In my CV reading the song unfolds as a search for hope and light. Either way both the lyrics and the happy-sad-happy-sad harmony give us pause for thought. Is God pleased by the plaintive chord of our human suffering? Or will good prevail? As well as projecting his own religious doubts Cohen seems to be leaving it for us (the listeners) to decide. Choosing your sacred chord is a test of faith and one that seems particularly poignant in these difficult times. If C major represents a good angel like Gabriel then A minor could represent the fallen angel Satan. If those two chords were angels would the Lord be pleased with the happy C major angel, or the sad A minor angel? I don’t want to get into a theological discussion but it is thought provoking. But which chord is the sacred chord? Is Cohen implying it is the major chord or is it the minor? In other words is the sacred chord happy or sad? This is very interesting when we think about the opening lyrics: “I heard there was a sacred chord that David played and it pleased the Lord.” David is best known for slaying the giant Goliath but he was also a musician so the ‘sacred chord’ is a biblical reference. It is very Yin and Yang in the juxtaposition of opposing yet complimentary forces. Moving from C to A minor, C to A minor creates an emotional rollercoaster – happy, sad, happy, sad. The minor chord sounds sad and melancholy. Listen to the overall sound and note how bright and happy that C major chord sounds. Slowly play the notes of the C major chord. Well, the best thing to do is grab your ukuleles and play the chords so you can hear the difference. While there is only one different note in each chord the emotional effect is huge. The C chord contains the notes C E G, while A minor has the notes A C E. The notes that make up these two chords are very similar. 
If we consider C as the I chord then A minor is the vi (lower case Roman numerals indicate a minor) chord. The A minor chord is in fact the relative minor of C major. In other words major – minor – major – minor. In the opening four bars the chords move back and forth between C major and A minor.The first chord you played on the ukulele was most probably the C chord (0 0 0 3).It’s the biblical equivalent of “in the beginning was the word.” In other words “in the beginning was C major.” C major is the key from which all others spring.
There are no sharps of flats making C the 1st key in the circle of 5ths. Cohen chose the key C major which is one of the most common keys used in western music. First of all I want to talk about the key.What I love about Hallelujah is how the chords reflect the meaning of the words, particularly in the first verse. Before we do that, however, I’d like to take a look at the harmonic structure (chords) of this song.Today I’m going to show you how to turn the chords for Hallelujah into an elegant arpeggio accompaniment.
0 kommentar(er)
