Manfred Mann`s Earth Band

4 weeks ago

I put on a mask and barked.

My colleague James Stewart had asked for my opinion of a duo that was getting attention online for their “microtonal” music, Angine De Poitrine. It immediately struck me, as a backing track made ‘just for me ‘to play over. Haha.

The musicians were clearly excellent. The time signature changes were complex, but perhaps too clever for me. I couldn’t imagine myself doing what they were doing with such ease.

Despite everyone praising the sophistication, I kept hearing space for something a LOST THE WORD SIMPLE on top, a clear harmonic structure over the main riff. When I tried more unusual, “extended” or slightly off-kilter chords in the spirit of the piece, it just sounded wrong, even unpleasant.

I was getting nowhere, so I switched approach; I tried very simple, traditional major triads, about as basic as harmony gets.

To my surprise, it worked. It felt right. I liked the idea that something as old-fashioned as a doo-wop or bluegrass or even Beethoven-style triadic sequence could sit naturally over something presented as advanced and contemporary in 2026

I also needed to visually match the spirit of the original.

Then it occurred to me: I have the ability to imitate a dog barking. I taught myself when I was eight. I can fool dogs.

So, in the spirit of the odd and the slightly absurd, I put on a mask and played and barked.

The End

Manfred

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