cadences during this period. In the Indy scores, it seems to serve as a way of disrupting the key and providing a quirky signal of closure (appropriately enough for the tongue-in-cheek nature of the films), whereas in Close Encounters, it suggests that we're still marvelling at the meeting of aliens on Earth. So much meaning is packed into these end credits as a musical version of the onscreen catharsis we have just witnessed, it's no wonder the score is considered one of Williams' absolute best! The Five Tones, Falstaft, D_nev and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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