May 19, 2020

Takashi Kokubo – Healing Music – Bird





Bright yellow sun rise starting new spring, Kokubo treats us not with a mystical, inquisitive or mythological mood.  He gives us a simple, crisp, pure sunny day.




1. Daichi no kokyū II (Breath of the earth II) 


               We are introduced with some subtle Eb #11 happenings before the form ! Then we jump into a loop of:



               ||Bb maj   |  Eb maj      | Ab maj        | Bb maj|
               |Eb  maj     |  Bb maj     |  Ab maj       |  Ab maj / F in the bass||



               This is the gist of what Kokubo is up to.  At times he will throw in a chord inversion, Bb major with D in the bass, Ab major with F in the bass, stuff like that !

               The main theme plays on the major triads; D, F, Bb slide up to C.  Then he repeats the theme up down a whole step, (So, C, Eb, Ab, Bb).




2. Kono michi (This way)



               ||D maj    | B-       | A maj     D maj    |  G maj   A maj    | D maj ||
               ||: G maj   A maj  :||


               On a kalimba perhaps?  Total unaffected innocence.  “Come this way !, follow me !” On a light hearted journey to see a secret bird nest.




3. Nettaiurin no yoake (Daybreak of the tropical rainforest) 


               Tune bops around between C major with a 9 flavor in there, to F major similarly styled.  After a little while A minor and G major fly into the mix.  We get some of that signature Kokubo echo scales JJ.



4. Haru no ogawa (Spring brook)




               Another kalimba jawn ,cool !  Basically G, G major7, C major, C major 7ish descending riff.  First part is as follows, arpeggiated:

               ||G B D G  |  G B D F#  | C E G C   |  C E G C ~B A G ||  Where after the C trails more into a melody.

               Part 2, arpeggiated:
               ||D A G D   |    C B G D    |  B A G D   |   C B G D    ||

               I’m sure Kokubo has a written composition for this, though in my mind he goes off to Jam City, plucking away with all the birds in the world, still in G major the whole time through.




5. Tori no shi • Mori no yoake (Bird poem • Daybreak of the forest)



               ||GCC, B G D |  G maj           |  F  maj  G Maj   |
               | D – 7     E-7   |  Fmaj   G maj |   


               Not sure exactly the harmonic rhythm here, but those are the chords.  Where the notes “GCC” are played together, followed by a melody of B G D.  We’ll see some Gmajor with B in the bass on occasion.  Cool wistful tune, reminds me of Phil Keaggy.

I think it’s that Low D note.



6. Yume (Dream)


               Mega F major 9 arpeggio spread, so cool !  One that I could approximate is voiced C, F, G E!  Mega Light BEAAAAAAAM.  Then we get :


               ||:F major     |  C major / E in the bass   |  D-7 (G7)      |  C major  :|| 


               Where we sometimes get that G7.   Super anime song, totally from the Air (tv) OST.  




7. Finlandia 



               Enjoy the wind harmonies !  !  !  !  (Main theme is very roughly B, A, B, C, then varies from there)




8. Tori no shi • Yūsuzumi (Bird poem • Cool of the evening)


Not sure of harmonic rhythm here , chords are as follows though :
               ||F maj            |  Eb maj                   |  D – 7    |   D  - 7   |
               |F maj 7 #11   |  Cmaj / E in bass   | D – 7     |  D – 7 (G7)  |
               |C maj             ||



               Some C notes flying around the Eb major chord, so that’s cool getting the 6th in there.  Also that final C major is voiced roughly C G A B.  


               Next section Kokubo plays arpeggio heaven.  Roughly voiced C F A E, C F A D (both F major) then some kind of C major harmonies after that. 
              



9. Ōkina sora (Big sky)



               Kokubo’s take on the famous Rick Roll LOL:


               ||: G maj  A  maj   |  F#-  B-    :||  repeat as desired, eventually throw in G major, A major, resolve to D major.


               Other part strolls between G major, A major, B -  , A major.





               Is this the kind of emptiness Buddhists talk about?  Kokubo graces us with purity, clarity, lightness and emptiness rather than weighing us down with heavy musics.  Light as a feather , Birds flock together  , it is Kokubo’s “Healing Music – Bird”
 

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