Though itвЂ™s often not obvious, the вЂњblue notesвЂќ in modern blues, rock вЂnвЂ™roll and jazz (3rd, 5thВ & 7thВ tones) are a classic example of dissonance being used for emotive purposes.

And yet there are those little gems like вЂњThe PoacherвЂќ, which, perhaps intentionally, perhaps not, push harmony into that other subtle, shaded space, creating a mood or effect rather than dissonance for its own sake. In the 20thВ century, no other genre has done more to push the boundaries of harmony than jazz. All others, if permitted, were required to resolve to unison or fifth degree intervals within the shortest possible time in the measure.ДЄs the centuries passed and the rules of harmony lost their rigidity, intervals once considered dissonant became to be regarded as acceptable and pleasing to the ear. 400 years ago, only octaves and fifths (think Do and Sol played together) were accepted as being вЂњpleasing to the earвЂќ. In the past, dissonance included many sounds that are today accepted and deemed pleasant and desirable. Dissonance itself can be as simple as playing narrow intervals such as major or minor seconds (think Do and Re sung together or two notes a half-step or semitone apart played together) or, more complexly, two or more frequencies played together that are close to, but not exactly вЂњin-tuneвЂќ with, notes which would normally form a consonant interval. In music, вЂњtensionвЂќ and вЂњreleaseвЂќ are functions of harmony and can be created through varying amounts of dissonance, which, depending on the artistвЂ™s mood or vision, can gradually or suddenly resolve into consonance (or vice versa). Notice that the vocal line starts below pitch and almost always resolves to the pitch of the accompanying instruments by the end of the verse or chorus. вЂњThe PoacherвЂќ hit the charts in 1974 and has stuck in my head ever since. One thing is sure, though: Ronnie wrote hits, and this was one of them. So this strange sound could have been a syncing or tape speed error.

Rather, he would use and re-use the same few reels each time he recorded. This could have happened accidentally, as Ronnie was in his Passing Show period, where he didnвЂ™t have much money and could not use miles of tape and a million takes when recording (despite having his own mobile recording studio). It is subtle but very individual, and infuses the song with a certain melancholy mood. It starts off with a string section with an oboe playing a repeating riff, then the vocals commence, and after a few seconds of listening, you can detect that the vocal pitch lies more than just a few cents below that of the accompanying instruments. Take a song like вЂњThe PoacherвЂќ from 1974, by the late Ronnie Lane of (Small) Faces, Slim Chance and Passing Show fame. It could be the great guitar solo, the chord sequence or the melody, but sometimes itвЂ™s none of those things. How many times have you heard a song or piece of music and wondered вЂњwhat is it about this that makes me listen?вЂќ.

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