The Song Fight Bulletin Board

The Nur Ein continues with Round Four

Title: Crush Season

Challenge: Use of Line Cliche

Examples of Line Cliche include:
"Into the Great Wide Open" by Tom Petty
The 007 Theme
"Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer
"Hey Bulldog" by The Beatles
"Raining In My Heart" by Buddy Holly

Create a new original song from the prompt by Jun 9 at 11:59 PM Eastern.

Email your song to nurein.sidefight@gmail.com

You should’ve combined this challenge with last week’s so I could’ve found a guest that knew how chords worked.

For folks who don't realize, you can embed YouTube videos in posts, there is a "youtube" button in the row of buttons above the text entry box.

This is the kinda challenge I was afraid of....I have no idea what that is even after reading a definition of it. lol

Hang on, is Line Cliche like what I did in June Moonback in Nur Ein XVII?

E Emaj7 E7 ?

The easiest way I think about it is with an A minor chord and a downward walking bass line.

Am with an A in the bass
Am with a G in the bass
Am with an F# in the bass
Am with an F in the bass

I've included a recording on guitar that is very similar to how I used it in a song called "Lie To Myself"



And I've included a link to a video that I think explains it very well (on keyboard.)

So it's just a descending bass line? Because I've never heard the term line cliche before

Spintown wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 03, 2024 1:39 am

This is the kinda challenge I was afraid of....I have no idea what that is even after reading a definition of it. lol

Me neither.
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Edited to add - this, posted by Pigfarmer Jr. explains it well: https://youtu.be/qLHJ0mSqdmQ?si=x-KioskrgFCD3Vtn
though I have no idea why it's called a line cliché...

I didn't know it either; here's what I got from googling:

Introduction. A line cliché is a stepwise line (either descending or ascending) that moves against a single stationary chord. It allows the composer to sustain a particular chord while adding some movement and interest to an otherwise boring and static progression.

So purely musical. Use a single chord with a descending or ascending line within the chord; stepwise I assume means half-step-wise, so on a guitar or piano, playing the same chord, but moving one note up or down a half step (one fret/key) while playing the same base chord, in a line; the "Kiss me" song goes down 3 half steps then back up one half step, for example.

Spintown, I agree with TC, just write your stuff; the challenge is something for your musicator to figure out this time; you should be fine.

Thanks PFJ for posting that David Bennett piano video (I highly recommend his videos). It definitely helps explain line clichés.

I would also suggest these two videos because they also talk about chord progressions that same trick of holding a base chord and moving either up or down by semitones.

I feel like there’s a line cliché in The Times They Are A Changin. D > D7 > D6 > D

crumpart wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 03, 2024 7:04 am

I feel like there’s a line cliché in The Times They Are A Changin. D > D7 > D6 > D

I would say probably not quite. Because the first descent is my whole step, from D to C, And we would expect it to be descending by half step (D to C# to C to B).

Honestly, I have never heard the term “line cliché” before, despite having a masters degree in music theory. But it seems like a perfectly fine term to describe something that is pretty common in all styles of music. I guess I would just refer to it as chromatism. My favorite example is from Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas, In the song “When I Am Laid in Earth,” where the descending chromatic ground bass represents the life draining from Aeneas’s dying body.

But two of the examples shown here, the James Bond theme and the opening to John Lennon “Starting Over” are good obvious examples for anyone who is confused.

Note: You can move either the Lowest Note (Bass Note, usually the Root Note) Down half steps... or the Highest Note (Commonly the 5th in a Standard 3 Note Chord 1/3/5) Up half steps and both are considered a line cliche. Also note... the whole song doesn't have to be a line cliche... just use of one somewhere in the song. So... pick 1 Chord that you want to move either the Lowest Note Down a few times or the Highest Note Up a few times.

Well, I'll be writing today, but I will have no idea if what Joe gives me meets this challenge, so it's all up to him this round.

Is it possible to do a line cliche with an arpeggiated chord, or is that something else?

-craig

starfinger wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 03, 2024 10:40 pm

Is it possible to do a line cliche with an arpeggiated chord, or is that something else?

-craig

“House of the Rising Sun” may be a good example of a line cliche that is arpeggiated. Maybe “Stairway to Heaven” as well? I’m not sure how strictly it requires the chord to remain the same. Hahaha. See what I did there?

Stairway: Am E/G# G D/F# Fmaj7

starfinger wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 03, 2024 10:40 pm

Is it possible to do a line cliche with an arpeggiated chord, or is that something else?

-craig

Arpeggiation is more texture/arrangement than harmonic line. Personally, I’d say it’s fine, tho ofc I defer to the judges. If you’re concerned, you could include a drone behind the arpeggiating instrument

I feel like I use this harmonic device all the time. Like, almost to the point of…


…cliché!

Looks like I'm ducking out here, I entered the contest with a house move stuck in "nothing going on" but now it's escalated to "everything going on at once" and needs my full attention. Best of luck to the remaining contestants!

vowlvom wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 09, 2024 11:52 am

Looks like I'm ducking out here, I entered the contest with a house move stuck in "nothing going on" but now it's escalated to "everything going on at once" and needs my full attention. Best of luck to the remaining contestants!

As a listener, this makes me sad. As a contestant, I am relieved another 2x Nur Ein winner has dropped out of the race. But seriously, good luck with the move, hope it goes smoothly.

The Ujn Corporation is in.
Swan Song Shadow sent.
Crushed.