Intervals
A long time goal of mine is to learn to play the guitar, so this past November, I decided to do something about it. I got myself a beautiful Yamaha acoustic (her name is Roxy) and I have been going for lessons once a week ever since. When I started, I couldn't read music (still working on that one), didn't know how to put a chord together, and couldn't tune a guitar to save my life. I am still mostly just making noise, with a few pretty melodies thrown in, but I feel less and less awkward with the instrument every week. I can't wait to progress to a point where I can just sit back on my deck and jam.
One week, I learned about Intervals, which simply put, is the difference between pitches in a scale. I won't try to define it any more than that, as I'm sure I would get something technically wrong. So, here I was, studying thirteen different intervals. My task was to play them all and listen to the consonance and dissonance of each one and describe the emotion that they represented. I played each of them over and over (I thank my boyfriend for his patience), listening intently. The writer in me was inspired, and instead of picking just one or two emotions, I wrote a stanza for each of them.
One week, I learned about Intervals, which simply put, is the difference between pitches in a scale. I won't try to define it any more than that, as I'm sure I would get something technically wrong. So, here I was, studying thirteen different intervals. My task was to play them all and listen to the consonance and dissonance of each one and describe the emotion that they represented. I played each of them over and over (I thank my boyfriend for his patience), listening intently. The writer in me was inspired, and instead of picking just one or two emotions, I wrote a stanza for each of them.
Unison is straight forward, is whole,
Roots hold it steady, no secrets
unfold,
Minor 2nd is ominous, is
terrifying, is cruel,
Jaws of temptation, will catch off
guard a fool,
Major 2nd is awakening, the
first light of a dawn,
A whisper and wonder, if something is
wrong,
Minor 3rd is depression, a
gasp and a fall,
The point in a story, when the hero is
stalled,
Major 3rd is a folk song,
warm like a fire,
A catchy hit single, coaxed out of a
wire,
Perfect 4th is a chameleon,
and depending on three,
Uncovers a realm, of endless
possibility,
Diminished 5th is a
trickster, a shock and a frown,
When you've taken a stumble, and keep
falling down,
Perfect 5th is a leader, its
always around,
A calling, a summons, like a soldier
would sound,
Minor 6th is a question,
asked in the dark,
Its awkward, its messy, it might leave
a mark,
Major 6th is a twinkle, a
smile, and a look,
Its bright and its cheery, you're
staring, you're hooked,
Minor 7th is edgy,
suspicious, and sly,
A door you can't open, and you've got
to know why,
Major 7th is uncertain, like
it needs one more beat,
To decide if its scary, or if it is
sweet,
Octave is familiar, is comfort, is
home,
That place to come back to, when your
fingers do roam,
These are the intervals, make them your
friends,
Embrace them like family, and your
notes know no end.