Hello folks,

Okay, this is one of my all-time favourite pieces of music.

There are three notes in it, followed by another three contrasting notes that are performed in such a way that even to this day, 30+ years later, they still make me catch my breath. What is Mr Satriani doing here in a theoretical musical context? He builds the piece up and then BOOM, pulls it right back into sentimentality, poignancy etc with those six notes.

The first three notes of the six are the ones that actually make me hold my breath and the second three make me release it.

The six notes in question happen at the 10 second mark in this clip:
https://soundcloud.com/gmcphil-1/awmawy

And if you watch the whole thing, so as to get the full impact, they happen at 2:27 in this YT video:
https://youtu.be/VI57QHL6ge0


This man has a very special skill for creating melody and this piece is one that, along with Surfin With The Alien and Summer Song, I always use to introduce people to him.

Music is built on "tension and release". Raising tension by moving away from the root and releasing tension by resolving to the root. Of course, one does not have to resolve or relieve tension, usually this ends up sounding very Prog/Jazz ish. Not the case in this song. Classic use of tension release having emotional impact on the listener.

To me those 5 seconds are just sublime. It's not just the notes, it's the way the third note is cut off at just the perfect moment to give a split second of suspense and the gentleness of the next three notes demonstrating tenderness.

Extremely well crafted

F# to G# to B.
Probably the most cadential 3 notes in western music for the last 1200 years. 5 > 6 > 1 over an F#7sus going to B.
Satriani for me is the coolest of the guitar instro shredders because he's got some 'soul'.

Do you mean creating dissonance and resolving it or is it some other concept?

In this case there's no dissonance whatsoever. It's really consonant.
The F# and G# over the F#7sus and a B over the B chord (the root or 'home' key chord).
You can think of that F#7sus as both an F# and E chord (IV and V of the key) at the same time. V to IV or IV to V is the most standard resolution in western music. The F# note is the root of an F# chord and the G# is the 3rd of an E chord. It is a perfect V - IV - I resolution.

This post has been edited by klasaine: Jan 12 2019, 02:11 AM

Ken said it perfectly. As for tension/release, Tension can certainly be dissonant but it doesn't have to be. It can just be distance from the root in terms of steps in a give scale. The resolution is what makes it sound "complete".Does that make sense?
Todd

WOW,

This is already a lot more interesting than I anticipated. I don't understand a lot of what is being said but good old Google is helping me out

For me personally, I haven't heard any other five seconds of music that does that to me, makes me hold my breath and release. I'm not sure it's the notes or the way they are played or a combination. Delivery can make all the difference. I guess it's like hearing someone with no pain and flair recite Remember by Christina Rossetti and then hearing a Shakespearean actor do it, especially a female, brings tears to your eyes it does.

Do you know if any others that have that perfect resolution Ken? I'm thinking I must have heard some but they just haven't had the same impact.

Cheers

Pretty much all of Baroque and classical music: Bach, Handel, Mozart, early Beethoven - they all have the super strong V to I pull. For me, the Satriani is cool but I don't get the emotional impact that you do. That's art.

Beethoven's 6th Symphony in F major (the Pastoral Sym) does it all over the place.
Mozart #40 IMO has just other worldly resolutions ... in minor (G minor).

Both of these are "perfect" pieces of music, full stop!

Thanks Ken, I'll have a listen to those as soon as I get chance,.

I like the way you said "full stop" and not "period". Made me chuckle