Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2010 September 3

Welcome to the Wikipedia Entertainment Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

September 3

1960's British Television

Anyone remember the name of a British Tv show about a guy who was a private detective, and was helped by the ghost of his dead brother? The actor who played the ghost, was always dressed in white, ie; tie, shirt, jacket, pants, shoes etc. Only the detective brother could see or interact with this ghost.99.240.206.191 (talk) 02:27, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

GOT IT! Thank you. The show in Britain was called Randall and Hopkirk. In North America, it aired under the title "My partner the ghost" and starred Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.240.206.191 (talk) 03:05, 3 September 2010 (UTC)
It starred Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope in the UK too.

It was remade in 1999-2001 by surreal comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. BTW just to quibble, they weren't brothers, just partners. One was Randall, the other was Hopkirk. Rojomoke (talk) 07:37, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

The full UK title was Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:09, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

What's he sucking on?

The fiddle player in this video has a stick or some such thing in his mouth. You can see it very plainly at about 1:40. What is it? Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 04:05, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Looks to me exactly like an unlit cigar. Sometimes, when people are quitting smoking, they will hold a cigarette or cigar in their mouths without lighting it, not to say that is why he is doing it. Without knowing why he is doing it, I can say that I am fairly certain it is just a cigar. --Jayron32 04:09, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

That was my first thought too but he has it tucked so far back in his mouth, judging by the bulge in his cheek, that I thought I must be wrong. I've never seen anyone suck on a cigar like that. Dismas|^(talk) 04:11, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Looks like a cigar. I wonder if he's sucking on cigars so he can break his lollipop habit. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:35, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Forgive me if I'm stating the obvious, but part of this band's schtick is that they're humorously parodying the appearance of one style of (Texan?) bluegrass band (see Hayseed Dixie for another example of this tongue-in-cheek bluegrass/rock genre), hence also the slightly exaggerated facial expressions apparent in that clip. The cigar is, I suggest, not real but a prop used as part of that player's costume and performance, and his use of it is consequently a deliberate distortion of how a real cigar would be employed. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 09:35, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

How do you come up with the right chords for a bass line, given a simple melody?

I'm only a beginner on the piano and I like to fool around the notes and certain scales. Sometimes I come up with some simple melodies for the right hand (no chords, very simple).

The thing is, I have no idea of how to come up with a matching bass line for the left hand. I don't know which chords to play with which notes, even though I know which timing seems right for the tune. I usually end up playing the same note, only on lower octaves, but that's just boring.

What's the trick for this? I'm having a hard time searching the web as I have no idea on what to search for, and everything I find is extremely vague, guitar-centric, or they brush it off saying it's easy. :( 189.15.212.245 (talk) 11:47, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

If you're beginner, this page covers the absolute basics. Also, if you click the banner at the end of the article, it takes you to a recording of the author explaining a bit more. (Then he offers to sell you the entire course for $97, but that's up to you.) There are a few other easy ways to figure out what works, and when you're familiar with these you'll be in a better position to start trying out more complicated chords. Hope this helps. Anonymous Bob (talk) 13:57, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Hey, that was helpful! Thank you! :) 189.15.212.245 (talk) 21:10, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Our article Circle of fifths may help you get to grips with "what goes with what" in terms of harmony. Karenjc 15:52, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

The thing that bothers me about these music theory articles over here is that they are too technical for a beginner, and the musical theory terminology is very obtuse, which doesn't help us much. I'm trying to understand the basics of what makes a chord work with a note or another chord, and what makes it "feel" right when put after another chord. This way I can make a mental tree of which options I have, and I can play with things in a more precise way. The way I understand these things at the moment, I just know all these chords exist, not what makes them work together. This hasn't been explained in a satisfying way to me yet. I can feel them working together if I hear it, but I want to understand WHY it does work. 189.15.212.245 (talk) 21:10, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Typically, when composing, things would go in a rather different order than you're presented with. In general (and somewhat simplistically) you'd decide on the prevailing key, then decide what chord progression and rhythm you're using, and only then write a melody within that rubric. At a very basic level (sic), bass instruments tend to play the chords - whether just banging on the tonic of each chord, playing each as an arpeggio, or playing a simplified melody that falls within that chord structure. As you're having to start with the melody, you need to reverse-engineer the key, the time signature, the rhythm, and the chords. Depending on the style of music, this might be easy, or blinking hard. The style of music often dictates the chord structure - rock is (frighteningly often ) I-IV-V (e.g. A-D-E) and blues (and often jazz) follow the patterns in twelve-bar blues. In some music the melody starts each bar (or each phrase, maybe) with the tonic of the prevailing chord, so that might be a clue. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 22:55, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

If you want to really understand why these things work, you'll need to delve into neurobiology! I believe Oliver Sacks has some interesting books on the subject. Otherwise, you'll have to stick to the music theory. Although, briefly:

1. Certain intervals (two notes with one a certain amount higher than the other) sound really good when both notes are played together.
2. Which intervals sound best seems to involve how simple the ratio of the frequencies is. For example, two notes an octave apart sound like two versions of the same note: the frequency of one note is double the other, giving a ratio of 2:1. Have a look at just intonation.
3. A standard triad is _usually made up of a major third and a minor third, and these are intervals that sound good. It also has a perfect fifth from the bottom note to the top note, and that sounds especially good. So a triad is good.
4. The most important notes in any given musical key are the tonic (so, in C that would be C), the dominant (the note a fifth above the tonic, so in C that would be G) and the sub-dominant (the note a fifth below the tonic, so in C that would be F). Notice how important the lovely interval of a fifth is.
5. You can pretty much create an acceptable accompaniment by just using triads from the tonic, dominant and sub-dominant, assuming your melodies aren't too complex and don't switch key without you noticing! This is what most rock music does.
6. So, you need to work out what key you melody is in. I strongly suggest playing your tune starting on different notes until you find a starting point that lets you play your tune without too many black notes.
   1. The note you finish on is almost certainly the tonic, although occasionally it is the dominant (this tends to give a slightly 'unfinished' feel).
   2. Look at the circle of fifths, having noticed which black notes you used, and work out which key fits.
7. Now work out your tonic, sub-dominant and dominant triads. For example, in the key of C-major:
   • The tonic will be C, so your triad is C-E-G, like a C-major arpeggio.
   • The subdominant will be F, so your triad is F-A-C, an F-major arpeggio.
   • The dominant will be G, so your triad is G-B-D, a G-major arpeggio.
8. You can experiment with these to find which sound right when played under bits of tune, and what effect going from one to the other has.
9. You can mix your triads up, playing G-B-D in a different order, or in different octaves.
10. When you're comfortable with this, you can start adding more chords.

There's a lot to take in, so don't worry if it doesn't make sense at first, or you forget something. It will make more sense later. Consider buying a theory book, such as the pink Associated Board (AB) guide to grades 1-5. 86.164.78.91 (talk) 16:19, 6 September 2010 (UTC)

Piano duet (Fiddler on the roof)

I'm looking for the names of two pianists famous for duets. I know they played during the 70's and recorded music from Fiddler on the Roof. Also, I'm fairly certain their names aren't normal American names. Help? PrincessofLlyr ^{royal court} 17:18, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Ferrante & Teicher, no doubt. Deor (talk) 17:43, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Exactly! Thanks so much! PrincessofLlyr ^{royal court} 18:16, 3 September 2010 (UTC)