I will forever be intrigued by the malleability of music. Musicians can produce an endlessly enrapturing array of melodies and arrangements from a seemingly limited spectrum of notes and measures. The freedom of expression that artists can find within the borders of sheet music is impressive. — Read the rest

hot pockets jingle in a minor key pic.twitter.com/LuAaWwCqAw

— WEST COAST TOUR W VALENTINE JAN 15-FEB 9 (@LeftAtLondon) January 7, 2020

There is so much gravitas and weight implied in the slightest shift of a 5-second hook.

Image via Mike Mozart / Flickr

A remarkably effective example of the "minor key" genre, where software is used to shift the chords and notes of an uplifting song to give it it a downcast mood (or vice versa).

Bill Bailey, performing at the London Palladium, entertained the audience by playing major-key songs in a minor key, and vice versa. "Now some of the great national anthems are written in the major key," he said. "In fact most national anthems are in the major key — celebratory, uplifting. — Read the rest

The single best demonstration of the difference in emotional tenor between minor and major-key dominated variations of a tune — and a great topical joke to boot, when it comes time to show the Star Spangled Banner in a different light.

Perhaps I'm feeling soft today, but I felt sentimental and melancholic speaking to the fortune teller who said my life might have been different if I'd only met that neighbor who loves apricot jam.

Another fantastic Major to Minor by Chase Holfelder. Song becomes sort of funny and ironic!

While 85% of Billboard Top 100 songs of the 1960s were written in a major key, that preference no longer holds true today. Minor key songs have become the majority, representing about 60% of modern hits. Scientific American's Helen Lee Lin delves into this, and other documented changes in musical preference. — Read the rest

Minor Keys is a beautifully-executed site devoted to music made with toy instruments. Link Discuss

From "The One With the Theme That's Depressing As Hell."

(Chase Holfelder)

The Anchorage Aces, a bankrupt minor-league hockey team, is up for sale on eBay.

Within hours of its second listing, the minor league team had received four offers on the Internet auction site, including a $2 million offer.

The West Coast Hockey League franchise filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month.

Money spent recruiting minority voters doesn't get spent on Donald Trump's legal bills.

It seems clear the ROI was low for Republicans investing in minority outreach, so hey, why not cut it? The new Lara Trump-led RNC is abandoning one of its few programs left that attempts to recruit minority voters into the "conservative" fold. — Read the rest

Luke Bowen, the Political Director and the public face of Texas Right to Life, was arrested earlier this month for solicitation of a minor. — Read the rest

Aside from the inherent difficulty of a level, video games can induce significant tension through music alone. Anyone who's experienced the anxiety of trying to prevent Sonic the Hedgehog from drowning will attest to music's ability to ratchet up a video game's intensity.  — Read the rest

In Japan's Yamaguchi prefecture, police are looking for a wild monkey that allegedly has attacked at least 10 people in the last two weeks. It seems that the monkey is targeting children, probably because it's following the playground law about picking on people your own size. — Read the rest

We're getting closer and closer to Minority Report every day, aren't we? No, we don't mean philosophical discussions about free will vs. determinism or the encroachment on civil liberties or the ethics of living in a surveillance state. No, we're just talking about really, really good tech. — Read the rest

Is it any surprise that a government administration set up for the primary purpose of incarcerating minorities would be racist toward Black people working for it?

From AP:

At the Drug Enforcement Administration's Training Academy in Virginia last year, an instructor on the firing range called out a name that was shared by two trainees, one Black and one white.

Because of the dumpster fire that is 2020, there is no IRL Black Rock City this summer. But there is Burning Man Multiverse and Burn Week is nigh, people. It starts August 30 and goes through September 6.

Am I going to participate in it? — Read the rest

Lawmakers in Turkey are hoping to pass a bill that would allow men who have sex with minors to avoid going to prison if they agree to marry their victim, reports The Independent.

From the article:

United Nations agencies warned the bill would generate a landscape of impunity for child abuse and leave victims vulnerable to experiencing additional mistreatment and distress from their assailants.

After greenlighting Turkey's invasion of Kurdish-held Syria by evacuating U.S. troops, Trump realized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was making a fool of him and sent a bizarre letter his way. The letter promised to destroy the Turkish economy, saying "Don't be a tough guy. — Read the rest