This cover of the Oldest Song was sequenced using triangle waves, casio drum kits, synth voxes, a toy Chinese piano, and some wind samples. It was originally a hymn written for two voices, maybe a lyre too. This cover is more akin to the original alien’s version, that lost some of its fi, when imparted to man as part of the civilization package.
There is just about every time signature in this song – 4, 5, 6, and 7 too. Who would’ve thought the music of ancient Syria was so progressive!?
I used the only recorded version I know of, transcribed by Prof. Anne Draffkorn Kilmer, from a CD called “Sounds from Silence”. She studied the clay tablets for 15 years and came up with this masterpiece.
Oldest Song by Prof. Anne Draffkorn Kilmer.
It is pretty cheesy sounding, but I felt it could be cheesier still. So I covered it. Also, if you notice her time signatures are even more ridiculous. I smoothed it out and at least made the eighth notes even, so that a drum and bass could throw down.
The Oldest Song shows us how little pop music has changed over the course of four centuries. The Song is in diatonic C Major, harmonized mostly in thirds, and contains a simple I IV V Progression – The ‘Three Golden Tones’ found in every musical culture at any time on the planet. For god’s sake, the first measure of the Oldest Song is almost identical to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy!
It’s no secret that babies like Major Chords above all others. There’s a simple explanation really. Major chords make us happy because every musical tone is a major chord!
Behold the Harmonic Series!
The first tone on the left (the low C) is known as the ‘fundamental.’ If you played this tone on a piano, it would resonate with all the other tones of the series, called ‘overtones’, or ‘harmonics’. The fundamental is the pitch that you hear, while the overtones define the timbre of the instrument – what distinguishes a piano from say, a flute.
Thus, every tone is actually a chord made up of infinite tones. Add up the dominant overtones in the series, and you’ve got yourself a Major Chord.
Mommies, be sure to coo your children to sleep in Major keys and remain absolutely silent at the moment of their birth.
Here’s a little guitar diddy I made of the Harmonic Series. The scale name is known as ‘Lydian Dominant’. Enjoy my friends!
There’s also a great Article by musicologist Bob Fink, all about the Oldest Song.
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