The American Indian War Chant is a popular melody sung at sporting events1. There’s even a dance craze that goes along with it—the tomahawk chop. Fans of tribe-inspired teams sing the War Chant in perfect 4/4 time, set to an “ooga chaka” beat, while tomahawking with their right hands on the downbeats (usually the 1′s [...]
Archive of posts tagged Sports
Major Laugh Made Ya Laugh
People in the 40′s used to laugh in major keys. Man’s guffaws and woman’s’ cackles were tuned to each other―an octave apart―and the glee of their sons and daughters lol’d like a pop choir. But those were jazzier times then, when it was okay for boys to laugh like birds, and girls to cry like [...]
Sporting Event Melodies
The biggest sing-alongs on Earth are found at sporting events. Accompanied by a sparse hammond organ, thousands of people sing simple intervals and clap various 4/4 rhythms, albeit in a thousand different keys and at a thousand different tempos. This one’s my favorite. Drag over the black stemmed noteheads. “Asshole” is a minor third interval, [...]
